Immunotherapy Weekly articles from July 2000

Immunotherapy Weekly archives from July 2000

Researchers Measure Effectiveness of Combination Therapy.(for hepatitis C)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, has announced recruitment of patients for a study that will test whether a new combination therapy may be more effective than the current, leading therapy for...

Collaboration Signed to Develop DNA-Based Cancer Products.(between Coley Pharmaceutical Group and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Wellesley, Massachusetts, and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Hilden, Germany, have established a clinical research collaboration for the development and evaluation of CpG...

Anti-ICAM-1 Blockade Does Not Improve Early Graft Function.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Anti-ICAM-1 blockade did not improve early graft function in a rat liver transplantation model, according to a recent study. "The present in vivo study investigated the impact of a monoclonal antibody...

Researchers Decipher Chemical 'Cross Talk' that Determines Survival of Immune Cells.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Molecular biologists at the University of California, San Francisco, have deciphered a pattern of signals that spells life or death to each T-cell of the immune system and may control the development of the...

Interferon-(alpha)2b and Ribavirin Evaluated in HCV/HIV Infected Patients.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in France have found that combination therapy is useful in hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV coinfected patients. They conducted a safety and efficacy study of a "combination therapy of...

Test Predicts Risk Due to Interferon Treatment.(risk of depression is a side effect of interferon therapy)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- One of the few side effects of interferon (IFN) therapy when used for treating viral hepatitis is depression. According to A. Scalori and associates in Sondrio, Italy, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality...

Interleukin-10 Causes Anergy in Tuberculosis Patients.(inability to raise an immune response)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is largely responsible for the anergy, or inability to raise an immune response to substances that are known to be immunogenic, seen in patients with tuberculosis, researchers report. ...

Fusion Protein Can Be Used to Trigger Lymphocyte Death.(interleukin-2-IgG-Fas ligand)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- The fusion protein interleukin-2-IgG-Fas ligand can be used to trigger the programmed death of undesirable T cells, resulting in a novel means of immunosuppression, according to researchers writing in...

Decreased Donor-Specific T-Cell Precursors May Not be Sign of Transplant Tolerance.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Decreased levels of donor-specific T-cell precursors in the blood of lung transplant recipients may not necessarily translate into a decreased chance of chronic graft dysfunction, according to researchers...

Infants with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Can Still Recover Thymus Function.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Bone marrow transplants - involving either human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical donors or haploidentical donors following T-cell depletion - can enable the thymus to provide immune function to infants with...

Ursodeoxycholic Acid Augments Interferon Treatment in Non-Responders.(hepatitis C treatment)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new study published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology reports that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), when used in combination with interferon-(alpha) (IFN-(alpha)), can successfully treat...

Patient Subset Indicates Remune and Antiviral Drugs May Stimulate 'Killer' T-Cell Activity.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR), Carlsbad, California, announced preliminary interim clinical results that indicate Remune (HIV-1 Immunogen) may stimulate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) or "killer" T-cell...

Anti-CD40L Monoclonal Antibody Overcomes CD4-Mediated Graft Rejection.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment with anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody (MAb) prevents CD4 T-cell mediated resistance to allogeneic bone marrow engraftment. "We previously reported that costimulatory blockade can eliminate the need...

Graft Survival Improved with Anti-CD71 Monoclonal Antibody.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Solid organ graft survival can be improved by using anti-CD71 monoclonal antibody (MAb), researchers reported at a recent conference. "Expression of CD71 on lymphocytes is greatly upregulated during...

Many Factors Influence Success of Antibody-Based Immunotherapy.(cancer therapy)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Two factors are extremely important for determining the potential efficacy of antibody-based cancer immunotherapy, according to AltraRex Corp. researchers: * The xenotypic nature of the antibody...

Allogeneic Tumor Cell Vaccine Attacks Colon Carcinoma.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- A CD80 gene modified allogeneic colon cancer vaccine has been developed by collaborating academic and industry researchers. "We developed a practical allogeneic tumor cell vaccine for the immuno-gene...

DNA Vaccine Reverts Anergy in HIV Infected Patients.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vaccination with DNA or protein immunogens can revert anergy in HIV infected patients. "Recent studies have highlighted the importance of T-helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to contain the early...

AIDS Activists, Legislators Demand Access to Immune-Based Therapies.(International HIV Immune Based Therapies Working Group)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Adanti Acosta, International HIV Immune Based Therapies Working Group, based out of the Brooklyn Medical Arts AIDS CARE Center, New York, and other AIDS activists joined together in an effort to accelerate the...

