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New faculty members join UNC Lineberger to help launch immunotherapy clinical trials

Two new faculty members have joined the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to help launch groundbreaking immunotherapy clinical trials testing an experimental treatment in which patients' own immune cells are genetically engineered to fight their cancer.

30 Mar 2015

Study suggests new approach to help prevent meningococcal outbreaks

Nasal drops of harmless bacteria can inhibit a related bug that sometimes causes meningococcal disease, according to new findings published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study--conducted among college students, a group at higher risk for this often serious illness--suggests a new approach that could help suppress outbreaks of the disease, if supported by future research.

30 Mar 2015

Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis introduces new medical journal

The Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis, a regional training and consultation center at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minn, is today launching a new medical journal, the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases.

25 Mar 2015

Key finding may point to immediate cause of CF exacerbations

In the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis (CF), the most severe symptoms are recurring episodes of lung inflammation and bacterial infection (known as "exacerbations") that happen from one to three times a year and cause ever-increasing amounts of lung damage through the course of a CF patient's life.

24 Mar 2015

Dipexium Pharmaceuticals reports strong financial results for year ended December 31, 2014

Dipexium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a late-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of Locilex® (pexiganan cream 0.8%), a novel, broad spectrum, topical antibiotic peptide, today announced operational, clinical and financial results for the year ended December 31, 2014.

24 Mar 2015

Plexin D1 gene determines body fat distribution in humans

Scientists have known for some time that people who carry a lot of weight around their bellies are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease than those who have bigger hips and thighs.

24 Mar 2015

Montefiore physician offers tips for seasonal allergy sufferers

This winter was one of the coldest on record, but spring allergy season is already beginning and it's time for sufferers to start preparing now.

23 Mar 2015

Study reveals functional heterogeneity of CD4 T cells in immune systems

Utilizing a novel transgenic mouse model, Edward Usherwood, PhD of Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center and collaborators found that CD4 T cells divide into two different populations that each has a different job. One type performs antiviral functions, and the other survives life in the host.

23 Mar 2015

MSU scientists identify antioxidant system that backs up liver during crisis

Scientists from Montana State University and Sweden have discovered an antioxidant system that helps sustain the liver when other systems are missing or compromised.

23 Mar 2015

New article highlights the problem of antibiotic use in lab experiments

Scientists should reduce antibiotic use in lab experiments - according to a researcher at the University of East Anglia.

20 Mar 2015

Two common antibiotic treatments equally effective against MRSA skin infections

Researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, have found that two common antibiotic treatments work equally well against bacterial skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquired outside of hospital settings.

20 Mar 2015

Antech Diagnostics agrees to acquire assets of AVRL for $21 million from Abaxis

Abaxis, Inc., a medical products company manufacturing point-of-care blood analysis systems, and VCA Inc., a leading animal healthcare company in the United States and Canada, today jointly announced Antech Diagnostics, Inc., VCA's laboratory division, has agreed to acquire the assets of AVRL (Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratory) from Abaxis for $21 million in cash.

19 Mar 2015

New bone marrow transplant unit launched in Bangalore, India

A bone marrow transplant can mean the difference between life and death for people with blood cancers and related disorders. But many patients in India can't afford the high treatment costs, and for them a transplant is not an option. This is changing thanks to a newly launched bone marrow transplant unit at M.S. Ramaiah Medical College in Bangalore.

19 Mar 2015

IU researchers reveal how Toxoplasma parasites modify brain cells

Rodents infected with a common parasite lose their fear of cats, resulting in easy meals for the felines. Now IU School of Medicine researchers have identified a new way the parasite may modify brain cells, possibly helping explain changes in the behavior of mice -- and humans.

19 Mar 2015

New microarray-based tool provides fast, reliable assessment of vaginal health

A new microarray-based tool, called VaginArray, offers the potential to provide a fast, reliable and low-cost assessment of vaginal health and diagnoses of infections. The research is published ahead of print March 2, in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

19 Mar 2015

New research identifies promising drug therapy target for breast cancer

The genome of a cell is under constant attack, suffering DNA damage that requires an army of repair mechanisms to keep the cell healthy and alive. Understanding the behavior of the enzymes defending these assaults helps determine how - and where - cancer gets its foothold and flourishes.

18 Mar 2015

CUMC researchers identify mechanism of kidney transplant tolerance

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have pinpointed the immune system mechanism that allows a kidney transplant to be accepted without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, a significant step toward reducing or eliminating the need for costly and potentially toxic immunosuppressant drugs and improving long-term transplant success.

17 Mar 2015

World Health Organisation (WHO) joins with ESCMID to fight global infections

The European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) has been joined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to launch the 7th annual ‘International Day for Fighting Infection’ (April 24th, 2015).

16 Mar 2015

Two American scientists receive Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

Two American scientists, James P. Allison and Carl H. June, will today receive the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. Both give the patient's own immune system the lasting ability to fight cancer, Allison against late stage melanoma, June against leukemia.

16 Mar 2015

Penn researcher named a recipient of 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

University of Pennsylvania cancer and HIV expert Carl June, MD, has been named one of two recipients of the 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for his outstanding work in cancer immunotherapy. Since 1952, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize has been awarded to scientists who have made great advancements in the fields in which Paul Ehrlich worked, in particular immunology, cancer research, microbiology, and chemotherapy.

12 Mar 2015