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Last Updated: Feb 5, 2008 - 11:27:58 AM |
Latest Research
T cell immunity enhanced by timing of interleukin-7 therapy
MADISON -- That the cell nurturing growth factor interleukin-7 can help ramp up the ability of the immune system to remember the pathogenic villains it encounters is well known.
Feb 5, 2008 - 8:25:00 AM
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Latest Research
Drug aimed at 2 bioterror agents blocks live viral infection, Weill Cornell team reports
NEW YORK (Dec. 19, 2007) -- Two deadly and highly infectious viruses -- both potential bioterror threats -- may have met their match in a new drug developed by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
Dec 19, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Poxvirus ability to hide from the immune system may aid vaccine design
The cowpox virus, a much milder cousin of the deadly smallpox virus, can keep infected host cells from warning the immune system that they have been compromised, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. The scientists also showed that more virulent poxviruses, such as the strains of monkeypox prevalent in Central Africa, likely have the same ability.
Nov 15, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Mice help researchers understand chlamydia
Genetically engineered mice may hold the key to helping scientists from Queensland University of Technology and Harvard hasten the development of a vaccine to protect adolescent girls against the most common sexually transmitted disease, Chlamydia.
Oct 29, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Influenza: Insights into cell specificity of human vs. avian viruses
Rotterdam, The Netherlands — Researchers have identified which sites and cell types within the respiratory tract are targeted by human versus avian influenza viruses, providing valuable insights into the pathogenesis of these divergent diseases. The report by van Riel et al, “Human and avian influenza viruses target different cells in the lower respiratory tract of humans and other mammals,” appears in the October issue of The American Journal of Pathology and is accompanied by a commentary and highlighted on the cover.
Oct 9, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Patients with pneumonia who received pneumococcal vaccine have lower rate of death, ICU admission
Among patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, those who had previously received the pneumococcal vaccine had a lower risk of death and admission to the intensive care unit than patients who were not vaccinated, according to a report in the Oct. 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Oct 8, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
NIH grant supports UCSF research exploring early HIV infection
A team led by researchers at the UCSF Positive Health Program has been named to receive $15 million over five years to expand understanding of the complex interactions between HIV and the immune systems of newly infected patients following HIV transmission.
Oct 8, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Scripps research scientists develop innovative dual action anthrax vaccine-antitoxin combination
The immune response generated in rats by the new agent protects against lethal toxin exposure after only one injection, and is faster and stronger than any currently available vaccine.
Oct 4, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Flu vaccine in painless skin patches under development at Emory, Georgia Tech with NIH grants
Flu vaccine delivered through painless microneedles in patches applied to the skin could soon be an alternative to delivery through hypodermic needles, according to researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Using new grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling approximately $11.5 million over five years, researchers from the two institutions plan to develop a new vaccine product using the microscopic needles.
Oct 3, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Second pathway behind HIV-associated immune system dysfunction identified
Researchers at the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (PARC-MGH) may have discovered a second molecular “switch” responsible for turning off the immune system’s response against HIV. Last year members of the same team identified a molecule called PD-1 that suppresses the activity of HIV-specific CD8 T cells that should destroy virus-infected cells. Now the researchers describe how a regulatory protein called CTLA-4 inhibits the action of HIV-specific CD4 T cells that control the overall response against the virus. The report will appear in the journal Nature Immunology and is receiving early online release.
Sep 30, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Chronic infection persists by targeting stromal cell network in lymphoid organs
One of the biggest challenges to treating infectious diseases and developing preventive vaccines is the ability of many chronic infections to suppress the immune T-cell response over time. An Emory-led team of scientists has discovered one important way in which chronic viral infections are able to evade the immune response. The research is reported this week online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Sep 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New nanoparticle vaccine is more effective but less expensive
Good news for public health: Bioengineering researchers from the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, have developed and patented a nanoparticle that can deliver vaccines more effectively, with fewer side effects, and at a fraction of the cost of current vaccine technologies.
Sep 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Novel HIV vaccine created at The Wistar Institute funded for clinical development
(PHILADELPHIA) – A promising new HIV vaccine created at The Wistar Institute has received funding for clinical development aimed at moving the vaccine into human clinical trials as soon as possible.
Aug 31, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Binghamton University researchers investigate evolving malaria resistance
Funded by a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, scientists at Binghamton University, State University of New York, hope to understand how the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum evolved resistance to the once-effective medication chloroquine.