General Anti-Inflammatory Surface Treatment for Medical Implants Developed.(by MetaPhore Pharmaceuticals)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Heart surgery patients who suffer severe problems after stents are inserted into their unclogged arteries are among the growing number of people with medical implants who may benefit from a general...

SBIR Grant Awarded to Study Anti-Factor D Antibody.(Small Business Innovative Research Grant awarded to Tanox Inc.)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Tanox, Inc. (TNOX) announced that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Grant to study the use of its anti-Factor D monoclonal antibody, 166-32, in an in vivo model of cardiopulmonary...

FasL Gene Transfer Prolongs Rat Renal Allograft Survival.(Fas ligand gene transfer)
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Fas ligand (FasL) gene transfer can prolong renal allograft survival in rats, researchers report. "FasL induces apoptosis of cells bearing Fas receptor, and may play a role in the acquisition of immune...

Certain Immune System Cells Enhance Survival of Organ Transplants.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A novel subset of immune system cells has been identified that can help prevent the rejection of donor tissue in such a highly specific manner that other parts of the immune system are not affected. A...

Early BCG Vaccination Reduces Atopy in Children.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Children vaccinated early in infancy with bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) have a reduced tendency toward genetically predisposed allergic reactions, or atopy, researchers in Denmark report. "It has been...

Monoclonal Antibody Induces Transplantation Tolerance.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Blockade of CD86 and CD40 with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) has been reported to induce allograft tolerance in an animal model. "The generation of immunoregulatory T cells that block the B7...

Tumor-Specific Antibody Eradicates Brain Tumors in Mice.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new monoclonal antibody that targets a mutated protein found only in cancer cells can eradicate tumors in mice without the aid of additional toxic substances, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers...

Reactive CD4(+) T Cells Necessary for Protective Immunity.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Reactive CD4(+) T cells are necessary for the development of gene therapy-mediated long-term immunity against glioma, indicates a recent study. "Tumor cells genetically modified to secrete cytokines...

Scientists Identify Family of Natural Cancer-Fighting Proteins in Mice.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has identified five proteins in mice that trigger the immune system to attack cancer. The research greatly increases the...

Treatment with Nucleoside Analogue Followed by Hepatitis Vaccine Shifts Serologic Phenotype.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment with the nucleoside analogue, L-FMAU, followed by vaccination changed hepatitis B infection status from chronic to recovering in the WHV/woodchuck model, researchers in the United States reported....

Positive Clinical Data Advance Drug to Phase III Clinical Trials.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Based on positive clinical data reviewed at an interim analysis of the Phase II AIN trial and investigators meeting held June 22-23, 2000, StressGen Biotechnologies Corp. (TSE) announced that it will proceed...

Human Clinical Trials to Begin for B-Lymphocyte Stimulator.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGSI) announced that it will initiate human clinical trials of B-lymphocyte stimulator, or BLyS, in patients with common variable immunodeficiency, a serious defect of the immune...

FDA Authorizes Advanced Study in Multi-Drug Resistant HIV.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (HEB; HEBws), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said it has just received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization to conduct a major Phase II/III clinical study in HIV...

Interleukin 2 Treatment Plus Antiretroviral Therapy Significantly Increases CD4 Cell Counts.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- The addition of interleukin 2 therapy to antiretroviral therapy for patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases CD4 cell counts significantly more than antiretroviral therapy...

Protective Role of Interleukin-1 Examined in Mice.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- An animal model study using mice has shown that interleukin 1 (IL-1) expression is an important factor in the response to mycobacterial infection. The study, conducted by researchers in Tokyo, Japan, was...

Treatment Shows Promise in Mouse Model of Cancer.(interleukin 12 and heat shock protein research)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and others report using heat to selectively turn on a therapeutic gene, significantly delaying tumor growth in mice. While others have recently reported...

Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 Molecule a Useful Vaccine Adjuvant in Mice.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Using both a particulate antigen (hepatitis B surface Ag) and a soluble antigen (OVA) to vaccinate mice, researchers in France have determined that lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) can be used to enhance...

Scorpion Venom Research May Lead to New Drugs for Immune Disorders, Transplants.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new, synthesized chemical that affects cells similarly to scorpion venom also can effectively suppress the immune system, a University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine research team has found. ...

Polynucleotide Vaccine from Melanoma Antigen Under Development.(MART-1 melanoma vaccine)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States are developing a polynucleotide vaccine from melanoma antigens, which recognize MART-1, for evaluation in clinical trials. "MART-1, a melanoma antigen recognized by T...

