Feature Channels: Immunology

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Released: 16-Jan-2018 12:05 PM EST
Memory Loss From West Nile Virus May Be Preventable
Washington University in St. Louis

People who survive brain infection with West Nile virus can have neurological problems long after the virus is gone. A new study in mice suggests that such ongoing problems may be due to unresolved inflammation that hinders the brain's ability to repair damaged neurons and grow new ones. Reducing inflammation with an arthritis drug protected mice from West Nile-induced memory loss.

Released: 16-Jan-2018 12:05 PM EST
Researchers Identify New Way to Unmask Melanoma Cells to the Immune System
Duke Health

A research team at the Duke Cancer Institute has found a new way to keep the immune system engaged, and is planning to test the approach in a phase 1 clinical trial.

Released: 16-Jan-2018 12:05 AM EST
Penn Researchers Identify New Treatment Target for Melanoma
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a new therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma. For decades, research has associated female sex and a history of previous pregnancy with better outcomes after a melanoma diagnosis. Now, a research team from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania says it may have determined the reason for the melanoma-protective effect.

11-Jan-2018 7:05 PM EST
Researchers Develop a Remote-Controlled Cancer Immunotherapy System
University of California San Diego

A team of researchers has developed an ultrasound-based system that can non-invasively and remotely control genetic processes in live immune T cells so that they recognize and kill cancer cells.

   
Released: 12-Jan-2018 11:00 AM EST
Cancer’s Gene-Determined “Immune Landscape” Dictates Progression of Prostate Tumors
Beth Israel Lahey Health

The field of immunotherapy – the harnessing of patients’ own immune systems to fend off cancer – is revolutionizing cancer treatment today. However, clinical trials often show marked improvements in only small subsets of patients, suggesting that as-yet unidentified variations among tumors result in distinct paths of disease progression and response to therapy.

10-Jan-2018 5:05 PM EST
An Innovative PET Tracer Can Measure Damage From Multiple Sclerosis in Mouse Models
University of Chicago Medical Center

In the January 12, 2017 Scientific Reports, a research team describes early tests of a minimally-invasive way to assess myelin damage—the hallmark of multiple sclerosis—using positron emission tomography (PET). This approach could be used to follow MS lesions over time.

8-Jan-2018 2:05 PM EST
Researchers Map Druggable Genomic Targets in Evolving Malaria Parasite
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues across the country and around the world, have used whole genome analyses and chemogenetics to identify new drug targets and resistance genes in 262 parasite cell lines of Plasmodium falciparum — protozoan pathogens that cause malaria — that are resistant to 37 diverse antimalarial compounds.

10-Jan-2018 4:45 PM EST
Re-Programming Innate Immune Cells to Fight Tuberculosis
Universite de Montreal

Canadian researchers’ innovative work promises to make vaccines more effective against tuberculosis and other infectious diseases like the flu.

Released: 10-Jan-2018 2:05 PM EST
Rare Melanoma Type Highly Responsive to Immunotherapy
Moffitt Cancer Center

Desmoplastic melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma that is commonly found on sun-exposed areas, such as the head and neck, and usually seen in older patients. Treatment is difficult because these tumors are often resistant to chemotherapy and lack actionable mutations commonly found in other types of melanoma that are targeted by specific drugs. However, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers report in the Jan. 10 issue of Nature that patients with desmoplastic melanoma are more responsive to immune-activating anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies than previously assumed.

Released: 10-Jan-2018 1:05 PM EST
Immunotherapy Highly Effective in Treatment of Rare Skin Cancer, Study Finds
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

In a UCLA-led study, more than two-thirds of people with a rare type of melanoma responded positively to treatment with anti-PD-1 immunotherapies.

9-Jan-2018 5:00 AM EST
Deep Sea Creatures Provide a Guiding Light in the Quest to Develop Cancer-Fighting Therapies
Keck Medicine of USC

Scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC use enzymes responsible for marine animal bioluminescence to help researchers test whether cancer immunotherapies work.

   
Released: 8-Jan-2018 10:00 AM EST
‘Immunomap’ Suggests More is Better When it Comes to Immune Cell Receptors and Patients’ Response to Immunotherapy
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins scientists have used a form of artificial intelligence to create a map that compares types of cellular receptors, the chemical “antennas” on the surface of immune system T-cells. Their experiments with lab-grown mouse and human T-cells suggest that people with cancer who have a greater variety of such receptors may respond better to immunotherapy drugs and vaccines.

