Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Gaining better control of your child's asthma

In conjunction with National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month in May, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is urging parents to ensure that their child's asthma is properly controlled. Of the more than 20 million people in the United States suffering from asthma, 9 million are under the age of 18, according to the AAAAI.

4 May 2005

Two-photon imaging gives real-time video of cells in living tissue

Biologists have a new tool to track and videotape cells moving about inside living tissue.

3 May 2005

Scientists use tobacco plants to create antibodies against tumor cells

Scientists at Jefferson Medical College are using tobacco plants to produce monoclonal antibodies – tiny guided protein missiles – that can target and hunt down cancer cells. The plants promise to provide a cheaper, faster method of producing anticancer antibodies, raising hopes that the technology can one day be used in humans.

3 May 2005

Scientists dramatically slow organ transplant rejection

That's the promising implication of an animal study carried out by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Florida (UF) published in today's (May 2) issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

3 May 2005

Aging population correlates with a switch from acute infectious diseases to chronic diseases as the major cause of morbidity and mortality

Some diseases like ulcers and certain types of cancer, once thought to be primarily related to lifestyle factors, are now known to be caused by microorganisms, and many more syndromes, including some psychiatric conditions, may have a connection to infection, according to a report released today by the American Academy of Microbiology.

22 Apr 2005

Scientists weaponize an antibody to deliver continuous attacks on cancer cells

In a recent study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science paired the active ingredient of a garden remedy with advanced bio-technology to deliver a powerful punch against cancer. The cancer killing effectiveness lies in their technique of arming a cancer-targeting antibody with the destructive potential of the dietary molecule otherwise known as "allicin."

22 Apr 2005

Cancer patients may one day benefit from treatment with mixtures of customized antibodies

In a study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), a team of Weizmann Institute scientists have demonstrated how the right combination might form a web that destroys the cancer cell's communication network, ultimately demobilizing the cell.

22 Apr 2005

Discovery may lead to new drugs to prevent sexually transmitted HIV infection

Scientists have long suspected that HIV hijacks immune cells called dendritic cells to infiltrate the immune system. Now UCLA AIDS Institute researchers have shown that blocking HIV's access to a naturally occurring molecule on dendritic cells may cut their ability to smuggle the virus into other immune cells.

21 Apr 2005

New gene linked to familial cancer

Scientists have identified a new gene that appears to be linked to a small but significant percentage of familial cancer cases – as well as seemingly randomly occurring malignancies.

20 Apr 2005

Stress can give the immune system a beneficial boost

New research in mice provides more evidence that a brief bout of stress can give the immune system a beneficial boost – under certain conditions.

19 Apr 2005

Scientists have discovered the mechanism that enables some CD4 T cells - the main target of HIV - to thwart the virus

The discovery, reported on April 13 in the online version of Nature, could open the door to an entirely new strategy for preventing the spread of HIV infection in the body's cells, according to the senior author of the study, Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology Director Warner C. Greene, MD, PhD.

13 Apr 2005

Stress might actually be beneficial to health

New research has surprisingly shown that stress, generally thought to be bad for the immune system by lowering the body's ability to fight off disease, on a short-term basis might actually be beneficial.

6 Apr 2005

Important trial in the fight against lung cancer

Two University of Kentucky researchers continue their work with a vaccine to prevent lung cancer recurrences in patients following primary treatment of the disease.

5 Apr 2005

Promising new therapy that prompts the immune system to aid in the fight against melanoma tumors

Melanoma is a particularly deadly form of skin cancer very resistant to treatment. Researchers at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and the University of South Florida are testing a promising new therapy that prompts the immune system to aid in the fight against melanoma tumors.

5 Apr 2005

Natural killer cells could lead to new Hepatitis treatments

Researchers have discovered that natural killer T (NKT) cells, the immune system's sentinels, patrol the labyrinthine blood vessels of the liver for invaders or signs of tissue damage and demonstrate a dogged behavior not seen before in other T cells.

4 Apr 2005

Exercise-induced shortness of breath not always caused by asthma

Asthma is the most common cause of exercise-induced shortness of breath in children and adolescents. While a diagnosis of asthma is often correct, University of Iowa pediatric pulmonary physicians caution that other unrelated conditions also can cause shortness of breath during exercise.

3 Apr 2005

High-rise homes have the highest levels of cockroach allergens

Roaches like to live high in the sky in places like Chicago, New York City and the Bronx, according to a recent study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The study, conducted by an allergist affiliated with Children's Medical Center Dallas, found high-rise homes in Northeastern cities had the highest levels of cockroach allergens -- leading to a higher incidence of asthmatic episodes.

30 Mar 2005

Specific test key to determine whether or not allergy symptoms are really allergy-related

Many people with allergy-like symptoms could get the test they need, and the right treatments for their symptoms, from their primary care physician if managed care practice guidelines encouraged the use of the test.

23 Mar 2005

Scientists have found genetic regions that, when defective, allow the immune system to attack the pancreas

Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have found genetic regions that, when defective, allow the immune system to attack the pancreas -- the first in a series of mis-steps that lead to type 1 diabetes. Armed with these findings, published yesterday, March 22, in the journal Immunity, the researchers are now trying to hone in on the exact genes involved, in mice and in human patients.

23 Mar 2005

Intervention with once-daily budesonide reduces long-term risk and frequency of severe asthma-related events

New data indicated that earlier intervention with once-daily budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid delivered by dry powder inhaler to children with mild persistent asthma, significantly reduced the long-term risk and frequency of severe asthma-related events as well as the need for other inhaled medication.

21 Mar 2005

Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Gaining better control of your child's asthma

Two-photon imaging gives real-time video of cells in living tissue

Scientists use tobacco plants to create antibodies against tumor cells

Scientists dramatically slow organ transplant rejection

Aging population correlates with a switch from acute infectious diseases to chronic diseases as the major cause of morbidity and mortality

Scientists weaponize an antibody to deliver continuous attacks on cancer cells

Cancer patients may one day benefit from treatment with mixtures of customized antibodies

Discovery may lead to new drugs to prevent sexually transmitted HIV infection

New gene linked to familial cancer

Stress can give the immune system a beneficial boost

Scientists have discovered the mechanism that enables some CD4 T cells - the main target of HIV - to thwart the virus

Stress might actually be beneficial to health

Important trial in the fight against lung cancer

Promising new therapy that prompts the immune system to aid in the fight against melanoma tumors

Natural killer cells could lead to new Hepatitis treatments

Exercise-induced shortness of breath not always caused by asthma

High-rise homes have the highest levels of cockroach allergens

Specific test key to determine whether or not allergy symptoms are really allergy-related

Scientists have found genetic regions that, when defective, allow the immune system to attack the pancreas

Intervention with once-daily budesonide reduces long-term risk and frequency of severe asthma-related events

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