T Cell News and Research

Latest T Cell News and Research

Inhibiting Notch signalling makes hormone-receptor positive cells dependent on estrogen

Within many hormone-receptor positive breast cancers lives a subpopulation of receptor-negative cells - knock down the hormone-receptor positive cells with anti-estrogen drugs and you may inadvertently promote tumor takeover by more dangerous, receptor-negative cells.

2 Nov 2011

Researchers discover key enzymes that are critical for sperm function

Compared to most other cells in an organism, sperm undergo a radical transformation to become compact and mobile delivery systems for paternal DNA. Even though sperm looks and moves quite differently across species, SF State researcher Diana Chu and colleagues now say that there are at least a few key enzymes that are critical for sperm development and mobility in species as different as mice and nematode worms.

2 Nov 2011

TERE1 gene mutation also contributes to invasive bladder cancer

Research conducted by Dr. Jayne S. Weiss, Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and colleagues has found that a defect in a gene involved in a rare disease of the cornea also contributes to the progression of invasive bladder cancer.

2 Nov 2011

NIH-funded project to discover biomarkers for type 2 diabetes

Arizona State University will lead a four-year, $5 million expanded initiative sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to discover proteins, or biomarkers, to help predict cardiovascular disease and to assess potential new treatments in people with type 2 diabetes.

2 Nov 2011

Age is no longer a barrier to allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Age alone no longer should be considered a defining factor when determining whether an older patient with blood cancer is a candidate for stem cell transplantation. That's the conclusion of the first study summarizing long-term outcomes from a series of prospective clinical trials of patients age 60 and over who were treated with the mini-transplant, a "kinder, gentler" form of allogeneic (donor cell) stem cell transplantation developed at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

2 Nov 2011

Researchers identify small-molecule drug candidates for many metabolic conditions

A new discovery by Californian scientists may lead to a pharmaceutical breakthrough for a wide range of illnesses that involve the hydration of cells that line the inner surfaces of our body's organs and tissues. In a new report appearing in the FASEB Journal, the researchers describe how they used high-throughput screening to identify small-molecule drug candidates which help cells bypass defective channels that normally move salt and water through cell membranes.

2 Nov 2011

Elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better

With cold and flu season almost here, the next time you're sick, think twice before taking something for your fever. That's because scientists have found more evidence that elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better.

2 Nov 2011

Young microenvironment rejuvenates old stem cells

Old stem cells can be rejuvenated by being placed in a young microenvironment, research from The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio shows. This raises the possibility that patients' own stem cells may one day be rescued and banked to treat their age-related diseases.

2 Nov 2011

Protective response to starvation may promote heart failure

A protective response to starvation may promote heart failure, according to a study just published in Cell Metabolism. Two proteins that team up to conserve energy when food is scarce also limit energy production in the heart—a situation that can prove fatal when the heart is stressed and in need of an energy boost.

2 Nov 2011

Innovative mobile-technology strategy to prevent HIV/AIDS in Uganda

1 million people in Uganda live with HIV/AIDS, where long distances and expensive travel costs significantly limit access to treatment. By employing an innovative mobile-technology strategy, Dr. Femida Gwadry-Sridhar, Director of I-THINK Research at Lawson Health Research Institute, hopes to provide a much-needed solution.

2 Nov 2011

First study to show how H. pylori toxin can spur apoptosis

Researchers report they have figured out how the cancer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori attacks a cell's energy infrastructure, sparking a series of events in the cell that ultimately lead it to self-destruct.

2 Nov 2011

Researchers develop new 3D bone marrow culture systems

Stromal cells, as distinct from hematopoietic cells, are an essential component of the bone marrow microenvironment and are necessary for the long-term maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro.

2 Nov 2011

Potential drug therapy for Hutchinson Gilford Progeria Syndrome

Researchers have identified a potential drug therapy for a premature ageing disease that affects children causing them to age up to eight times as fast as the usual rate.

2 Nov 2011

Takeda receives FDA approval for VELCADE sNDA to treat MM

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company with its parent company Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for VELCADE (bortezomib) for Injection, which updates the label to include additional long-term overall survival (OS) data from the VISTA trial.

2 Nov 2011

GSK, Alnylam collaborate to apply VaxiRNA technology for influenza vaccine production

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today it has formed a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) focused on Alnylam's VaxiRNATM technology for certain GSK vaccine products, including influenza. VaxiRNA is a new RNAi technology for the enhanced production of viruses used in the manufacture of vaccine products. GSK, a leading vaccine manufacturer, is the first company to form a collaboration accessing this new platform.

2 Nov 2011

Peroxiredoxin enzyme holds key to ageing process

By consuming fewer calories, ageing can be slowed down and the development of age-related diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes can be delayed. The earlier calorie intake is reduced, the greater the effect. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now identified one of the enzymes that hold the key to the ageing process.

1 Nov 2011

Ultra-sensitive techniques for early detection of breast cancer

A team of scientists at Tufts University will develop ultra-sensitive techniques at the single-molecule and single-cell levels designed to detect breast cancer earlier, and treat it with greater precision, through a $6.6 million Innovator Award from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program made to Tufts chemist David R. Walt, Ph.D.

1 Nov 2011

iBio receives U.S. patent entitled 'System for Expression of Genes in Plants'

iBio, Inc. today announced notice of issuance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for US Patent 8,058,511, entitled "System for Expression of Genes in Plants," that further extends iBio's patent coverage of viral vectors comprising its iBioLaunch platform.

1 Nov 2011

Heat, extreme exercise or febrile illness may also trigger MH

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially life-threatening inherited disorder of muscle. Patients who are at risk for MH usually have no outward signs of muscle problems. However, when exposed to certain commonly used general anesthetics they may develop very high body temperature, increased heart rate and muscle breakdown. If not recognized and treated promptly MH may be fatal.

1 Nov 2011

NPS announces new data from GATTEX Phase 3 study on short bowel syndrome

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, today announced new data from STEPS 2, a long-term open-label study, showing that GATTEX (teduglutide) was associated with achieving and maintaining clinically meaningful reductions in parenteral nutrition (PN) and intravenous (IV) fluid volume in adult subjects with short bowel syndrome.

1 Nov 2011