http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Dendritic cells (DCs)—workhorses of the immune system—derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) may provide an economical way of generating off-the-shelf therapeutic vaccines against cancers, according to research led by Jieming Zeng and Shu Wang from the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-jump-starting-cheaper-cancer-vaccines.html Immunology Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:04:56 EST news267872682 A research report published in the September 2012 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology offers a possible explanation of why some cancer vaccines are not as effective as hoped, while at the same time identifies a new therapeutic strategy for treating autoimmune problems. In the report, scientists suggest that cancer, even in the very early stages, produces a negative immune response from dendritic cells, which prevent lymphocytes from working against the disease. Although problematic for cancer treatment, these flawed dendritic cells could be valuable therapeutic tools for preventing the immune system from attacking what it should not, as is the case with autoimmune disorders and organ transplants. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-cancer-important-immune-cells-complicating.html Cancer Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:01:04 EST news265543256 As our primary interface with the outside world, the skin needs to be able to protect itself against infectious threats. Specialized cells known as Langerhans cells (LCs) (see image) are an essential component of this defense, helping other immune cells to distinguish friend from foe. "These cells play an important role in maintaining tolerance to cutaneous antigen, while simultaneously promoting immune responses against any invading pathogens," explains Florent Ginhoux at the A*STAR Singapore Immunology Network. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-langerhans-cells-migrate-destination-multiple.html Medical research Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:30:01 EST news265446399 Not only infants crawl. ETH researchers have shown that so-called dendritic cells, important cells of the immune system, use a similar mode of movement more often than previously assumed. The scientists used intravital microscopy to image dendritic cells crawling within lymphatic vessels of living animals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-preschool-lymphatic-vessels.html Medical research Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:59:27 EST news263717954 Scientists at A*STAR’s Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), in collaboration with Newcastle University, UK, the Singapore Institute of Clinical Sciences and clinicians from multiple hospitals in Singapore, have identified a new subset of dendritic cells (DCs) in human peripheral tissue which have a critical role in activating our immune response against harmful pathogens. This research will have significant impact on the design of vaccines and other targeted immunotherapies. The scientists also showed for the first time that DC subsets are conserved between species, facilitating the translation of mouse functional DC studies to the human setting. These research findings were published in the July issue of the prestigious journal Immunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-scientists-dendritic-cells-key-human.html Immunology Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:26:28 EST news261653034 A new understanding of the initial interactions of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and dendritic cells is described by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers in a study currently featured in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). With over 2.5 million new HIV infections diagnosed annually and earlier detection becoming more common, better understanding of early virus-host interactions could have a great impact on future research and drug therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-mechanism-hiv-potential-future-drug.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:02:19 EST news254419331 To the surprise of investigating researchers, an animal model of Epstein Barr virus protected lupus-prone mice against development of the autoimmune disease. Earlier work had suggested that EBV might promote the development of autoimmunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-epstein-barr-virus-autoimmune-disease.html Immunology Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:00:04 EST news252585474 Imiquimod, a drug used to treat skin cancer, has been shown to have a previously unknown effect on immune cells. The drug transforms cells known as dendritic cells into "tumour killers" that attack the tumour directly and destroy its cells. The dendritic cells adopt an ingenious approach here – they not only produce special substances with a cell-damaging effect, they also manage to fight the tumour without the help of T and B cells and natural killer (NK) cells. This complex interaction was discovered by scientists participating in a doctoral programme of the Austrian Science Fund FWF. It was also recently published and commented on in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-immune-cells-killer-instinct-tried-and-tested.html Immunology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:32:42 EST news251969552 UCLA researchers pinpointed a new mechanism that potently activates T-cells, the group of white blood cells that play a major role in fighting infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-scientists-pathway-t-cell-leprosy.html Medical research Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:55:43 EST news251902533 Recent research found that microneedle vaccine patches are more effective at delivering protection against influenza virus in mice than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. A new, detailed analysis of the early immune responses by the Emory and Georgia Tech research team helps explain why the skin is such fertile ground for vaccination with these tiny, virtually painless microneedles. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-microneedle-vaccine-patch-boosts-flu.html Immunology Tue, 06 Mar 2012 03:48:56 EST news250228106 A team of 18 researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have found that treating high-risk, soft tissue sarcoma patients with a combination of implanted dendritic cells (immune system cells) and fractionated external beam radiation (EBRT) provided more than 50 percent of their trial patients with tumor-specific immune responses lasting from 11 to 42 weeks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-sarcoma-tumor-immune-response-combination.html Cancer Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:29:14 EST news249823745 Aggressive ovarian tumors begin as malignant cells kept in check by the immune system until, suddenly and unpredictably, they explode into metastatic cancer. New findings from scientists at The Wistar Institute demonstrate that ovarian tumors don't necessarily break "free" of the immune system, rather dendritic cells of the immune system seem to actively support the tumor's escape. The researchers show that it might be possible to restore the immune system by targeting a patient's own dendritic cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-traitorous-immune-cells-sudden-ovarian.html Cancer Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:50:36 EST news248953821 University of British Columbia researchers have discovered the molecular pathway that enables receptors inside immune cells to find, and flag, fragments of pathogens trying to invade a host. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-key-immune-cell-internal-guidance.html Immunology Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:00:17 EST news247668580 Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report that a short course of vaccination with an anti-HER2 dendritic cell vaccine made partly from the patient's own cells triggers a complete tumor eradication in nearly 20 percent of women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early breast cancer. More than 85 percent of patients appear to have a sustained immune response after vaccination, which may reduce their risk of developing a more invasive cancer in the future. The results of the study were published online this month of Cancer and in the January issue of the Journal of Immunotherapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-four-week-vaccination-regimen-early-breast.html Cancer Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:50:01 EST news247163863 (Medical Xpress) -- A research team from the Institute for Cancer Research at the MedUni Vienna has decoded a previously unknown mechanism of the active ingredient imiquimod in tumour defence. They have been able to prove that imiquimod transforms plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) into “tumour-killers” which can fight the tumour independently from other immune cells. This discovery could be an important step on the way to a more efficient treatment for cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-mechanism-efficient-cancer-treatment-decoded.html Cancer Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:00:04 EST news246177441 Dendritic cells, discovered in 1973 by Ralph Steinman (2011 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine) and known for their role as sentinels of the immune system, have an essential function in the development of high endothelial venules (HEVs), acting as genuine entry sites of lymphocytes into lymph nodes, inflamed tissues and malignant tumors. This is what Christine Moussion and Jean-Philippe Girard, researchers at the Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (CNRS/France) showed in a study published online in the journal Nature on November 13, 2011. A better understanding of this process could lead to major applications in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-dendritic-cells-lymphocyte-entry-lymph.html Medical research Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:28:06 EST news240740873 Atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as "hardening of the arteries," is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. The cause of atherosclerosis is not well understood but, for some time, chronic inflammatory immune responses have been implicated in driving disease pathology. Now, a new study, published online on November 10th by Cell Press from the journal Immunity, identifies a type of immune cell that is not associated with promoting disease, but with protection against atherosclerosis. The findings substantially advance the understanding of the complex immune responses associated with atherosclerosis and may guide research to develop new therapeutic interventions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-dendritic-cell-subtype-atherosclerosis.html Medical research Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:47:16 EST news240151626 Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries about the immune system that opened new avenues for the treatment and prevention of infectious illnesses and cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-beutler-hoffmann-steinman-nobel.html Medical research Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:59:56 EST news236840372 NYU School of Medicine researchers have discovered that dendritic cells in the liver have a protective role against the toxicity of acetaminophen, the widely used over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer for adults and children. The study's findings are published in the September issue of the journal Hepatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-dendritic-cells-liver-acetaminophen-toxicity.html Medical research Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:24:11 EST news234113022 The same trait that makes a rare immune cell invaluable in fighting some infections also can be exploited by other diseases to cause harm, two new studies show. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-rare-immune-cell-asset-liability.html Medical research Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:06:40 EST news233597136 A new study reveals that just as different soldiers in the field have different jobs, subsets of a type of immune cell that polices the barriers of the body can promote unique and opposite immune responses against the same type of infection. The research, published online on July 21st by Cell Press in the journal Immunity, enhances our understanding of the early stages of the immune response and may have important implications for vaccinations and treatment of autoimmune diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-skin-sentry-cells-distinct-immune.html Medical research Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:40:39 EST news230481622 (Medical Xpress) -- A vaccine delivered to the skin using a microneedle patch gives better protection against the H1N1 influenza virus than a vaccine delivered through subcutaneous or intramuscular injection, researchers from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have found. Their research is published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-h1n1-microneedle-vaccine.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:28:15 EST news229674477 Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered a long-sought cellular factor that works to inhibit HIV infection of myeloid cells, a subset of white blood cells that display antigens and hence are important for the body's immune response against viruses and other pathogens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-hiv-inhibiting-mechanism.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:02:19 EST news228571316 Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival. Now, a study published by Cell Press in the June 23rd issue of the journal Immunity identifies a novel sensor that is necessary to activate the immune response to viral infection. The research enhances our understanding of the complex and overlapping mechanisms our immune cells use to thwart infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-complex-viral-infection.html Medical research Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:28:52 EST news228054521 By digging a little deeper, researchers may have found a potential target for reversing the deadly blood infection sepsis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-potential-sepsis.html Medical research Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:24:41 EST news226923855 In Western societies, atherosclerosis of the arteries is one of the leading causes of death. Chronic, localized inflammation of the blood vessel wall facilitates the growth of fibrous plaques, which leads to narrowing or occlusion of the vessel, and thereby promotes heart attacks and stroke. The persistence of the inflammatory reaction is due to a loss of control over the activity of the immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-fast-track-vascular-disease.html Medical research Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:59:16 EST news226317515 McGill research team recently published new findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, pointing to a critical role for IRF8 in the development and function of monocytes and dendritic cells and in protecting against mycobacterial infections like TB in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-serendipity-lifesaving-discovery.html Medical research Wed, 11 May 2011 10:24:04 EST news224328197