Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Apheresis: A potent therapeutic in extracorporeal photopherisis

Apheresis, the simple process of drawing blood, becomes a powerful therapeutic in extracorporeal photopherisis (ECP) according to clinicians and scientists who met at the NIH State of the Science Symposium in Therapeutic Apheresis. Nora Ratcliffe, MD, of Dartmouth Hitchcock, looked at current methodology and opportunities for research in a paper recently published in Transfusion Medicine Review, titled "National Institutes of Health State of the Science Symposium in Therapeutic Apheresis: Scientific Opportunities in Extracorporeal Photopheresis."

14 Dec 2014

Study finds that K13 gene mutations cause malaria drug resistance in Southeast Asia

Growing resistance to malaria drugs in Southeast Asia is caused by a single mutated gene inside the disease-causing Plasmodium falciparum parasite, according to a study led by David Fidock, PhD, professor of microbiology & immunology and of medical sciences (in medicine) at Columbia University Medical Center.

12 Dec 2014

Diplomat announces new partnership with Novation through Hospital Specialty Rx Program

Diplomat, the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy, has announced a new partnership with Novation through their Hospital Specialty Rx Program.

11 Dec 2014

Research finding could lead to development of effective vaccines against microbial infections

The diverse functions of a special cell-recognition lipoprotein, LOX-1, weren't always fully understood. However, Baylor Research Institute investigators gained better insight into LOX-1's role in immune responses through a study recently published in Immunity. Investigators found that the lipoprotein promotes humoral responses, which could allow researchers to design effective vaccines against microbial infections, including influenza viruses and HIV.

11 Dec 2014

Study shows seasonal flu vaccines may protect individuals against many different viruses

Seasonal flu vaccines may protect individuals not only against the strains of flu they contain but also against many additional types, according to a study published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

9 Dec 2014

Phase 2 RESONATE-17 study: IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) improves survival in CLL patients with del 17p

Results from the Phase 2 RESONATE-17 (PCYC-1117) study show IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) was associated with an 82.6 percent investigator-assessed overall response rate (ORR; the primary endpoint) and a 79 percent progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 12 months in people living with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) who have a genetic mutation known as deletion 17p (del 17p).

9 Dec 2014

Vitamin C may reduce exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and respiratory symptoms

Physical activity increases oxidative stress, and therefore, as an antioxidant vitamin C might have particularly evident effects on people who are participating in vigorous exercise. In several studies, vitamin C administration attenuated the increases in oxidative stress markers caused by exercise. Furthermore, vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of histamine, prostaglandins, and cysteinyl leukotrienes, all of which appear to be mediators in the pathogenesis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

8 Dec 2014

Researchers discuss effects of mother-infant bedsharing

Recommendations by physician groups to avoid bedsharing among mothers and their babies are intended to reduce sleep-related infant deaths. But evidence suggests that the risks of bedsharing have been over-emphasized, advice never to bedshare is unrealistic, and avoiding bedsharing may interfere with breastfeeding, according to an article in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

8 Dec 2014

iTeos Therapeutics, Pfizer form strategic collaboration for cancer immunotherapeutics

iTeos Therapeutics SA announced today a strategic collaboration with Pfizer Inc. pursuant to which iTeos will license to Pfizer rights to iTeos' pre-clinical compounds targeting Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) and Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2). Pfizer will be responsible for the development and commercialization of IDO1 and TDO2 drug candidates.

8 Dec 2014

Researchers identify new targets for future CLL therapies

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is among the most frequent leukemias affecting adults in Western countries. It usually occurs in older patients, does not cause any symptoms for a long time and is often only discovered by accident. Despite treatment, relapses frequently occur. The immunologists Dr. Kristina Heinig and Dr. Uta Höpken (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch) and the hematologist Dr. Armin Rehm (MDC and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin) have now discovered why this is so.

7 Dec 2014

BRI signs license agreement with SOBI for Kineret (anakinra)

Baylor Research Institute, the research arm of the Baylor Scott & White Health, announced that it has signed an agreement with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) to non-exclusively license Baylor's patents pertaining to the treatment of Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA or SOJIA) using interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta antagonists.

6 Dec 2014

Study sheds new light on well-known mechanism required for immune response

A new study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America sheds new light on a well-known mechanism required for the immune response. Researchers at the IRCM, led by Tarik Möröy, PhD, identified a protein that controls the activity of the p53 tumour suppressor protein known as the "guardian of the genome".

