Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Protein kinase Erk3 plays a critical role in intrauterine growth and lung maturation

Dr. Sylvain Meloche, Principal Investigator at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Universit- de Montr-al, and his colleagues have uncovered the critical role played by the protein kinase Erk3 in fetal growth potential and lung maturation.

17 Sep 2009

Applied Biosystems launches MeltDoctor High-Resolution Melt Reagents for scanning DNA

Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:LIFE), today announced the launch of genomic analysis tools that will help researchers in studies that associate genetic variation with specific diseases. These new tools, known as the MeltDoctor™ High-Resolution Melt (HRM) Reagents, are for research use only and are part of a PCR-based workflow that enables researchers to cost-effectively scan DNA from a variety of biological sample types to detect the smallest genetic variations among samples.

16 Sep 2009

Precise T cell correlates of protection need to be identified for vaccine design

T cells are key players in the immune response to HIV, which are able to delete infected cells. This capacity is used for vaccine development against HIV. "To date however, success of this strategy remains elusive. Our understanding of T cell efficacy is still limited, and we need to identify precise T cell correlates of protection that could guide rationale vaccine design", says Victor Appay, Group leader HIV Pathogenesis and Immunosenescence, Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009 in Berlin.

16 Sep 2009

Legislation grants improve research and employment initiatives in Indiana University medical campus

Indiana University School of Medicine scientists have received more than $12 million in grants funded by the federal economic stimulus legislation, funding that has bolstered both research initiatives and research employment on the medical center campus.

16 Sep 2009

Toll-like receptors that activate immune cells being developed as alternative cure to cancer

A Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist, called imiquimod, which activates dendritic cells, is in clinical use as a topical application for basal cell carcinoma. In addition, a number of TLR agonists have been evaluated in clinical trials as an adjuvant for cancer vaccines.

16 Sep 2009

Immune response at tumour site predicts cancer progression in colorectal cancer patients

The immune reaction at tumour site determines cancer evolution and clinical outcome in patients with colorectal cancer, regardless of the local extent and spread of the tumour, according to the findings of Jérôme Galon, INSERM Research Director, Paris, and co-workers.

16 Sep 2009

Stem cells - the answer to autoimmune diseases and cancer in the future

Stem cells are multipotent cells of the immune system. Scientists hope to use them for curing autoimmune diseases, cancer and innate genetic defects in the future.

16 Sep 2009

New cancer therapy involves remodelling blood vessels and activating immune cells

Reversing or re-arranging the growth of these vessels in combination with specific immune strategies is a promising new strategy for cancer therapy, says Ruth Ganss, Professor at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009 held in Berlin.

16 Sep 2009

Urgent vaccine requirements for treating epidemic diseases voiced at ECI 2009

As a result of dominant media coverage of new epidemic threats such as swine influenza, other infection risks receive less public attention than they deserve. "We would like to bring to everybody's attention that the infectious diseases with the most severe consequences continue to be old acquaintances such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria and hepatitis C. About six million people worldwide die of these diseases every year," says Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009.

16 Sep 2009

Research study indicates presence of two stable bacterial ecosystems in the gut

Small-bowel transplant patients with an ileostomy -- an opening into their small bowel -- have a very different population of bacteria living in their gut than patients whose ileostomy has been closed, researchers from UC Davis and Georgetown University Medical Center have found. The results are published online Sept. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Sep 2009

New peptide-based cancer vaccine tested in genital cancer patients

Preventive vaccination against infectious diseases has been a major milestone for the health of modern society. The development of therapeutic vaccination against established diseases is much more difficult. For more than 100 years researchers have already tried to develop cancer vaccines and now first promising clinical results raise hopes. A summary of the most attractive new approaches gave Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen, Institut für Medizinische Immunologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, at a press conference in Berlin.

16 Sep 2009

Talecris launches initial public offering of shares

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp. (“Talecris”) today announced the launch of its initial public offering of 44,736,842 shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share.