Released: 8-Jan-2018 8:05 AM EST
Beta Blockers May Boost Immunotherapy, Help Melanoma Patients Live Longer
Penn State Health

A common, inexpensive drug that is used to prevent heart attacks and lower blood pressure may also help melanoma patients live longer.

8-Jan-2018 12:00 AM EST
Lyme Disease and Anesthesia: Five Facts
American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

An article in the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists’ AANA Journal, “Lyme Disease and Anesthesia Considerations,” discusses possible effects of anesthesia on Lyme disease patients undergoing surgery.

3-Jan-2018 2:50 PM EST
Mechanism for Resistance to Immunotherapy Treatment Discovered
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Two research groups from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have independently discovered a genetic mechanism in cancer cells that influences whether they resist or respond to immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors. The scientists say the findings reveal potential new drug targets and might aid efforts to extend the benefits of immunotherapy treatment to more patients and additional types of cancer.

3-Jan-2018 4:30 PM EST
Specific Microbes in Digestive Tract Can Boost Success for Cancer Immunotherapy
University of Chicago Medical Center

Specific strains of intestinal bacteria can improve the response rate to immunotherapy for patients being treated for advanced melanoma. Patients with a higher ratio of “beneficial” bacteria to “non-beneficial” bacteria all showed a clinical response: a reduction in tumor size.

Released: 4-Jan-2018 10:05 AM EST
New Atopic Dermatitis Yardstick Provides Practical Guidance and Management Insights
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)

A newly published Atopic Dermatitis (AD) Yardstick from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has practical recommendations for physicians about the treatment of AD.

Released: 3-Jan-2018 7:05 PM EST
Macrophage Nanosponges Could Keep Sepsis in Check
University of California San Diego

Researchers at UC San Diego have developed macrophage "nanosponges"—nanoparticles cloaked in the cell membranes of macrophages—that can safely remove sepsis-causing molecules from the bloodstream. In lab tests, these macrophage nanosponges improved survival rates in mice with sepsis.

   
2-Jan-2018 9:00 AM EST
Study Shows Stem Cell Transplant Is Better Than Drug Therapy for Scleroderma
Duke Health

Duke Health researchers, publishing in the Jan. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found significantly improved survival among patients with a severe form of scleroderma who underwent chemotherapy, whole body radiation and a stem cell transplant. Patients also had less need for immune suppressant drugs after transplant.

Released: 2-Jan-2018 9:00 AM EST
Diabetic Blindness Caused and Reversed “Trapped” Immune Cells in Rodent Retinas
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a cell signaling pathway in mice that triggers vision loss in patients with diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion – diseases characterized by the closure of blood vessels in the retina, leading to blindness. In experiments that suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the eye, researchers were able to re-establish normal blood flow in the retina, offering a potential means of stalling or even reversing diabetes-related blindness.

22-Dec-2017 4:35 PM EST
Gene Therapy Using CAR T-Cells Could Provide Long-Term Protection Against HIV
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Through gene therapy, researchers engineered blood-forming stem cells (hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, or HSPCs) to carry chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) genes to make cells that can detect and destroy HIV-infected cells. These engineered cells persisted for more than two years

20-Dec-2017 12:00 AM EST
One in a Million
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

The development of an HIV vaccine has proven extraordinarily difficult. One of the reasons is that naïve precursor B cells that can give rise to mature B cells producing broadly neutralizing antibodies are exceedingly rare within the average human. Yet, despite their low frequency these B cell precursors can outcompete their B cell competitors under the right conditions.

Released: 21-Dec-2017 5:05 AM EST
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Biomedical Technology Licensed to Michigan Company for Use in Cancer Treatments
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory biomedical technology that can deliver vaccines and drugs inside the human body has been licensed for use in cancer treatments to a Michigan company.

20-Dec-2017 10:00 AM EST
More Tumor Mutations Equals Higher Success Rate With Cancer Immunotherapy Drugs
Johns Hopkins Medicine

The "mutational burden," or the number of mutations present in a tumor's DNA, is a good predictor of whether that cancer type will respond to a class of cancer immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors, a new study led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers shows. The finding, published in the Dec. 21 New England Journal of Medicine, could be used to guide future clinical trials for these drugs.

