Immunotherapy Weekly articles from June 2000

Immunotherapy Weekly archives from June 2000

Immunogene Therapy Successful After Bladder Cancer Resection.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- In vivo administration of a retroviral vector coding for interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) after bladder cancer resection inhibited regrowth of tumor in a murine model, researchers in Taiwan report. "Advances in...

Encouraging Preclinical Data Reported for GVAX Vaccine.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cell Genesys, Inc. (CEGE), Foster City, California, and collaborators at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, reported that in animal studies of acute leukemia, GVAX cancer vaccine, administered...

Murine MAb Reacts with a V Region Sequence Used by Human Immunoglobulins.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United Kingdom have characterized a mouse monoclonal anti-idiotype antibody that is reactive with a V region sequence that is commonly used by human immunoglobulins. "A mouse monoclonal...

Bone Cement Debris Can Help Induce Bone Resorption.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Bone cement wear debris can stimulate macrophages to kickstart the bone resorption process, although the results leave room for improvement, report researchers writing in Biomaterials. E. Ingham and...

Neuroblastoma Cells Destroyed by Immune System Cells.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells can be lysed by MYCN peptide-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), according to a recent study. "The effectiveness of cell-mediated immunotherapy for cancer can be...

B-Cell Lymphoma Idiotypes Induce Tumor Immunity.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Genetically engineered lymphoma cells may be a potent anticancer vaccine, suggest researchers in Germany. "Immunization with modified immunoglobulin (Ig) idiotypes (Ids) of B-cell lymphomas is an...

Microencapsulation of Neonatal Porcine Islets May Reverse Disease Effects.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers writing in Transplantation report that microencapsulation of neonatal porcine islets (NPI) can protect them from cytotoxic damage in vivo, allowing them to correct hyperglycemia in diabetics. ...

Interferon Limits Iron Deposition and Hepatic Peroxidation.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study conducted by scientists in Japan, interferon therapy can limit the progression of chronic hepatitis (CH-C) in patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Study authors, led by F....

Inhibitors Might Limit Damage in Patients.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALXN), New Haven, Connecticut, announced the publication of a scientific study in the May 15, 2000, issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation showing that the terminal...

Allograft Inflammatory Factor-1 Regulates Activity of Injured Skeletal Muscle.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1), a "novel Ca(2+)-binding peptide," is prevalent in injured skeletal muscle and appears to be responsible for regulating differentiation and proliferation under traumatic...

The C1q Binding Site on Rituxan Has Been Mapped.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers from the United States have mapped the C1q binding site on Rituxan. "Rituxan (Rituximab) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody (MAb) with human IgG1 constant domains used in the therapy of...

Data Presented from Collaborative Cancer Program.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Epimmune Inc. (EPMN), San Diego, California, announced that the combination of its core vaccine technology with a drug called progenipoietin (ProGP) represents a promising approach in immunotherapy for cancer....

Combination Therapy Targets Lung Cancer.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Interleukin-12 (IL-12) gene therapy combined with chemotherapy or surgery was reported efficacious in a murine model of lung cancer. "To date, conventional therapies have little altered the poor prognosis...

Peptide Expressing Phage Used as Anticancer Vaccine.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- U.S. government researchers are working on a novel peptide vaccine that stimulates antibody-enhanced phagocytic cell-mediated immune responses. "For those cancer patients whose immune systems have been...

Non-Responsiveness Overcome by Targeting Antigens.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Strong antigen-specific humoral responses can be stimulated by targeting non-immunogenic antigens to CD64, according to a study presented at the conference Cellular Immunity and Immunotherapy of Cancer, held...

Naked DNA Delivered to Dendritic Cells Via Gene Gun.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Dendritic cells (DCs) can be successfully transfected with naked DNA using a gene gun. "Antigen delivery is a critical challenge in vaccine design," A. Larregina and colleagues from the University of...

Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated Vaccine Stimulates High-Level, Durable Immune Responses.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Breaking research from Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, on a new type of genetic vaccine for AIDS which shows positive effects after immunization was presented at the 2000 Pediatric Academic Societies...

