The Key to Easy Asthma Diagnosis Is in the Blood
Using just a single drop of blood, a team of researchers has developed a faster, cheaper and more accurate tool for diagnosing even mild cases of asthma. The researchers used neutrophil cell function in a clinical study to show accurate asthma diagnosis. [Press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discussing online prepublication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA]
Press Release|Abstract
Humoral Response to a Viral Glycan Correlates with Survival on PROSTVAC-VF
Researchers used glycan microarrays to profile antiglycan antibody responses induced by PROSTVAC-VF, a poxvirus-based cancer vaccine currently in Phase III clinical trials. Although the vaccine is designed to induce T-cell responses to prostate-specific antigen, they demonstrated that this vaccine also induces humoral responses to a carbohydrate on the poxvirus, the Forssman disaccharide. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA]
Abstract
Interleukin-21: A Double-Edged Sword with Therapeutic Potential
Interleukin (IL)-21 regulates both innate and adaptive immune responses, and it not only has key roles in antitumor and antiviral responses but also exerts major effects on inflammatory responses that promote the development of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders. In this review, the authors provide an overview of the basic biology of IL-21 and discuss how this information has been – and can be – exploited therapeutically. [Nat Rev Drug Discov]
Abstract
Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the human immunology research field.
INDUSTRY NEWS
University of Zurich Tests Immune Cells on the International Space Station
The human body is fine-tuned to Earth’s gravity. A team headed by Professor Oliver Ullrich from the University of Zurich’s (UZH) Institute of Anatomy is now conducting an experiment on the International Space Station to study whether this also applies to human cells. The transporter spaceship Dragon lifted off from the Cape Canaveral launch center in Florida with a cargo of UZH immune cells on board. [University of Zurich]
Press Release
Benaroya Research Institute Evaluates Immunology Approach to Blocking Breast Cancer
Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason recently received a grant to research how blocking a particular molecule in metastatic breast cancer reduces both the growth of primary tumors and the number of lung metastases. The $1.8 million five-year grant comes from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. [Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason]
Press Release
New Center Aims to Use Immune System to Fight Cancer, Other Diseases
A new center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will help scientists use the power of the immune system to fight infections and cancers. The Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs is part of BioMed21, the university’s initiative to accelerate basic science discoveries into improved diagnosis and treatment for patients. [Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis]
Press Release
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