Released: 19-Dec-2017 6:05 AM EST
The Virus That Conquered the World: 100 Years Later
Keck Medicine of USC

Nearly a century after the influenza pandemic of 1918–1919 ravaged communities worldwide, the threat of another pandemic looms large as the scientific and global health communities find ways to prepare for, and battle, future outbreaks.

14-Dec-2017 9:00 AM EST
Guidelines Say No Special Precautions Needed for Flu Shots for People Allergic to Eggs
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)

An updated practice parameter from the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters stresses that people with egg allergy should receive their yearly flu shot, and that no special precautions are required.

Released: 18-Dec-2017 4:05 PM EST
Annual Mountain Cedar Allergy Season About to Hit
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Allergy specialists like Dr. Shelly Harvey are again readying themselves for mountain cedar, the annual irritant that makes noses run and eyes itch – potentially transforming the merriest of holiday well-wishers into miserable Ebenezer Scrooges.

Released: 18-Dec-2017 10:05 AM EST
Researchers Repurpose Immune-Activating Cytokine to Fight Breast Cancer
Case Western Reserve University

The most lethal form of breast cancer could have a new treatment option, according to new research out of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers showed triple-negative breast cancer cells are highly vulnerable to interferon-β—a potent antimicrobial that also activates the immune system. The new study shows interferon-β impairs breast cancer cells’ ability to migrate and form tumors. The study also suggests interferon-β treatment could improve outcomes for certain breast cancer patients.

12-Dec-2017 9:00 AM EST
Exposure to Larger Air Particles Linked to Increased Risk of Asthma in Children
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University report statistical evidence that children exposed to airborne coarse particulate matter — a mix of dust, sand and non-exhaust tailpipe emissions, such as tire rubber — are more likely to develop asthma and need emergency room or hospital treatment for it than unexposed children.

Released: 14-Dec-2017 3:10 PM EST
Scientists Identify Mechanism of Impaired Dendritic Cell Function that Weakens Immune and Therapeutic Response to Cancer
Wistar Institute

Wistar scientists revealed the mechanism implicated in the defective function of tumor-associated dendritic cells (DCs), a specialized type of immune cells that expose the antigens on their surface to activate the T cells

Released: 14-Dec-2017 10:05 AM EST
Tumor Mutational Burden and Response to Immune Checkpoint Therapy
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey

Researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey examined an association between mutational burden and response to immune checkpoint therapy in several cancer types and found that a mutational burden threshold exists in eight cancers that predict response to an immune checkpoint blockade.

Released: 14-Dec-2017 9:05 AM EST
Allergens Widespread in Largest Study of U.S. Homes
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Allergens are widespread, but highly variable in U.S. homes, according to the nation’s largest indoor allergen study to date. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health report that over 90 percent of homes had three or more detectable allergens, and 73 percent of homes had at least one allergen at elevated levels. The findings were published November 30 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

   
Released: 13-Dec-2017 3:00 PM EST
Memory T Cells Responsible for Long-Term Immunity Have Been Cross-Trained
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Emory University research offers insight into origins of the T cells that provide enduring immune protection; findings should aid vaccine development and cancer immunotherapies

Released: 13-Dec-2017 2:10 PM EST
Unique Sensory Responses to the Pediatric HIV Medication Kaletra
Monell Chemical Senses Center

Research from the Monell Center documented wide individual differences to the taste of the life-saving HIV medication Kaletra and identified genetic sources of the taste variation. The findings suggest that the growing field of pharmacogenetics should assess the sensory response to medicines to promote medication compliance and treatment success.

Released: 13-Dec-2017 2:00 PM EST
Genomic Blood Test Predicts Survival Rates After Surgery for Advanced Heart Failure
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

An experimental blood test developed at UCLA that uses gene activity data from immune cells was 93 percent accurate in predicting survival rates for people with advanced heart failure who had surgery to implant mechanical circulatory support devices.

Released: 13-Dec-2017 1:05 PM EST
Sixth Annual Benefit Raises More Than $3.4 Million for the Dubin Breast Center
Mount Sinai Health System

The Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai Health System held its sixth annual benefit on Monday, December 11, 2017, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.