Long-Term Survival Rate Improved in Responders with Hepatitis C.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Results from a study conducted in Japan show that chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients considered sustained responders or transient responders to interferon (IFN) therapy have an improved chance for...

Injections of MAb HuIV26 Target Retinal Angiogenesis.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Using a monoclonal antibody (MAb) directed against human denatured proteolyzed type IV collagen (MAb HuIV26), researchers are able to inhibit retinal neovascularization. "Retinal neovascularization, which...

Antibodies Deliver T-Cell Epitopes to Antigen Presenting Cells.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Norway reported using recombinant antibodies (Abs) to deliver T-cell epitopes to antigen presenting cells (APC). "A major objective in vaccine development is the design of reagents that give...

Clinical Trial Will Test Controlled 'Drug Holidays' to Counter HIV.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have received approval for a new clinical trial to test carefully controlled interruptions in HIV patients' drug regimens as an approach to boosting their immune systems, eventually to the point...

Fewer B Cells Found in Spleen of Affected Children.
June 4, 2000... 2000 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers have found that children with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) have a reduced number of B cells in their spleens. S. Imashuku and colleagues at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine...

Mixed Results Seen in Study of Interferon on Immune Response.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia report that interferons play both a major and minor role in the immune system response to influenza A virus infection. These findings, demonstrated in a study...

Antisense Enhances Immunogenicity of Tumor Cell Vaccine.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cotransfection with genes encoding antisense insulin-like growth factor-1 and B7.1 molecules can enhance the immunogenicity of tumor cell vaccines. "Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is expressed in...

Vector Combines IL-4 and HSV-tk for Glioma Tumor Vaccine.(interleukin 4; herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States constructed a retroviral vector that combined interleukin-4 (IL-4) with the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene into a glioma tumor cell vaccine. ...

Immune System Switch Controls Destiny of White Blood Cells.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- By increasing or decreasing levels of a specific protein, researchers can control the developmental destiny of white blood cells. The finding represents the first evidence that mammalian immune system...

Cyclosporine Unable to Prevent Rejection.(in transplantation surgeries)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) allografts are not protected from rejection by the immunosuppresant cyclosporin A, according to a recent study. S. Crafoord and colleagues at the Orebro Medical Center in...

Nitric Oxide Study Demonstrates Importance for Interferon Efficacy.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Additional evidence from a study conducted at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, California, shows that nitric oxide plays an important role in the effectiveness of therapy against...

T-Cell Epitope Encoding DNA Suggested for Allergy Gene Therapy.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- DNA vaccination using T-cell epitopes may be a viable gene therapy for allergies, researchers in the United States and Korea suggested. "Genetic vaccination with naked plasmid DNA provided longstanding...

Cytokine Gene Injection Stimulates Anti-Asthmatic Response.(interleukin-12)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Injection of plasmid DNA containing an interleukin-12 (IL-12) gene stimulated immune responses in asthmatic mice, researchers report. M.L. Kuo et al., Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Korea, presented data...

Clinical Trials of New Vaccine Slated for Fall 2000.(colorectal cancer vaccine)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- National clinical trials for a colon cancer vaccine developed by two Cincinnati, Ohio, researchers are expected begin this fall, doctors announced May 20, 2000, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology...

Potential New Treatment Reported Against Vascular Endothelial Cell Growth Factor.(from Genentech Inc.)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Genentech Inc. said its experimental new therapy aimed at starving out tumors seemed to work well against patients with colon cancer that had spread. The company said it was too early to say if the drug,...

Data Suggest Treatment Provides Improved Quality of Life and Liver Histology.(Pegasys therapeutics evaluated)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- A host of studies on the investigational treatment Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) in patients with chronic hepatitis C were presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW), held in San Diego, California, during...

Cancer Vaccine Extends Five-Year Overall Survival.(M-Vax aids in survival of metastatic melanoma)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Avax Technologies, Inc., announced the presentation of data at the 36th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on May 23, 2000, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the company's autologous cell...

