Antigen News and Research

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Current state of the art in glycoscience

Sugars were once credited with magical healing powers but are now seen like salt as an evil necessary in small doses but the cause of numerous diseases such as diabetes if taken in excess.

18 Jan 2008

Cell death suppression increases efficacy of M2 vaccines

Significant public attention has recently been focused on the development of new anti-influenza (flu) vaccines that provide protection against a broad spectrum of viral strains.

17 Jan 2008

Polymeric nanoparticles for tumor vaccines

The quest for an effective antitumor vaccine has received a boost from the results of work aimed at developing a nanoparticle that delivers tumor antigens to the immune system cells that trigger antibody production.

16 Jan 2008

Researchers find new way to block destructive rush of immune cells

Researchers have found a way to selectively block the ability of white blood cells to "crawl" toward the sites of injury and infection when such mobility drives disease, according to a study published today in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

15 Jan 2008

Body's immune system uses common molecule to recognize prostate tumors

In experiments with mice, researchers have found that the body's immune system can use a surprisingly common molecule to recognize prostate tumors.

11 Jan 2008

Rockefeller University funds clinical, translational pilot studies

The Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) has announced the recipients of its 2008 Pilot Project grants.

8 Jan 2008

Intracellular bacterial communities in cystitis; rifapentine cures TB in mouse model; and more

A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine presents convincing evidence that intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs) commonly exist in women with bladder infections and may contribute to the recurrence of these infections.

18 Dec 2007

Molecular 'trip switch' shuts down inflammatory response

Like a circuit breaker that prevents electrical wiring from overheating and bringing down the house, a tiny family of three molecules stops the immune system from mounting an out-of-control, destructive inflammatory response against invading pathogens, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found.

14 Dec 2007

ImmunoVaccine Technologies to acquire Immunotope

ImmunoVaccine Technologies Inc. (IVT), a Nova Scotia-based vaccine enhancement company, has signed a binding memorandum of understanding to acquire Immunotope Inc., a Pennsylvania-based biotechnology company developing immunotherapy products for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious diseases.

10 Dec 2007

Role of genetics in multiple sclerosis

New research announced this week has found an association between certain genes and the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS).

10 Dec 2007

Combination therapy including antibiotics may be beneficial for multiple sclerosis

A preliminary study suggests that combining a medication currently used to treat multiple sclerosis with an antibiotic may slow the progress of the disease, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the February 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

10 Dec 2007

Vaccine improves event-free survival for leukemia patients

Patients whose immune system responded to a peptide vaccine for leukemia enjoyed a median remission that was more than three times longer than non-responders, a team led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

10 Dec 2007

Effects of weight, genetics and religious beliefs on prostate cancer

African-American men face an observable disadvantage versus Caucasian men when it comes to prostate cancer survival.

29 Nov 2007

Researchers transfer immune response to myeloma patient

Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have for the first time transferred an immune response in a healthy individual to a patient with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, showing promise for cancer vaccination.

27 Nov 2007

Deeper insights into the workings of the immune system

The first lines of defense in our immune systems are specialized mobile units that check the identity of cells to determine whether they are 'self' or 'foreign.'

27 Nov 2007

Serum carcinoembryonic antigen level can reflect adrenal adenoma

The female patient, reported on the December 7 issue 45 of World J Gastroenterology, presented a rare case, with symptoms consistent with hyperadrenocorticism and hypercatecholaminism, and also had a Cushingoid appearance.

21 Nov 2007

Doctors may be missing cancers in obese men due to misleading PSA scores

Doctors may be missing cancers in obese men because the telltale blood marker used to detect the disease can be falsely interpreted as low in this population, according to a new study led by Duke Prostate Center researchers.

21 Nov 2007

New human rhinovirus associated with pediatric respiratory tract infection in Germany

Using a rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive diagnostic tool called MassTag PCR, scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health's Center for Infection and Immunity implicated a new human rhinovirus as the cause of severe pediatric respiratory tract infections in Europe.

21 Nov 2007

Influenza vaccine strategies for broad global access

If an influenza pandemic occurred this year, fewer than one-fifth of the approximately 13 billion vaccine doses needed to fully vaccinate the global population would be available within six months in a best-case scenario.

21 Nov 2007