Released: 13-Dec-2017 12:05 PM EST
Immunotherapy, Gene Editing Advances Extend to Type 1 Diabetes
Seattle Children's Hospital

Advances in engineering T cells to treat cancer are paving the way for new immunotherapies targeted at autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes. Now, researchers are also investigating therapies that reprogram T cells to “turn down” an immune response, which may hold promise for curing type 1 diabetes, as well as a number of diseases where overactive T cells attack a person’s healthy cells and organs.

Released: 13-Dec-2017 1:00 AM EST
Treatable Condition Could Be Mistaken for Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder
Houston Methodist

Researchers at Houston Methodist believe that a significant number of people diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder may actually have a treatable immune system condition. A new research study could have a significant impact on the millions diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, including many homeless.

Released: 12-Dec-2017 1:00 PM EST
Researchers Uncover Cell Changes Behind Therapy-Resistant Cancers, Call for New Clinical Approaches
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A UCLA study in collaboration with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) shows that skin cancer cells could be chemically changed from within to reflexively alter gene expression patterns and intracellular pathways, which allows the cells to become resistant to targeted drugs.

Released: 12-Dec-2017 11:05 AM EST
Researchers Develop Test That Can Diagnose Two Cancer Types
Georgia State University

A blood test using infrared spectroscopy can be used to diagnose two types of cancer, lymphoma and melanoma, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

Released: 12-Dec-2017 7:05 AM EST
Marijuana May Help HIV Patients Keep Mental Stamina Longer
Michigan State University

A chemical found in marijuana, known as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has been found to potentially slow the process in which mental decline can occur in up to 50 percent of HIV patients, says a new Michigan State University study.

Released: 11-Dec-2017 4:05 PM EST
Teaching Antibiotics to Be More Effective Killers
University of Illinois Chicago

Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago suggests bond duration, not bond tightness, may be the most important differentiator between antibiotics that kill bacteria and antibiotics that only stop bacterial growth.

Released: 11-Dec-2017 4:05 PM EST
Kyra’s Legacy
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Pets have become an integral part of human medical research. However, a recent collaboration between Penn Med and Penn Vet has turned the tables on the arrangement.

Released: 11-Dec-2017 12:05 PM EST
Scientists Discover Possible Master Switch for Programming Cancer Immunotherapy
Scripps Research Institute

How do killer T cells “learn” to leave their home base and amass within specific tissues like the skin, gut, and lung, or solid tumors?

Released: 11-Dec-2017 9:05 AM EST
Roswell Park Hematology Experts Sharing New Research in ASH 2017 Podium Presentations
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Dr. Eunice Wang was invited to discuss results of a phase II clinical trial of crenolanib for adults with AML at the ASH 2017 annual meeting, and Dr. Kara Kelly, senior author of an oral abstract on outcomes disparities among children and adolescents with Hodgkin lymphoma.

9-Dec-2017 10:30 AM EST
Phase 2 CAR-T Study Reports Significant Remission Rates at 15-Month Follow Up
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

A study involving the recently approved CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy shows that 42 percent of patients with aggressive large B-cell lymphoma remained in remission at 15 months following treatment with axi-cel (marketed as Yescarta™).

9-Dec-2017 5:30 PM EST
Immunotherapy Strategy Could Be Beneficial for Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Preliminary Data Show
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers present their preliminary results from the ongoing phase II trial of chemotherapy and pembrolizumab in relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 9.

8-Dec-2017 9:30 AM EST
International Research Team Identifies Genetic-Based Model for Predicting Outcomes in Primary Myelofibrosis
Mayo Clinic

A group of investigators from Mayo Clinic and multiple academic research centers in Italy have identified a genetic model for predicting outcomes in patients with primary myelofibrosis who are 70 years or younger and candidates for stem cell transplant to treat their disease.

7-Dec-2017 2:00 PM EST
Immunotherapy Drug for Rheumatoid Arthritis Nearly Eliminates Severe Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant
Seattle Children's Hospital

Results from a phase 2 clinical trial, presented by Seattle Children’s Research Institute at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, show that the drug Abatacept (Orencia) nearly eliminated life-threatening severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

9-Dec-2017 2:00 PM EST
Using Software, Researchers Predict Tumor Markers That Could Be Immune Targets
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers report at the 59th Annual American Society for Hematology Annual Meeting in Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 9, that they were able to validate their approach for predicting markers – called minor histocompatibility antigens – in a group of patients with blood cancers.



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