6 Dec 2014

Researchers suggest new strategy to control cellular identity and fate

A team of scientists that included researchers from UCLA has discovered a novel mechanism of RNA regulation in embryonic stem cells. The findings are strong evidence that a specific chemical modification, or "tag," on RNA plays a key role in determining the ability of embryonic stem cells to adopt different cellular identities.

6 Dec 2014

Jakafi receives expanded approval from FDA for use in treatment of polycythemia vera

Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc., the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an expanded indication of Jakafi (ruxolitinib).

5 Dec 2014

Cellular Research announces commercial availability of Precise targeted RNASeq assays

Cellular Research today announced the commercial launch of its Precise targeted RNASeq assays. The company also announced the commercial availability of application-focused panels for the Precise assays, including panels designed for oncology, induced pluripotent stem cells and immunology.

5 Dec 2014

Scientists seek to improve stem cell transplant outcomes using DNA sequencing, mathematical modeling

Is the human immune system similar to the weather, a seemingly random yet dynamical system that can be modeled based on past conditions to predict future states? Scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center's award-winning Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program believe it is, and they recently published several studies that support the possibility of using next-generation DNA sequencing and mathematical modeling to not only understand the variability observed in clinical outcomes of stem cell transplantation, but also to provide a theoretical framework to make transplantation a possibility for more patients who do not have a related donor.

5 Dec 2014

New technology reveals cellular gene transcription process in detail

A new technology that reveals cellular gene transcription in greater detail has been developed by Dr. Daniel Kaufmann of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre and the research team he directed. "This new research tool offers us a more profound view of the immune responses that are involved in a range of diseases, such as HIV infection. At the level of gene transcription, this had been difficult, complex and costly to do with current technologies, such as microscopy," explained the University of Montreal professor.

4 Dec 2014

Study reports effective treatment approach to inhibit herpes virus infection

A multi-institutional study reports an effective treatment approach to inhibit and keep latent viruses like herpes simplex from reactivating and causing disease. The work, whose lead author is the late James Hill, PhD, LSU Health New Orleans Professor and Director of Pharmacology and Infectious Disease at the LSU Eye Center, is published in the December 3, 2014, issue of Science Translational Medicine.

4 Dec 2014

Researchers find way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and the Gladstone Institutes have found a way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss in a mouse using a simple chemical compound that is a precursor to vitamin B3. This discovery has important implications not only for preventing hearing loss, but also potentially for treating some aging-related conditions that are linked to the same protein.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers explore how to turn on the activity of paternal gene

Most genes are inherited as two working copies, one from the mother and one from the father. However, in a few instances, a gene is imprinted, which means that one copy is silenced. This is called genomic imprinting. If the active copy is mutated, then disease results, even though the silenced gene copy may be normal.

2 Dec 2014

Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Apheresis: A potent therapeutic in extracorporeal photopherisis

Study finds that K13 gene mutations cause malaria drug resistance in Southeast Asia

Diplomat announces new partnership with Novation through Hospital Specialty Rx Program

Research finding could lead to development of effective vaccines against microbial infections

Study shows seasonal flu vaccines may protect individuals against many different viruses

Phase 2 RESONATE-17 study: IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) improves survival in CLL patients with del 17p

Vitamin C may reduce exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and respiratory symptoms

Researchers discuss effects of mother-infant bedsharing

iTeos Therapeutics, Pfizer form strategic collaboration for cancer immunotherapeutics

Researchers identify new targets for future CLL therapies

BRI signs license agreement with SOBI for Kineret (anakinra)

Study sheds new light on well-known mechanism required for immune response

Researchers suggest new strategy to control cellular identity and fate

Jakafi receives expanded approval from FDA for use in treatment of polycythemia vera

Cellular Research announces commercial availability of Precise targeted RNASeq assays

Scientists seek to improve stem cell transplant outcomes using DNA sequencing, mathematical modeling

New technology reveals cellular gene transcription process in detail

Study reports effective treatment approach to inhibit herpes virus infection

Researchers find way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss

Researchers explore how to turn on the activity of paternal gene

Immunology eBook

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

Leveraging the Radian ASAP in standard casework