Bexxar Highly Effective as First-Line Treatment.(for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- A radioactive antibody compound known as Bexxar produced tumor shrinkage in 97% of 76 previously untreated patients with advanced-stage, low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in a new study at the University...

Vaccine Induces Positive Immunological and Clinical Outcomes.(O-Vax from Avax Technologies Inc.)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Avax Technologies, Inc. announced the presentation of data at the 36th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), May 22, 2000 in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the company's autologous...

Monoclonal Antibodies Used to Explore Pollen-Related Food Allergies.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Korea and Germany have discovered that three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the major apple allergen Mal d1 have different binding characteristics. "Mal d1, the major apple antigen,...

Monoclonal Antibody-Based Assay Quantifies Major Plant Allergen.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Spain used a monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify a major plant allergen. "Plantago lanceolata (English plantain or ribwort) is a...

Seasonal Allergies Hit Allergy Sufferers Across the United States.
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Allergy season is well underway for most of the United States, with trees and grasses in full bloom and weed pollination just around the corner. While most of us are familiar with the symptoms associated...

Collaboration Will Generate Fully Human Antibodies.(Abgenix Inc. and Abbott Laboratories' Hospital Products Division to generate human antibodies)
June 11, 2000... 2000 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com) -- Abgenix, Inc. (ABGX), Fremont, California, announced that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Abbott Laboratories' (ABT) Hospital Products Division. Abgenix will use its...

Dual-Monoclonal Sandwich Assay Detects Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- A dual-monoclonal sandwich assay accurately detects prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in tissues, seminal fluid, and urine. "PSMA is a 750-residue integral membrane glycoprotein and the target of...

New Vaccine Results in Good Antibody Response.(meningoccal C conjugate vaccine)
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Meningococcal C conjugate vaccine is safe and results in immunologic memory (immune system "remembers" characteristics of meningococcal C and reacts to it), according to an article appearing in the June 7...

Vinblastine and VEGF Receptor-2 Antibody Cause Tumor Regression.(vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2)
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study from Canada, a low dose combination therapy with vinblastine and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2 antibody induced tumor regression in an animal model. "Various...

Hyaluronic Acid Inhibits Fibrinolytic Activity of Arthritic Cells.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hyaluronic acid (HA) suppresses the production of antigens involved in arthritic inflammation, say researchers writing in the Journal of Rheumatology. "Fibrinolysis is closely related to the pericellular...

Two Neutralizing Single-Chain Antibodies Compared.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Mechanisms of virus neutralization were compared between two single-chain antibodies that neutralized canine parvovirus. "We cloned the heavy- and light-chain variable domains of two monoclonal antibodies...

Donor Bone Marrow Infusions May Help Prevent Cardiac Graft Rejection.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment of heart transplant recipients with bone marrow from donors can decrease their chance of acute rejection, say researchers writing in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. "Donor...

Interleukin-2 Plasmids Augment Response to HIV and SIV Vaccines in Monkeys.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Harvard University School of Medicine researchers reported in a major scientific publication that interleukin-2 (IL-2) plasmids enhance the immune response to HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)...

Microbial Lipoproteins Induce Dendritic Cell Maturation.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Bacterial lipoproteins stimulate the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), researchers say. "The maturation of DCs allows them to become potent antigen presenting cells (APCs)," said Cheryl J. Hertz and...

IL-9 Blocking Antibody Reduces Allergy Induced Inflammation.(interleukin-9)
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Interleukin-9 (IL-9) blocking antibody delivered to the lung inhibited allergic inflammatory responses in a murine model of asthma,according to a recent study. "We have shown previously that IL-9 is an...

Humanized Gene Construct Increases in vivo Efficiency.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- The efficiency of allergen-specific immunotherapy using a DNA vaccine was increased by the addition of a humanized Amb aI gene construct, researchers in the United States reported. "Immunization with...

Reverse ELISA Measures Specific Immunoglobulin E to Major Allergens.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Brazil and the United States have developed a very sensitive reverse enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that measures specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to major allergens. "We...