Aug 30, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
IAVI, CDC and USMHRP release new data redefining laboratory reference ranges in Africa
(SEATTLE, August 21, 2007) Leading researchers from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) presented final results today from a collection of independent studies reexamining the medical criteria for including African volunteers in AIDS vaccine trials. The findings, presented at the AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference in Seattle, suggest that many healthy Southern and East Africans have, in the past, been excluded from participating in trials based on laboratory reference ranges that were developed for Western populations and may not be appropriate locally. Implementation of the results of the studies should improve participation of African volunteers in clinical trials for new drugs and vaccines against emerging infectious diseases currently ravaging Africa, including AIDS, TB and malaria, and enable clinicians to better monitor and define adverse events in trials.
Aug 21, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Tumors use enzyme to recruit regulatory T-cells and suppress immune response
One way tumors fly under the radar of the immune system is by using IDO, an enzyme used by fetuses to help avoid rejection, to recruit powerful regulatory T cells that turn down the immune response, researchers say.
Aug 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Anthrax vaccine produces immunity with nanoparticles, not needles
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A vaccine against anthrax that is more effective and easier to administer than the present vaccine has proved highly effective in tests in mice and guinea pigs, report University of Michigan Medical School scientists in the August issue of Infection and Immunity.
Aug 15, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
HPV vaccine does not appear to be effective for treating pre-existing HPV infection
For women with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, use of the HPV-16/18 vaccine will not accelerate reduction of the virus and should not be used to treat the infection, according to a study in the August 15 issue of JAMA.
Aug 14, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
DNA vaccine against multiple sclerosis appears safe, potentially beneficial
A newly developed DNA vaccine appears safe and may produce beneficial changes in the brains and immune systems of individuals with multiple sclerosis, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the October 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Aug 13, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study reveals gaps in vaccine financing for underinsured children
A national survey of state immunization program managers reveals gaps in coverage for the current vaccine financing system, suggesting that many underinsured children may not receive recommended vaccinations, such as for pneumonia and meningitis, according to a report in the August 8 issue of JAMA.
Aug 7, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study suggests nonpharmaceutical interventions may be helpful in severe influenza outbreaks
An analysis of non-pharmaceutical interventions used in the U.S. during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, such as closing schools and banning public gatherings, found an association between these interventions and reduced death rates, suggesting that non-pharmaceutical interventions may play a role in planning for future influenza pandemics, according to a study in the August 8 issue of JAMA.
Aug 7, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Immune mechanism could help explain transient immune suppression often seen in acute infections
Scientists have discovered that at the same time the immune system is vigorously attacking invading viruses or bacteria, it is unexpectedly reducing its production of a particular type of factor that directs the movement of immune cells. The new finding, which could help explain the transient immune suppression often seen during acute infections, shows that the immune system is even more complex than previously believed.
Aug 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Phase II study of therapeutic vaccine shows efficacy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
PHILADELPHIA – A therapeutic cancer vaccine has shown effectiveness when given alongside chemotherapy to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in a phase II trial, according to researchers at Oxford BioMedica (UK) Ltd. The study found that six of the 17 metastatic colorectal cancer patients in the study showed tumor shrinkage, classified as complete or partial responses following independent expert review.
Aug 1, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New target for HIV/AIDS drugs and vaccine discovered
Researchers from Rome, Italy, describe a finding in the August 2007 print issue of The FASEB Journal that could lead to new drugs to fight the HIV/AIDS virus, as well as new vaccines to prevent infection. It has been known that HIV proteins disable the antibody-forming part of the immune system (the “homeland defense” or acquired immune system). In this report, researchers demonstrate for the first time how the HIV-1 Nef viral protein delivers a one-two punch to the body’s innate immune system (our “early warning system” composed of dendritic and natural killer cells). First, Nef hijacks dendritic cells (DCs) to upset the function of natural killer (NK) cells. Second, after blocking this first line of defense against the immune system, Nef uses DCs and NK cells to create a microenvironment that actually makes it easier for HIV/AIDS to replicate.
Jul 26, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Measles vaccinations need to be repeated to protect HIV-infected children
HIV-infected children may require repeat measles vaccination for protection, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions. The researchers found that only half of the HIV-infected children who survived without antiretroviral therapy maintained protective antibody levels 27 months after receiving measles vaccine. By comparison, 89 percent of children without HIV maintained their immunity, as did 92 percent of the HIV-infected children who were revaccinated in a mass measles immunization campaign during the 27 months of follow-up. The study results were published online June 19, 2007, by The Journal of Infectious Diseases, and will be included in the August 1, 2007, printed issue of the journal.
