Interleukin 4 News and Research

RSS

Psoriasis trial enters final stage

Solbec Pharmaceuticals Ltd today announced the successful completion of the first two stages of the Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound, CoramsineTM (SBP002), for the treatment of psoriasis.

4 Nov 2004

Maxim Pharmaceuticals to withdraw NDA for advanced malignant melanoma

Maxim Pharmaceuticals has announced that based upon the negative outcome of it's confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial (M0104) studying Ceplene(TM) (histamine dihydrochloride) in combination with Interleukin-2 (IL-2) in advanced malignant melanoma patients with liver metastases, it plans to close the treatment protocol approved by the FDA earlier this year.

2 Nov 2004

Red wine delivered though an aerosol for COPD, asthma, and possibly even arthritis

Homing in on mechanisms for the reported effectiveness of resveratrol, which is found in red wine, researchers at Imperial College London, England, confirmed its broad anti-inflammatory action, and found potential for applications in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and possibly even arthritis.

29 Oct 2004

Researchers have uncovered a specific signaling mechanism that contributes to the development of colorectal cancer

The discovery furthers the understanding of mechanisms that contribute to disease progression and provides new avenues for development of therapies for colorectal cancer.

21 Oct 2004

Interleukin-6 has potential as a therapeutic drug in treating metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis

For the most of the past century, researchers have searched for a muscle-contraction-induced factor, which mediates some of the exercise effects in other tissues and organs such as the liver and adipose tissue.

5 Oct 2004

Major trends in AIDS research that the different research teams throughout the world are pursuing

The science will be presented during the conference which is taking place in Lausanne until September 1, 2004. The advances in fundamental research, notably through a better understanding of the complex processes of immune defence, HIV and the functioning of vaccines, promote the genesis and development of new vaccine candidates.

30 Aug 2004

Common enzyme acts as a natural brake to prevent potentially deadly runaway inflammation

An enzyme found in nearly all animal and human cells acts as a natural brake to prevent potentially deadly runaway inflammation, UCSF scientists have discovered.

30 Aug 2004

Misfiring proteins linked to sick feeling of type 2 diabetics

After a series of studies in the laboratory of Dr. Gregory Freund, a clearer picture is emerging: A disruption of signaling proteins in the immune system may be responsible for the inflammation that makes someone with type 2 diabetes feel sick and increases the risk of serious complications.

29 Jul 2004

Mediterranean diet lowers levels of markers for inflammation and coagulation which have been linked to heart disease

“The benefits of this diet are very well known, but the mechanism is not well understood. We believe this is the first time it has been reported that the potential mechanism goes through the inflammation process,” said Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos, MSc, PhD with Harokopio University in Athens, Greece.

7 Jul 2004

Discovery could pave the way to smallpox Immunity

A team of scientists led by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) international research scholar has discovered the immune system mechanism that causes some mice to be more susceptible to mousepox than others.

9 Jun 2004

Breakthrough could help protect against the use of smallpox by terrorists

Researchers at the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research have identified proteins that determine which mice succumb to mousepox and which do not. The new insights into the immune response of mice to the mousepox virus could enable scientists to improve treatment for poxvirus infections, including smallpox.

9 Jun 2004

Multi-targeted anticancer drug shows promise as treatment for metastatic renal cell cancer

A new multi-targeted anticancer drug called SU11248 has shown very promising results in the treatment for metastatic renal cell cancer, one of the most chemotherapy resistant of all cancers.

6 Jun 2004

Trial shows Daclizumab therapy improves multiple sclerosis outcome

A small clinical trial of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who did not respond to interferon alone found that adding the human antibody daclizumab improved patient outcome. Patients who received the combined therapy had a 78 percent reduction in new brain lesions and a 70 percent reduction in total lesions, along with other significant clinical improvements.

24 May 2004

Using gene therapy to fight rheumatoid arthritis

Guided by a similar principle, arthritis researchers at the University of Florida and Harvard University hope to use gene therapy to help joint cells pump out a harmless protein that parks in receptor sites, leaving a notorious inflammatory agent “circling the lot” and unable to cause pain, swelling and possible joint damage.

21 May 2004

Manipulation of the body’s own natural killer cells to destroy cells containing the HIV virus

Current treatments for HIV block the virus from replicating, but don’t kill the cells that contain HIV. The existence of these HIV-harboring cells -- often called the “latent” or “resting reservoir” -- is regarded by many to be the main obstacle to finding a cure for HIV.

18 May 2004

Phase 3 trial of Ceplene in acute myeloid leukemia meets primary trial endpoint

Maxim Pharmaceuticals has announced the results of an international Phase 3 clinical trial testing the combination of Ceplene (TM) plus interleukin-2 (IL-2) in 320 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in complete remission.

12 May 2004

Radiologists use CT-Scans to inject gene therapy into tumors

Using CT-scan images to steer gene-therapy injections directly into the tumor offers a safe delivery method for treating patients with metastatic kidney cancer, report UCLA radiologists in the May issue of Radiology. Their findings could enhance the treatment of the disease, which resists traditional intravenous chemotherapy in 85 percent of cases.

4 May 2004

Study identifies key factor causing low iron and anemia in patients with infections and major inflammatory diseases

UCLA researchers found that a member of the immune system’s defense team stimulates a chain reaction leading to chronic anemia in many patients with infections and major inflammatory diseases.

3 May 2004

Experimental immune-boosting drug interleukin-2 helps HIV Patients

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists report that brief, widely-spaced courses of the experimental immune-boosting drug interleukin-2 (IL-2) allow people with HIV to maintain near normal levels of a key immune system cell for long periods.

26 Apr 2004

A new study is better defining the impact that stress and depression have on women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis

A new study is better defining the impact that stress and depression have on women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The research, led by a team of ASU psychologists, shows increased pain and inflammation for those dealing with high amounts of stress and depression.