Mutations in Genes Influence Response to Interferon in Hepatitis C Patients.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- New research has shown that genetic changes in the interferon sensitivity determining region of hepatitis C virus genotype 1b do not change frequently. Because of this, patients who are initially...

HIV Infected Patients Treated with Multikine Show Evidence of Improved Cell-Mediated Immunity.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cel-Sci Corp. (CVM), Vienna, Virginia, announced that Stephen Brown, MD, AIDS ReSEARCH Alliance, West Hollywood, California, presented data at the 1st International Conference on Vaccine Development and...

Antitumor Immune Response Sustains Effect of Endostatin and Angiostatin.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- New evidence showing that the effects of angiostatin and endostatin can be sustained when they are used as anti-angiogenic therapies was presented recently at the Immunology 2000 conference held in Seattle,...

Transient Prolactin Expression Enhances Antigen-Specific Responses.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- The transient expression of human prolactin (hPRL) by adenoviral vectors enhances antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) responses in a murine cancer model, researchers in the...

RNA-Pulsed Dendritic Cells Induce Antitumor Immunity.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- RNA-pulsed dendritic cells (DC) induced antitumor immunity in a murine cancer model, according to a study from Japan. "DC are identified as the most effective antigen presenting cells," said T. Minami and...

Combination Antiviral/Immunoglobulin Therapy Effective Prophylaxis in Post-Transplant Patients.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Combination antiviral and immunoglobulin therapy helps prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in CMV negative patients who are transplanted with CMV positive hearts, according to researchers in the United...

Salmonella Mutants May be Potent Vaccine Delivery Vehicle.(cancer vaccine research)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Salmonella mutants can infect dendritic cells (DC) and so may be a potent vaccine delivery vehicle, researchers in Switzerland said. "Airway epithelial dendritic cells are potential targets in...

Ganciclovir Alone as Effective as Combination Therapy in Preventing Cytomegalovirus Infection.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Ganciclovir (GCV) given alone is as effective as combination therapy incorporating acyclovir (ACV) with cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunoglobulin (CMVIg) in preventing CMV infection in heart transplant recipients,...

Th2 Cytokines Influence IFN Response in Hepatitis C Patients.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- The presence of interleukin 10 (IL-10), a cytokine produced by Th2 cells, has a major impact on the response to interferon (IFN) therapy by patients with chronic hepatitis C, investigators reported at the...

Scientists Analyze Ways Mycobacterium tuberculosis Overcomes Destruction.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- New research findings from the University of California suggest that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is able to evade destruction by disrupting important interactions that would normally occur between macrophages...

Studies Show Benadryl More Effective than Leading Prescription Antihistamine.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Allergy patients might be asking "why am I paying more for less?" when it comes to relieving allergies. According to results of two recent studies, the leading over-the-counter (OTC) branded antihistamine...

Phase II Immunotherapy Study Will Begin in Poland.(Cel-Sci Corp.)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cel-Sci Corp. (CVM), Vienna, Virginia, announced that the Polish Health Authorities have granted permission to start a Phase II clinical trial in head and neck cancer patients with Cel-Sci's immunotherapy...

Drug Discovery Alliance Will Develop Antibody Products.(Abgenix Inc. and Lexicon Genetics Inc. to work together)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Abgenix, Inc. (ABGX), Fremont, California, and Lexicon Genetics Inc. (LEXG), The Woodlands, Texas, announced a drug discovery alliance that will combine Lexicon's understanding of human gene function with the...

License Agreement Announced for Antibodies that Enhance Immune Function.(Aquila Biopharmaceuticals Inc. acquires rights to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center antibodies)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Aquila Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (AQLA), Framingham, Massachusetts, announced that it has acquired rights to antibodies that expand and activate a specific, disease-fighting T-cell population of white blood...

Antigens Licensed for Monoclonal Antibody Research.(Immunex Corp.)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- In a move to develop monoclonal antibodies directed against prostate cancer, Immunex Corporation (IMNX), Seattle, Washington, has licensed rights to cancer-derived antigens from UroCor, Inc. (UCOR), Oklahoma...

Phase II Study Underway for Combination Treatment.(Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. researches Hepatitis C treatment)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced that patient dosing is underway in a Phase II clinical trial of VX-497, a drug for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, in...

Growing Good-Guy Blood Cells in Culture.
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- A laboratory method for growing white blood cells called macrophages may bolster studies aimed at combating pathogens that exploit the immune systems of animals and humans. Multiplying macrophages in...