Jul 17, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Vaccine trials inject hope into koala's future
The first Australian trials of a vaccine developed by Queensland University of Technology that could save Australia's iconic koala from contracting chlamydia are planned to begin later this year.
Jul 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Immune system 'escape hatch' gives cancer cells traction
Scientists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere say they have mapped out an escape route that cancers use to evade the bodyÂ’s immune system, allowing the disease to spread unchecked.
Jul 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Japan's DNAVEC and IAVI partner on novel AIDS vaccine strategy
Tsukuba City, Japan and New York, July 9, 2007—The New York-based International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and DNAVEC Corporation today announced a collaboration to jointly develop an AIDS vaccine using DNAVEC's Sendai virus (SeV) vector technology. The candidate will be designed to be administered intra-nasally to stimulate immune responses in both the blood and mucosal tissues, the initial point of entry for HIV.
Jul 9, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Novel genetics research advances possibility of HIV vaccine
A pioneering collaborative study has discovered how the HIV virus evades the human bodyÂ’s immune system.
Jul 5, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Researchers discover method for identifying how cancer evades the immune system
One of the fundamental traits of a tumor – how it avoids the immune system – might become its greatest vulnerability, according to researchers from the University of Southern California. Their findings, demonstrated in human breast and colorectal cancers, indicate that a technique for determining a tumor’s “immune signature,” could be useful for diagnosing and treating specific cancers.
Jul 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Human antibodies that block human and animal SARS viruses identified
An international team of investigators has identified the first human antibodies that can neutralize different strains of the virus responsible for outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The researchers used a mouse model and in vitro assays (lab tests) to test the neutralizing activity of the antibodies. The research team was led by scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), both parts of the National Institutes of Health, and included collaborators from the U.S. Army (USAMRIID), academic institutions in the United States, Switzerland, and Australia. The research findings appear after the July 2, 2007, early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Jul 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
LSUHSC grants fund infectious diseases research and clinical trials
Chancellor Larry Hollier, MD, announced today that the Louisiana Board of Regents voted to award LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans a $3.3 million grant and an equal share of a $5.9 million grant from their Research Commercialization and Education Enhancement Program. “We are grateful to the Louisiana Board of Regents, Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Joseph Savoie, and the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which was instrumental in obtaining these funds, for investing in our educational and research enterprises,” said Dr. Hollier. “These programs will help us stabilize the supply of health care professionals in New Orleans and promote economic recovery by enhancing our efforts to recruit and, as importantly, retain current faculty.”
Jun 28, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New vaccine prevents CMV infection and disease in mice
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have patented a strategy for developing a human vaccine to prevent against Human Cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infection and disease.
Jun 22, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Fever after smallpox vaccination tied to individual genetic variations
St. Louis researchers have identified common DNA variations that underlie susceptibility to fever after smallpox vaccination. Their finding is the first to link individual differences written into the genetic code with a vaccine-related complication - albeit a mild one.
Jun 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
How 'memory' T cells curb the spread of viruses throughout the body
A scientific discovery by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers helps explain how “memory” T cells protect the body from viral diseases. The research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Online Early Edition shows lymph nodes are not just organs where immune cells reside and proliferate, but also are the sites where a major fight against the spread of an invading virus occurs.
Jun 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Damon Runyon renews its $2.25 million investment to support young clinical cancer investigators
New York, NY -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named 5 new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators at its May 2007 Clinical Investigator Award Committee review. The recipients of this prestigious, three-year award are outstanding early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research at major research centers under the mentorship of the nationÂ’s leading scientists and clinicians. Each will receive $450,000 to support the development of his or her cancer research program. The Clinical Investigator Award program is specifically intended to help address the worrisome shortage of physicians capable of translating scientific discovery into new breakthroughs for cancer patients. In partnerships with founding sponsor Eli Lilly and Company, and with Siemens Medical Solutions, Novartis and Genentech, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has committed more than $30 million to support the careers of 39 physician-scientists across the United States since 2000.
Jun 15, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
American College of Preventive Medicine applauds IOM report on training public health physicians
Washington, D.C. – The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) today applauded the recent release of the Institute of Medicine report, “Training Physicians for Public Health Careers,” praising the report as a major milestone for preventive medicine and public health from one of the most prestigious voices in medicine. The report calls on Congress to stem the tide of America’s eroding preventive medicine and public health workforce.
