Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

New publication focuses on microbiome research in environmental, agricultural and biomedical areas

Two prominent microbiologists have launched a new peer-reviewed publication focusing on microbiome research in environmental, agricultural, and biomedical areas. Eric Wommack, from the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment and Jacques Ravel, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences are the Editors-in-Chief of Microbiome, a BioMed Central (BMC) publication, which launched its first issue this week.

9 Jan 2013

RPB honors Mass. Eye and Ear ophthalmologist with Senior Scientific Investigator Award

Reza Dana, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc. of Mass. Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School, was awarded the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Senior Scientific Investigator Award in the amount of $150,000 to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases.

9 Jan 2013

Sublingual immunotherapy can effectively treat peanut allergy

Peanuts are one of the most common triggers of severe food-induced allergic reactions, which can be fatal, and the prevalence of peanut allergy is increasing. However, there is currently no clinical treatment available for peanut allergy other than strict dietary elimination and, in cases of accidental ingestion, injections of epinephrine.

9 Jan 2013

Adolescents may lose hepatitis B virus protection despite vaccination as infants

New research reveals that a significant number of adolescents lose their protection from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, despite having received a complete vaccination series as infants. Results in the January 2013 issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, suggest teens with high-risk mothers (those positive for HBeAg) and teens whose immune system fails to remember a previous viral exposure (immunological memory) are behind HBV reinfection.

8 Jan 2013

Manipulating T cells with iPSC techniques could help develop effective immune therapies

The human body contains immune cells programmed to fight cancer and viral infections, but they often have short lifespans and are not numerous enough to overcome attacks by particularly aggressive malignancies or invasions.

4 Jan 2013

ParoChip can allow dentists to quickly detect and analyze periodontitis pathogens

Bleeding gums during tooth brushing or when biting into an apple could be an indication of periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the tissues that surround and support the teeth. Bacterial plaque attacks the bone, meaning teeth can loosen over time and in the worst case even fall out, as they are left without a solid foundation to hold them in place.

4 Jan 2013

Researchers create killer T lymphocytes from iPS cells

Researchers from the RIKEN Research Centre for Allergy and Immunology in Japan report today that they have succeeded for the first time in creating cancer-specific, immune system cells called killer T lymphocytes, from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).

4 Jan 2013

Scientists demonstrate importance of Plvap gene in mammalian physiology

Dartmouth scientists have demonstrated the importance of the gene Plvap and the structures it forms in mammalian physiology in a study published in December by the journal Developmental Cell.

4 Jan 2013

Study identifies mechanism by which bacterium S. aureus colonizes nasal passages

A collaboration between researchers at the School of Biochemistry and Immunology and the Department of Microbiology at Trinity College Dublin has identified a mechanism by which the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonizes our nasal passages. The study, published today in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens, shows for the first time that a protein located on the bacterial surface called clumping factor B (ClfB) has high affinity for the skin protein loricrin.

29 Dec 2012

Manipulating transcription factor can change subtype of breast cancer

Australian scientists have shown how a 'transcription factor' causes breast cancer to develop an aggressive subtype that lacks sensitivity to oestrogen and does not respond to anti-oestrogen therapies such as Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors.

28 Dec 2012

Cellular metabolism of immune cells protect against viral infections and tumours

New research demonstrates that the cellular metabolism of certain immune cells is closely linked to their function, which includes protecting against viral infections and the development of tumours.

25 Dec 2012

Researchers create first ever atlas of immune cells in the human body

By analyzing tissues harvested from organ donors, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have created the first ever "atlas" of immune cells in the human body.

21 Dec 2012

Biotest receives FDA approval for BIVIGAM to treat primary humoral immunodeficiency

Biotest AG announced today that Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corporation received approval for BIVIGAM for the treatment of patients with Primary Humoral Immunodeficiency (PI) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

20 Dec 2012

Proteins detected in urine may enable diagnosis of Kawasaki disease

A set of proteins detected in urine by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital may prove to be the first biomarkers for Kawasaki disease, an uncommon but increasingly prevalent disease which causes inflammation of blood vessels that can lead to enlarged coronary arteries and even heart attacks in some children.

20 Dec 2012

Findings emphasize importance of counseling HIV patients on smoking cessation

Among HIV patients receiving well-organized care with free access to antiretroviral therapy, those who smoke lose more years of life to smoking than to HIV, according to a Danish study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online. The findings highlight the importance of smoking cessation efforts in the long-term, integrated care of patients infected with HIV.

19 Dec 2012

Australian scientists receive grants for research on cancer, malaria and rheumatoid arthritis

Scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have received more than $16 million in Australian Government funding to pursue research into cancer, malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and the immune system, it was announced today.

19 Dec 2012

Tumor cells manipulate unfolded protein response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that tumor cells use stress signals to subvert responding immune cells, exploiting them to actually boost conditions beneficial to cancer growth.

19 Dec 2012

MiR-122 plays a critical role in the life cycle of hepatitis C virus

Hepatitis C virus has evolved to invade and hijack the basic machinery of the human liver cell to ensure its survival and spread. Researchers at the University of North have discovered how hepatitis C binds with and repurposes a basic component of cellular metabolism known as a microRNA to help protect and replicate the virus.

19 Dec 2012

Maryland researchers launch groundbreaking study into spread of drug-resistant malaria in Burma

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have launched groundbreaking research into the spread of potentially deadly drug-resistant malaria in the developing Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar, also known as Burma.

17 Dec 2012

God will control my asthma

Research shows that patients’ belief in God influences how likely they are to be adherent to asthma medication.

14 Dec 2012

Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

New publication focuses on microbiome research in environmental, agricultural and biomedical areas

RPB honors Mass. Eye and Ear ophthalmologist with Senior Scientific Investigator Award

Sublingual immunotherapy can effectively treat peanut allergy

Adolescents may lose hepatitis B virus protection despite vaccination as infants

Manipulating T cells with iPSC techniques could help develop effective immune therapies

ParoChip can allow dentists to quickly detect and analyze periodontitis pathogens

Researchers create killer T lymphocytes from iPS cells

Scientists demonstrate importance of Plvap gene in mammalian physiology

Study identifies mechanism by which bacterium S. aureus colonizes nasal passages

Manipulating transcription factor can change subtype of breast cancer

Cellular metabolism of immune cells protect against viral infections and tumours

Researchers create first ever atlas of immune cells in the human body

Biotest receives FDA approval for BIVIGAM to treat primary humoral immunodeficiency

Proteins detected in urine may enable diagnosis of Kawasaki disease

Findings emphasize importance of counseling HIV patients on smoking cessation

Australian scientists receive grants for research on cancer, malaria and rheumatoid arthritis

Tumor cells manipulate unfolded protein response

MiR-122 plays a critical role in the life cycle of hepatitis C virus

Maryland researchers launch groundbreaking study into spread of drug-resistant malaria in Burma

God will control my asthma

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