Immunotherapy Weekly articles from October 2000

Immunotherapy Weekly archives from October 2000

Interleukin-2 Plus Antiretroviral Therapy Increases CD4(+) Levels.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Preliminary data from the largest clinical trial to date on the safety and efficacy of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in treating people with HIV disease were presented at a late-breaker session of the 40th Interscience...

Immunotherapy Evaluated in SIV Infected Rhesus Macaque Model.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Th1 profiles impact viral replication in DNA vaccinated, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infected Rhesus macaque monkeys, researchers in the United States reported. "A focus of antiretroviral therapy...

Birch-Pollen Immunotherapy Does Not Change Cytokine Profile.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Birch-pollen immunotherapy (IT) does not change the cytokine profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of treated patients, according to a recent report. "We studied the Th2/Th1 balance by...

Effectiveness of Allergoids Dependent on Type of Antigen-Presenting Cells Stimulated.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- The effectiveness of allergoids used for allergen immunotherapy is dependent on the type of antigen-presenting cells (APC), suggests research from Germany. "The use of allergoids for allergen-specific...

Immunotherapy Improves Allergic Conjunctivitis.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Allergic conjunctivitis is less severe after specific allergen immunotherapy, researchers in Macedonia report. "The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of specific allergen immunotherapy (IT) on...

DNA-Based Vaccines Reduce Risk of Hypersensitivity in Mice.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- DNA-based vaccines reduced anaphylactic reactions in hypersensitive mice in a study from the United States. "Anaphylactic hypersensitivity is the most serious clinical concern facing allergists," stated...

Cis-Urocanic Acid Mediates UVB-Induced Suppression of Immunity in Rats.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Research collaborators at the National Institute of Public Health and Environment in The Netherlands and the University of Edinburgh Medical School in the United Kingdom recently reported on how cis-urocanic...

Results from Chemo-Immunotherapy in Murine Model are Dismal.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Although several chemo-immunotherapy regimens were evaluated in a murine model of ovarian cancer, none of them significantly improved survival, researchers in The Netherlands found. "As a majority of...

Receptor-Specific Retroviruses are More Efficient for Cancer Immunotherapy.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vectors using the Pit-1 receptor demonstrated more efficient gene transduction in a study from Poland. "Retroviral vectors are very potent tools for gene therapy approaches, providing the stable...

Chemical Found in Computer Can Cause Allergies and Sickness.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Does computer work give you a headache? You've got company. New research suggests that emissions from the plastic of your computer's video monitor may be affecting your health, according to a Swedish study...

Early Antiviral Treatment Primes Immune System to Suppress Viral Levels Without Drugs.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- A research team from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has shown that the majority of HIV infected individuals who begin antiviral therapy during the earliest stages of their infection eventually can stop...

Remune Addition Announced to Treat Primary HIV Infection.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR), Carlsbad, California, announced that Remune (HIV-1 Immunogen), an investigational therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of HIV infection, will be tested as part of a clinical...

Scientists Reveal Possible New Target.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists have shown for the first time, using a non-human primate model, that HIV avoids the body's strongest immune responses during the first few weeks of infection. The finding, which appeared in the...

Collaboration Will Develop PEGylated Natural Alpha Interferon to Treat Hepatitis C.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Valentis (VLTS), Burlingame, California, announced that its subsidiary, PolyMASC Pharmaceuticals plc, has signed an agreement to collaborate with Viragen, Inc. (VRA) to develop a treatment for hepatitis C. ...

Pretreatment with Corticosteroids and Thymic Extract Studied in HBV Patients.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new study reported by researchers in Poland suggests that immunocorrective pretreatment with corticosteroids and thymic extract enhances the immune mechanisms of chronic hepatitis B patients, thereby...

Twice-Daily Interferon Regimen Clears Viral RNA But Increases Toxic Effects.
October 4, 2000... 2000 OCT 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Interferon therapy is a common method of treatment for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, some people respond better to interferon therapy than others based on their HCV subtype. Data from a...

HIV-1 Immunogen Stimulates HIV Specific Responses.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment with an HIV-1 immunogen resulted in cell-mediated immune responses in HIV infected patients. "We hypothesized that an HIV-1 immunogen (whole-killed gp120-depleted HIV-1 in IFA, Remune), which...

Halted Clinical Trials Demonstrate Need to Carefully Refine Targeted Peptide Therapy.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Two clinical trials of a targeted peptide therapy in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) have been halted due to adverse effects in some study participants. Despite these adverse...

Homeopathic Treatment Can Be Effective.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Homeopathic medicine can be an effective treatment modality for patients suffering from allergic rhinitis, according to researchers writing in the British Medical Journal. This type of medicine emphasizes...