Jun 13, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Meningitis: effectiveness of preventive vaccination demonstrated
Meningitis epidemics caused by the pathogen Nesseiria meningitis (or meningococcus) provoke high mortality in children and young people under 20 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. They rage during periods of drought from January to April, in the area known as the “Meningitis Belt” (see Map)
Jun 5, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Brain inflammation may be friend, not foe, for Alzheimer's patients
Inflammation in the brain may not be so bad after all when it comes to AlzheimerÂ’s disease.
Jun 1, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Vaxfectin-formulated measles DNA vaccine elicits long-term protection in nonhuman primates
Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq:VICL) today announced that a measles DNA vaccine formulated with the company's Vaxfectin? adjuvant elicited protective levels of neutralizing antibodies in juvenile (1 ? 2 year old) nonhuman primates confirmed by complete protection following challenge more than one year after vaccination, and sterilizing immunity as evidenced by no clinical signs of disease and no detectable virus after challenge. In a separate study, the same vaccine elicited protective levels of neutralizing antibodies in infant (6 ? 10 weeks old) nonhuman primates with no vaccine-related adverse events. The studies were conducted in collaboration with Diane E. Griffin, M.D., Ph.D., Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor and Chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, under a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
May 31, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
International studies show high efficacy for HPV vaccine
A new vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer is nearly 100 percent effective against the two types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) responsible for most cases of cervical cancerÑstrains 16 and 18. Results of an international meta-analysis study of the vaccine are published in the June 1 issue of the journal Lancet.
May 31, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Human antibodies protect mice from avian flu
An international team of scientists, including researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, report using antibodies derived from immune cells from recent human survivors of H5N1 avian influenza to successfully treat H5N1-infected mice as well as protect them from an otherwise lethal dose of the virus.
May 28, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Vaccine hope for malaria
One person dies of it every 30 seconds, it rivals HIV and tuberculosis as the worldÂ’s most deadly infection and the vast majority of its victims are under five years old. Now, just over 100 years since BritainÂ’s Sir Ronald Ross was awarded the Nobel Prize for finally proving that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes, researchers at The University of Nottingham believe they have made a significant breakthrough in the search for an effective vaccine.
May 23, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Landmark study details demographic, ecological and genetic spread of rabies in raccoon outbreak
Analyzing 30 years of data detailing a large rabies virus outbreak among North American raccoons, researchers at Emory University have revealed how initial demographic, ecological and genetic processes simultaneously shaped the virus's geographic spread over time. The study appears online in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences.
May 17, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
The quest for an effective HIV vaccine presents new possibilities, challenges
A vaccine that prevents HIV infection remains an important goal in the fight against AIDS, but the current top HIV vaccine candidates may not work in this way, say scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Rather, the first successful preventive HIV vaccines, if administered prior to HIV infection, may reduce HIV levels in the body, thereby delaying the progression to AIDS and the need to start antiretroviral drugs. These vaccines may also reduce the chance that a person infected with HIV would pass the virus on to other people, according to NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and Margaret I. Johnston, Ph.D., director of NIAIDÂ’s Vaccine Research Program in the Division of AIDS.
May 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study finds no link between autism and thimerosal in vaccines
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The increase in the number of diagnosed cases of autism in recent years has sparked concern that environmental toxins may cause this complex disorder. However, a new University of Missouri-Columbia study concludes that exposure to Rh immune globulin preserved with mercury-containing thimerosal before birth was no higher for children with autism.
May 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Herpes infection may be symbiotic, help beat back some bacteria
Mice with chronic herpes virus infections can better resist the bacterium that causes plague and a bacterium that causes one kind of food poisoning, researchers report in this week's Nature.
May 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Getting to the core of an emergent public health threat
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 was a loud wake-up call for researchers studying infectious diseases. SARS infected over 8,000 people, killed 10 percent of those infected, and weakened most with pneumonia.
May 15, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Students devise oral quick-dissolve strips for rotavirus vaccine
A thin strip that dissolves in the mouth like a popular breath-freshener could someday provide life-saving rotavirus vaccine to infants in impoverished areas. The innovative drug-delivery system was developed by Johns Hopkins undergraduate biomedical engineering students.
May 14, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Dealing deadly cancers a knockout punch
New scientific evidence is helping to build a compelling case for oncolytic viruses as a first-line and adjunctive treatment for many cancers.
May 10, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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