15 Sep 2009

New data reveals the evolution of Immunoglobulin E

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the main actor in the drama of allergy. The biological role of IgE in the immune response of an organism and the lack of control leading to allergy is the research topic of Gernot Achatz, Molekular Biology, University of Salzburg. At the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009 held in Berlin the scientist presents new data revealing the evolution of IgE.

15 Sep 2009

CFAR to host AIDS Vaccine 2010 conferrence

The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise (the Enterprise) today announced that the Center for AIDS Research at Emory University (CFAR) in Atlanta, Georgia will serve as Local Host of AIDS Vaccine 2010, the largest and most important global scientific conference focused on AIDS vaccine research.

15 Sep 2009

New data confirm link between Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis

Over the last 40 years, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been repeatedly associated with multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. During the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009 held in Berlin, Francesca Aloisi, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, will present new data that further support the link. In the brain lesions of patients with multiple sclerosis her team found abnormal accumulation of EBV infected B lymphocytes.

14 Sep 2009

Malnutrition, poor sanitary conditions and HIV leads to defective immune system

The most common causes worldwide include malnutrition, poor sanitary conditions and human immune deficiency virus (HIV) infection. Other causes of temporary or permanent damage to the immune system include old age, medications (e.g. cortisone, cytostatic drugs), radiotherapy, stress after surgery and malignant tumors of the bone marrow and the lymph nodes.

14 Sep 2009

Early vaccination minimizes the risk of damage by potentially harmful infections

Parents should not be worried, that early vaccination would overwhelm their babies. Recent data show, that the immune system of newborns is able to respond to a world full of antigens already at birth.

14 Sep 2009

VBI's flu vaccine offers protection against H1N1

Variation Biotechnologies, Inc. (VBI), an emerging leader in the discovery and development of novel vaccines to fight infectious diseases, today reported that the company’s proprietary influenza vaccine triggered a robust immune response and provided protection against the H1N1 strain of influenza.

14 Sep 2009

Phase III STARTMRK clinical study on ISENTRESS in comparison to efavirenz

ISENTRESS , an integrase inhibitor from Merck & Co., Inc., was studied in comparison to efavirenz in maintaining viral load suppression to undetectable levels (less than 50 copies/mL) and at improving CD4 cell counts in previously untreated (treatment-naïve) HIV-1-infected patients through 96 weeks in a Phase III study called STARTMRK.

14 Sep 2009

FDA approves Theravance's VIBATIV for treating complicated skin and skin structure infections

Theravance, Inc. (NASDAQ: THRX) and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VIBATIV™ (telavancin) for the treatment of adult patients with complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by susceptible Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, both methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) strains.

14 Sep 2009

Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Protein kinase Erk3 plays a critical role in intrauterine growth and lung maturation

Applied Biosystems launches MeltDoctor High-Resolution Melt Reagents for scanning DNA

Precise T cell correlates of protection need to be identified for vaccine design

Legislation grants improve research and employment initiatives in Indiana University medical campus

Toll-like receptors that activate immune cells being developed as alternative cure to cancer

Immune response at tumour site predicts cancer progression in colorectal cancer patients

Stem cells - the answer to autoimmune diseases and cancer in the future

New cancer therapy involves remodelling blood vessels and activating immune cells

Urgent vaccine requirements for treating epidemic diseases voiced at ECI 2009

Research study indicates presence of two stable bacterial ecosystems in the gut

New peptide-based cancer vaccine tested in genital cancer patients

Talecris launches initial public offering of shares

New data reveals the evolution of Immunoglobulin E

CFAR to host AIDS Vaccine 2010 conferrence

New data confirm link between Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis

Malnutrition, poor sanitary conditions and HIV leads to defective immune system

Early vaccination minimizes the risk of damage by potentially harmful infections

VBI's flu vaccine offers protection against H1N1

Phase III STARTMRK clinical study on ISENTRESS in comparison to efavirenz

FDA approves Theravance's VIBATIV for treating complicated skin and skin structure infections

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