Imiquimod and R-848 are Potent Activators of B Lymphocytes.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Corporate researchers have found that the immune response modifiers imiquimod and R-848 activated B lymphocytes. "Imiquimod and R-848 are members of a family of immune response modifiers that stimulate...

Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Crucial to Eosinophil Survival.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), used to by the body as a signal to regulate some metabolic enzymes, plays an important role in promoting the survival of eosinophils, according to researchers writing in...

Little-Known Substance Regulates Inflammatory Response.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- In the September 29, 2000, issue of the journal Science, researchers from the University of Chicago reported that a little-known molecule called A20 plays a critical role in regulating inflammation. This...

Combination Chemoimmunotherapy Regimen Results Are Mixed.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Results from a clinical trial of combination immunotherapy and chemotherapy for metastatic kidney carcinoma are mixed, researchers in Poland reported. "In the period between October 1997 and November 1999...

Leuvectin Phase II Trial Interim Data Presented.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vical Inc. (VICL), San Diego, California, announced interim results from an ongoing Phase II clinical trial testing Leuvectin, a gene-based immunotherapy in prostate cancer patients who have failed radiation...

Phase I Trial of High-Dose Therapy with Y-90-Labeled Monoclonal Antibody Initiated.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- More work is needed before (90)yttrium (Y-90)-labeled monoclonal antibody (MAb) CC49 will be an effective anticancer agent, say University of California, San Francisco, cancer researchers. "A Phase I...

Mechanism of Action Discovered.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have made an important step in understanding why the drug thalidomide is such an effective therapy for patients with HIV or mycobacteria infections. They...

In vivo Studies of Osmotically-Delivered Formulations Completed.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- AAI International, Inc. (AAII), Wilmington, North Carolina, announced the successful completion of early phase, in vivo, human studies for a unique once-a-day combination of fexofenadine and pseudoephedrine...

NIH Grants Exclusive Rights for Apoptotic Drug Development.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Viragen, Inc. (VRA), Plantation, Florida, announced that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has granted Viragen an exclusive worldwide license to U.S....

FDA Issues "Completed Review" Letter on Expanded Studies of Rituximab.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation (IDPH) announced that it had received a "completed review" letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicating that it has completed review of a supplemental...

NIH Grants Award to Develop Monoclonal Antibodies for Use in Prognostics, Diagnostics, and Therapy.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Imgenex Corp., a San Diego, California-based biotechnology company, has recently been awarded a U.S. National Institutes of Health SBIR Phase I grant of $100,000 to develop monoclonal antibodies recognizing...

Research Agreement Extended for Photoimmune Therapy Applications.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Immunicon Corp., Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, announced that it has entered into an amendment and extension of its research agreement with Therakos, Inc., in the field of extracorporeal photoimmune...

Clearance Received to Initiate Additional Trials for HIV Immunotherapy.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (HEPH), San Diego, California, announced clearance from the South African Medicines Control Council (MCC) for the company to initiate additional clinical studies in HIV...

Antisense Enables Long-Term Survival of Transduced Immune Cells.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Long-term survival of therapeutic gene transduced CD34(+) cells in peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) was realized in a study involving HIV-1 infected patients. D. Liu and colleagues from Enzo...

Methotrexate Can Improve Hearing Damaged by Immune System Dysfunction.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Low doses of the anti-leukemia drug methotrexate can reverse hearing loss caused by autoimmune disorders, according to researchers writing in the Annals of Otology Rhinology and Laryngology. "To assess...

Discovery in Preclinical Model of Disease Announced.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (HEPH), San Diego, California, announced that preclinical results with HE2200, a second-generation immunomodulator, indicate that this investigational compound demonstrated...

Dendritic Cell Vaccine Stimulates Anti-Leukemic T-Cell Responses.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Russia and the United Kingdom reported that in vitro modified leukemic cells can be used to induce tumor-specific anti-leukemic immune responses. "Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines which...

Phase III Clinical Trial Begins with Lymphoma Antibody.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- Immunomedics, Inc. (IMMU), Morris Plains, New Jersey, announced that it is now beginning a Phase III, pivotal trial to study the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of its humanized, anti-CD22 monoclonal...

Clinical Trials Planned for First-Line Interferon Therapy.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- InterMune Pharmaceuticals (ITMN) announced that it plans to initiate a clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Actimmune(R) (Interferon gamma-1b) Injection as part of first-line therapy for...

Interferon Limits Expression of Growth Factor in Hepatitis B Patients.
October 18, 2000... 2000 OCT 18 - (NewsRx.com) -- The likelihood that interferon (IFN)-alpha therapy can have a negative impact on growth hormone secretion has been confirmed by at least one study of pediatric patients. Results of a study conducted by...