Interferon News and Research

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Virus-like elements within human genome linked to development of lupus and Sjogren's syndrome

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have uncovered a potential genetic trigger of systemic autoimmune disease.

28 Jun 2016

'Simple' model predicts PegIFN response in chronic HBV

Chinese researchers have developed a scoring system based on hepatitis B virus-related clinical parameters to predict response to pegylated-interferon in chronic HBV patients.

23 Jun 2016

Switch to rituximab shows anti-inflammatory effect in relapsing-remitting MS

Rituximab may be an attractive treatment option for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, suggest phase II study findings showing its efficacy in controlling inflammatory activity.

22 Jun 2016

Legions of immune cells play complex role to destroy Legionella bacteria

Immunologists and microbiologists from the University of Melbourne's Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity - a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital - have led a study that defined a new cell type responsible for turning the attack back on the bacteria.

17 Jun 2016

Portal vein hypertension diminishes after hepatitis C recovery

This inflammatory viral infection of the liver causes inflexible scar tissue to form. This in turn impedes blood flow through the organ, with resulting hypertension in the portal vein.

15 Jun 2016

T memory cells with naive phenotype can help boost immunity in older adults

Sixty-five is the age when many people retire, kick back and take it easy. And so it often is with the human immune system.

14 Jun 2016

Research shows IFITM3 protein can block Zika virus from infecting human, mouse cells

Eight weeks after receiving their first samples of Zika virus, scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have shown that a very small protein we all have in our bodies, interferon-induced protein 3 (IFITM3), can dramatically reduce the ability of Zika virus to infect human and mouse cells.

6 Jun 2016

Stimulating STING pathway to provoke life-extending immune response shows promise in AML

A protein known as STING plays a crucial role in the immune system's ability to "sense" cancer by recognizing and responding to DNA from tumor cells. Injection of compounds that activate the STING pathway directly into solid tumors in mice has been shown in prior studies to result in very potent anti-tumor immune responses.

3 Jun 2016

Combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy may be effective against ovarian cancer

Inside each ovarian tumor, there are good cells and bad cells: The bad cells are fibroblasts. They work to block chemotherapy, which is why nearly every woman with ovarian cancer becomes resistant to treatment.

23 May 2016

Research provides pathway toward creation of first broad-spectrum antiviral drug

By studying the rare person -- about one in a million -- who can fight off viral infections more effectively than everyone else, investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a strategy to help the rest of us achieve this enhanced anti-viral state.

21 May 2016

NS5 viral protein could be promising vaccine target against Zika virus

A viral protein known as NS5 is a promising target for vaccines against Zika and related viruses, according to National Institutes of Health scientists and colleagues at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine.

20 May 2016

New skin test for TB infection proves safe, effective in clinical trials

A new skin test for tuberculosis infection has proven safe, easy to administer and accurate in two Phase III clinical trials, according to research presented at the ATS 2016 International Conference.

19 May 2016

Penn State researchers link mutation in common virus to fatal brain disease

Why people on immunosuppressant drugs for autoimmune conditions have a higher incidence of an often-fatal brain disease may be linked to a mutation in a common virus, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

19 May 2016

CML treatment-free remission criteria outlined

Treatment-free remission may be feasible in many patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia, say researchers who set out clinical and logistical requirements for discontinuing tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.

18 May 2016

Food components can have significant influence on immune system

An international team of researchers under the leadership of the LIMES Institute and the excellence cluster ImmunoSensation of the University of Bonn unraveled a new regulatory mechanism how food components and environmental factors influence the immune system.

18 May 2016

Study shows inhibition of SHP-2 enzyme can diminish lupus symptoms

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have identified an enzyme that is significantly elevated in mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus and in blood samples of patients with lupus.

17 May 2016

On-treatment relapse drives disability accrual in MS patients

Frequent relapse activity appears to be a key driver of disability accrual in patients with relapse-onset multiple sclerosis, indicates a study of patients receiving first-line injectable disease-modifying treatment.

13 May 2016

Mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy provide basis to develop vaccines, treatments

Two mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy have been developed by a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In them, the virus migrated from the pregnant mouse's bloodstream into the placenta, where it multiplied, then spread into the fetal circulation and infected the brains of the developing pups.

12 May 2016

Antiviral therapies equal survival rate of HCV-related cirrhosis patients with general population

The survival rate of patients with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis who respond well to antiviral therapies equals that of the general population, say investigators in the Journal of Hepatology.

5 May 2016

Serum marker may flag liver fibrosis in chronic HBV

Serum levels of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein may reflect the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, say researchers.

27 Apr 2016