Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

ISTA Pharmaceuticals announces Phase 1/2 clinical study results of bepotastine besilate nasal spray

ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced positive preliminary results from a Phase 1/2 clinical study of bepotastine besilate nasal spray conducted in Canada for the treatment of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis, the inflammation of the nasal passages caused by allergies.

6 Oct 2010

Study may lend insight about hallucination mechanism in schizophrenia

Scripps Research Institute scientists have shown for the first time that the neurotransmitter serotonin uses a specialized signaling pathway to mediate biological functions that are distinct from the signaling pathways used by hallucinogenic substances. The new findings could have a profound effect on the development of new therapies for a number of disorders, including schizophrenia and depression.

6 Oct 2010

Rochester General Hospital Research Institute awarded $7M for Prevnar 13 study of ear infections in children

The Rochester General Hospital Research Institute has been awarded a $7.1 million grant to study the effectiveness of a new vaccine on the bacteria that cause ear infections in children. Michael E. Pichichero MD, Director of the Research Institute, has been named Principal Investigator of the five year study which will follow children who receive the Prevnar 13 vaccine. The vaccine is manufactured by Pfizer Vaccine Research of Collegeville, Pennsylvania which is funding the grant.

6 Oct 2010

Researchers discover biomarker for allergy can originate from mother

Allergies occur when the defence mechanisms of the immune system malfunction and misread normal substances entering the body as invading pathogens. Antibodies are part of our biochemical arsenal for combating viruses, bacteria, parasites and other alien substances, but during an allergic reaction the antibody, known as IgE, is directed against usually harmless substances such as grass pollen, nuts, pets or eggs. However, researchers from COPSAC (Copenhagen Studies on Asthma in Childhood) at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen recently discovered indications that IgE in the blood of the umbilical cord could originate from the mother, and decided to conduct a focused study on this.

6 Oct 2010

Researchers find exposure to air pollution increases severity of asthma symptoms

Exposure to dirty air is linked to decreased function of a gene that appears to increase the severity of asthma in children, according to a joint study by researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

6 Oct 2010

Majority of Canadians with asthma consider their disease 'well controlled'

A new survey, Asthma Insight and Management in Europe and Canada (EUCAN AIM), reveals that a majority of Canadians with asthma considered their disease "well controlled" at the time of the survey. However, in the year prior to the survey, more than half (52 per cent) required acute treatment for asthma, including seeing a doctor for worsening symptoms (45 per cent), unscheduled emergency room visits (28 per cent), and being hospitalized overnight (five per cent).

5 Oct 2010

RHUCIN clinical trial results published in JACI journal

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the publication of an integrated analysis of two randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials with RHUCIN (recombinant human C1 inhibitor, or rhC1INH), in the October issue of the peer reviewed Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI).

5 Oct 2010

Research on T cell may lead to new treatment options for type 1 diabetes

A research team from the University of British Columbia and the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) at BC Children's Hospital has identified the role of a type of T cell in type 1 diabetes that may lead to new treatment options for young patients.

5 Oct 2010

NIH awards $4 million grant to develop novel genetic strategy for combating tuberculosis

William R. Jacobs, Jr., Ph.D., professor of microbiology & immunology and of genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator, has been awarded a three-year, $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a novel genetic strategy for combating tuberculosis (TB). TB causes almost two million deaths each year, making it the world's most deadly bacterial infection.

5 Oct 2010

Egg allergies may be prevented by early introduction: Study

Contrary to popular belief that eggs should not be introduced into the diet before the first birthday of the baby, a new study shows that parents who do not want their newborn babies to develop an egg allergy ought to feed them eggs in the first six months of life.

4 Oct 2010

Enzo commences clinical trial of Optiquel for chronic non-infectious uveitis

Enzo Biochem, Inc., announced today that, following filing of a investigational new drug (IND) application with the FDA, its Enzo Therapeutics division is commencing a clinical trial of Optiquel™ , the Company's proprietary oral therapeutic for chronic non-infectious uveitis. The trial is designed as a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study with a long-term follow-up and is being conducted by the National Institute of Health's National Eye Institute (NEI).

4 Oct 2010

Neupro improves quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients

People with Parkinson's disease who used once-daily Neupro® (rotigotine) in the RECOVER trial achieved improvements in quality of life, in addition to previously reported beneficial effects on motor and non-motor symptoms.

4 Oct 2010

Food allergies may contribute to asthma attacks: Study

Food allergies are more common among people with asthma and may contribute to asthma attacks, according to one of the most comprehensive surveys of food allergies ever undertaken.

4 Oct 2010

NIH awards Scripps Research grants to study the mechanisms of protein complex

For Immediate Release -Scripps Research Institute scientists have been awarded approximately $65 million in four five-year grants as part of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) latest round of structural biology funding. The projects will focus on determining the shapes and functions of proteins and protein complexes that are important in biology and medicine.

4 Oct 2010

Scientists identify a new way to cure food allergies

Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered a way to turn off the immune system's allergic reaction to certain food proteins in mice, a discovery that could have implications for the millions of people who suffer severe reactions to foods, such as peanuts and milk.

4 Oct 2010

Encorium announces extension of expiration date for pending rights offering

Encorium Group, Inc. , a full service multinational clinical research organization (CRO) conducting studies in over 30 countries for many of the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, today announced that it has extended the expiration date for its pending rights offering from September 30, 2010 to October 15, 2010. The subscription rights may now be exercised at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, October 15, 2010.

1 Oct 2010

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives grant to study role of proteins in health and disease

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $30 million grant to study the structure and function of thousands of biomedically important proteins.

1 Oct 2010

Experts provide information on H1N1 and seasonal flu at Johns Hopkins hospital

Johns Hopkins has a wide range of experts available for interviews and comments about seasonal flu, H1N1, emergency preparedness, infection control, flu transmission in children, vaccine safety, flu treatment, public health ethics, flu in cancer patients, and related public communications strategies. If you would like to interview a Johns Hopkins expert, call or e-mail the designated information officer in the list below.

1 Oct 2010

Discovery suggest a new direction for designing vaccines for rare HIV infection

New discoveries about the immune defenses of rare HIV patients who produce antibodies that prevent infection suggest a novel direction for designing new vaccines. Researchers at Rockefeller University and colleagues have now made two fundamental discoveries about the so called broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies, which effectively keep the virus at bay.

30 Sep 2010

Precautionary guidelines on flu vaccine safety for allergic children

With the flu season looming and health officials calling for across-the-board immunization, some parents may wonder just how safe the egg-based flu vaccine is for children with allergies. Pretty safe, say pediatricians from Johns Hopkins Children's Center: Even though the flu vaccine contains egg protein, most children with egg and other food allergies can be immunized safely with a few basic precautions.

30 Sep 2010