Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

ASN participates in ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely campaign

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the world's leading kidney organization, joins the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, eight other leading national medical specialty societies, and Consumer Reports in the new Choosing Wisely campaign that helps health care professionals and patients avoid wasteful and sometimes harmful medical interventions.

5 Apr 2012

Tips for parents to increase outdoor physical activity for kids

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatric healthcare providers promote active healthy living by encouraging children to play outside as much as possible. Being outdoors correlates strongly with physical activity for children, which is important for preventing obesity in the preschool years and on through adulthood.

4 Apr 2012

FAAN plays a crucial role in supporting peanut allergy study

Why do some children develop a peanut allergy and others don't? Researchers trying to answer this crucial question in order to learn how to prevent this life-threatening food allergy believe that being exposed to peanuts through skin early in life could be a determining factor.

4 Apr 2012

Nine physician organizations identify specific tests or procedures that may be unnecessary

Nine leading physician specialty societies have identified specific tests or procedures that they say are commonly used but not always necessary in their respective fields. Patient advocates are calling the move a significant step toward improving the quality and safety of health care.

4 Apr 2012

Controversial study on lethal bird flu virus strain to be published

The controversial study on lethal flu virus strain is likely to be published in full. Last December the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity - NSABB recommended the two papers not be published in full by the journals - Nature and Science. The panel was concerned that details of the studies, which induced mutations in the H5N1 avian flu virus that made it transmissible among mammals by air rather than by close physical contact, could be used for bioterrorism. Critics of the recommendation raised fears that important science was being censored.

2 Apr 2012

Special fatty molecules pave novel way to treat infections, autoimmune diseases, allergies and cancer

An international research team led by scientists from Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) under the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) discovered that a special class of fatty molecules is essential for activating a unique group of early-responding immune cells.

2 Apr 2012

Rare T follicular helper cells essential for developing antibody responses to infectious agents

The characterisation of a rare immune cell's involvement in antibody production and ability to 'remember' infectious agents could help to improve vaccination and lead to new treatments for immune disorders, say researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

2 Apr 2012

ACAAI/AAAAI publish position statement in support of ATS guideline on Aerocrine's FeNO test

Aerocrine AB announces that a nine-member council representing both prestigious asthma societies, the American Academy and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI and AAAAI), have published a position statement in support of the clinical practice guideline on Aerocrine's FeNO test as published by the ATS.

2 Apr 2012

New guidelines offer guidance on how and when to switch between RA drug classes

A trend toward more aggressive treatment in patients just starting to develop rheumatoid arthritis is among the most important changes in treatment guidelines for the disease, according to updated American College of Rheumatology recommendations published today in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. The trend may proceed from emerging opinions that joint damage caused by RA is irreversible, and that early, intensive therapy better preserves physical function, quality of life and capacity to work.

2 Apr 2012

Nasal spray to prevent fat and plaque built up in the heart on the horizon

Researchers found a treatment that was much more effective in removing fat from arteries than established methods. The vaccine can be given as an injection or in a slightly different form as a nasal spray. A trial on 144 heart disease sufferers is under way in the US and Canada.

1 Apr 2012

Rare immune cells found to play a major role in lasting immunity

According to the latest research from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute the characterization of a rare immune cell’s involvement in antibody production and ability to ‘remember’ infectious agents could help to improve vaccination and lead to new treatments for immune disorders.

1 Apr 2012

Differentiating between sneezing due to cold and allergies

One of the problems that parents may have during the springtime is deciphering whether their children's sneezing is due to a cold or allergies.

31 Mar 2012

Needle-free vaccine shows promise against RSV in children

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are closing in on a needle-free vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major cause of respiratory illness in children under two years of age.

30 Mar 2012

Researchers generate artificial thymus tissue to enable T cell maturation

The thymus plays a key role in the body's immune response. It is here where the T lymphocytes or T cells, a major type of immune defence cells, mature. Different types of T cells, designated to perform specific tasks, arise from progenitor cells that migrate to the thymus from the bone marrow. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Immunology and Epigenetics in Freiburg have generated artificial thymus tissue in a mouse embryo to enable the maturation of immune cells.

30 Mar 2012

ProImmune introduces Special Assay Service

ProImmune Ltd., a leader in services for understanding immune responses, has launched a new Special Assay Service, providing unique, bespoke immunological assays, based on ProImmune's broad ranging proprietary platform technologies, to meet customers' assay needs.

29 Mar 2012

Avian and swine flu viruses hijack genetic regulators during human infection

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified a number of tiny but powerful "genetic regulators" that are hijacked by avian and swine flu viruses during human infection.

29 Mar 2012

MiR-375 regulates IL-13-induced changes in allergic diseases

Researchers have taken a critical step in understanding how allergic reactions occur after identifying a genetic signature for regulation of a key immune hormone, interleukin (IL-13).

29 Mar 2012

Inhibitory control test and lactulose for MHE saves more than $3 million over 5 years

A late stage liver condition, known as minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), is associated with impaired driving skills and greater risk of motor vehicle accidents. Cost analysis of management strategies for detection and treatment of MHE are published in the April issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

29 Mar 2012

Potential new therapy that kills cancer cells selectively

Researchers have made a drug that helps the immune system to break down cancerous tumors. It has worked on breast, bowel, prostate, ovarian, brain, bladder and liver cancers, while previous studies show it can also be used to fight some blood cancers. If given early, the drug could even be a cure, researchers say.

28 Mar 2012

Gold nanoparticles used to introduce chemical residues into the immune system

Developing a drug or vaccine requires a delicate balancing act with the immune system. On one hand, medications need to escape detection by the immune system in order to perform their function. But vaccinations - de-activated versions of a disease or virus - need to do the reverse. They prompt the immune system to create protective antibodies.

27 Mar 2012