Short-Term Entanercept Therapy Safe and Effective in Pilot Study.(tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor blocker)
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Results of a small pilot study suggest short-term use of entanercept may be safe and effective for treating immune-mediated cochleovestibular disorders. This is good news because immunosuppressive...

Antigen Stimulation Needed to Maintain T-Cell Memory.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Continuous antigen stimulation is needed to maintain T-cell memory against Toxoplasma gondii infection, researchers in the United States reported. "Immunization of mice with vaccine (ts-4) strain of...

Treating Hepatitis C with Combination Therapy Benefits Patients Coinfected with HIV.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new clinical study has found that the leading hepatitis C treatment is effective in patients coinfected with HIV, does not interfere with HIV medications, and may even make it possible for more HIV patients...

Trans-Phage Technology Enables High Throughput Genomic Medicine.
June 14, 2000... 2000 JUN 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Biosite Diagnostics Inc. (BSTE), San Diego, California, and Medarex Inc. (MEDX), Princeton, New Jersey, announced the launch of an alliance aimed at accelerating drug research via Trans-Phage Technology. ...

Lethal Syndrome Prevented by Early Injections of Anti-Interleukin-4 Monoclonal Antibody.(graft-vs-host syndrome can be prevented)
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Lethal host-vs-graft (HVG) syndrome can be prevented with early injections of anti-interleukin-4 (anti-IL-4) monoclonal antibody (MAb), researchers in the United States reported. "Lethal HVG syndrome is...

Immunogene Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer Explored.
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Alloantigen gene therapy shows promise for the adjunctive treatment of head and neck cancer. "New treatment methods are needed for head and neck cancer to improve survival without increasing morbidity,"...

Allogeneic Tumor Cell-Based Vaccine Produces Antitumor Response.
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Potent antitumor responses were realized from a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-secreting allogeneic tumor cell-based vaccine, according to a recent study. GM-CSF-transduced...

Scientists Discover New Way the Body Distinguishes Self From Foreign.
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Challenging an important dogma, immunologists have discovered a new way the body distinguishes its cells from foreign cells so it can destroy microbes without harming itself. The findings suggest a new...

Antibody May Play Diagnostic Role in Malignant Disease.(anti melanoma-associated antibody 57B)
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- The anti-MAGE antibody 57B may have diagnostic usefulness for determining the malignant potential of a melanocytic tumor. "The melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE) family consists of a number of antigens...

Soluble CD4 Activates HIV-1 Env-Mediated Membrane Fusion.
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Soluble CD4 (sCD4) can activate HIV-1 Env-mediated membrane fusion with CD4-negative/coreceptor-positive target cells, researchers in the United States reported. "The push for an effective AIDS vaccine...

Genetic Approach Targets Breast and Ovarian Cancers.
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- University of Washington, Seattle, researchers in collaboration with the Seattle-based Corixa Corp., have determined that the HER-2/neu protein, which is overproduced, or expressed, by some breast and ovarian...

Hepatitis B Immune Plasma Superior to Hepatitis B Immune Globulin for Immunotherapy.
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hepatitis B immune plasma (HBIP) is a safer and more effective method than the short-lived hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) of controlling HBV infections arising from orthotopic liver transplant (OLT),...

Alliance Formed to Discover and Develop Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies.(Medarex Inc. and Corixa Corp.)
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Medarex, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, and Corixa Corp., Seattle, Washington, announced a collaboration to discover and develop fully human monoclonal antibodies against selected targets from Corixa's library...

Company Says Herceptin Infringes on Monoclonal Antibody Patent.(Chiron Corp. files patent infringement suit against Genentech)
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Chiron Corp., Emeryville, California, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Genentech alleging that the manufacture and sale of Herceptin (trastuzumab), an anti-HER-2 monoclonal antibody, infringes...

New Generation Adenovirus Vector Meets Milestone Under Agreement.
June 28, 2000... 2000 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Transgene, Strasbourg, France, announced it has achieved a milestone in its research collaboration and licensing agreement with Schering-Plough Corporation to develop proprietary gene therapy products and is...