Immune Regulation News Volume 2.28 | Jul 30 2010

May 12, 2022

Immune Regulation News 2.28, July 30, 2010.

In this issue: Science News | Current Publications | Industry News | Policy News | Events

TOP STORY

Obscure Immune Cells Thwart Ticks

A study now shows that basophils help repel bloodthirsty ticks that can spread lethal diseases. The work also introduces a new method for teasing out further immune functions of the often-overlooked cells. [Press release from Science Now discussing online prepublication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation]

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SCIENCE NEWS

Researchers Uncover Biological Rationale for Why Intensive Lupus Treatment Works
Researchers show in blood cells that giving very high doses of intravenous corticosteroids early and frequently in the course of the disease is more effective at killing the cells that drive lupus than giving the standard limited intravenous steroids followed by high doses of oral corticosteroids over a period of months. [Press release from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Nature]

Toxic Trio Identified as the Basis of Celiac Disease
Scientists have identified the three protein fragments that make gluten toxic to people with celiac disease. [Press release from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research discussing online prepublication in Science Translational Medicine]

Therapeutic HIV Vaccines Show Promise
Researchers presented the results of a handful of successful, but small, early-phase clinical trials for therapeutic vaccines — once thought to be a dead end for tackling HIV. [Press release from Nature News discussing research presented at the XVIII International AIDS 2010 Conference]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)

TLR Recognition of Self Nucleic Acids Hampers Glucocorticoid Activity in Lupus
Researchers demonstrate, in vitro and in vivo, that stimulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells through TLR7 and 9 can account for the reduced activity of glucocorticoids to inhibit the interferon pathway in systemic lupus erythematosus patients and in two lupus-prone mouse strains. [Nature]

PTIP Promotes Chromatin Changes Critical for Immunoglobulin Class Switch Recombination
Researchers show that activated B cells deficient in the PTIP component of the MLL3 (mixed-lineage leukemia 3)/MLL4 complex display impaired histone methylation and transcription initiation of downstream switch regions at the immunoglobulin heavy-chain (Igh) locus leading to defective immunoglobulin class-switching. [Science]

Widespread Genomic Breaks Generated by Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase Are Prevented by Homologous Recombination
Findings demonstrate that activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) has promiscuous genomic double-strand break-inducing activity, identify homologous recombination as a safeguard against off-target AID action, and have implications for genomic instability in B cell cancers. [Nat Immunol]

SAP Protein-Dependent Natural Killer T-like Cells Regulate the Development of CD8+ T Cells with Innate Lymphocyte Characteristics
Findings reveal that accumulation of NKT-like cells promotes conventional CD8+ thymocytes to acquire innate lymphocyte characteristics. [Immunity]

Interferon-Regulatory Factor 4 Is Essential for the Developmental Program of T Helper 9 Cells
Researchers report that interferon-regulatory factor 4 is crucial for the development and function of an interleukin-9-producing CD4+ T cell subset designated Th9. [Immunity]

Selective Ablation of Basophils in Mice Reveals Their Nonredundant Role in Acquired Immunity Against Ticks
Data provide the first clear evidence that basophils play an essential and nonredundant role in antibody-mediated acquired immunity against ticks, which may suggest new strategies for controlling tick-borne diseases. [J Clin Invest]

ATP Secreted by Endothelial Cells Blocks CX₃CL1-Elicited Natural Killer Cell Chemotaxis and Cytotoxicity Via P2Y₁₁ Receptor Activation
Findings point out the P2Y₁₁R as a potential target for pharmacological intervention aimed at reducing NK-mediated vascular injury. [Blood]

Proinflammatory T Helper Type 17 Cells Are Effective B Cell Helpers
Researchers show that T helper type 17 cells can function as B cell helpers in that they not only induce a strong proliferative response of B cells in vitro but also trigger antibody production with class switch recombination in vivo. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Proinflammatory T Cell Responses to Gut Microbiota Promote Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Findings reveal that the intestinal microbiota profoundly impacts the balance between pro- and antiinflammatory immune responses during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and suggest that modulation of gut bacteria may provide therapeutic targets for extraintestinal inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Comprehensive, Quantitative Mapping of T Cell Epitopes in Gluten in Celiac Disease
Findings show that pathogenic T cells in celiac disease show limited diversity, and therefore suggest that peptide-based therapeutics for this disease and potentially other strongly HLA-restricted immune diseases should be possible. [Sci Transl Med]

INDUSTRY NEWS

STEMCELL Technologies Applauds Nature Protocol Article Published by Prominent HIV Lab at the Institut Pasteur Citing the Use of RoboSep® to Isolate CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells
In a recent, high-impact Nature Protocol publication, Asier Sáez-Cirión and his group at the Institut Pasteur standardized the protocol for T cell-based HIV suppression. RoboSep®, the fully automated cell separator from STEMCELL Technologies, was the instrument of choice for cell isolation procedures. [STEMCELL Technologies Inc. Press Release]

NovImmune Enters Exclusive Antibody Licensing Agreement with Genentech
NovImmune announced that it successfully entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Genentech Inc. for a proprietary anti-IL-17 fully human monoclonal antibody, and access to back-up antibodies. [NovImmune Press Release]

International Stem Cell Plans $10 Million Financing Through European Subsidiary
International Stem Cell Corporation announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with ARG Vermogensverwaltung AG, a German Investment Fund, to create a new European subsidiary to be funded with up to $10 million of capital derived from ARG and other independent sources in Europe. [International Stem Cell Corporation Press Release]

Astellas to Pay $295 Million to Extend License of Regeneron’s VelocImmune® Antibody Technology Through 2023
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Astellas Pharma Inc. announced that Astellas has extended through 2023 the non-exclusive license agreement that allows Astellas to utilize Regeneron’s VelocImmune® technology in its internal research programs to discover fully human monoclonal antibody product candidates. [Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release]

Immune Design Corporation Raises $32 Million in Series B Financing
Immune Design Corporation announced that it has secured $32 million in Series B financing. [PR Newswire]

POLICY NEWS

Obama, Clinton Pledge U.S. Support for AIDS Fight
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have pledged the support of the United States in the global fight against AIDS. [Department of State, United States]

Senate Spending Panel Approves $1 Billion Boost for NIH
A Senate subcommittee matched President Barack Obama’s request for a $1 billion increase in 2011 for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). That raise would bring the agency’s total budget to $32 billion, or 3.5% above the 2010 level, according to a statement from the Senate appropriations labor, health, and human services subcommittee. [National Institutes of Health, United States]

NIH Takes on New Role in Fight Against Rare Diseases
A government program focusing on rare diseases, the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program, has launched five pilot projects that are taking the National Institutes of Health in a new direction: developing drugs. TRND will work together with scientists, advocates and others to do the required research and testing on drugs before a compound can be tried in humans in a clinical trial. [National Institutes of Health, United States]

NIH Asks for Input on Closing Loophole in Conflict-of-Interest Rule
Responding to yet another flap about the influence of drug companies on biomedical research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has decided it needs more time to revise its rules for policing conflicts of interest so that sanctions will move with an investigator if he or she changes institutions. [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for Which Public Health Service Funding Is Sought and Responsible Prospective Contractors [Docket Number NIH-2010-0001] [Department of Health and Human Services, United States]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, United States]

National Human Genome Research Institute; Notice of Closed Meeting (Doc. 2010-18627) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Office of the Director; Notice of Closed Meeting (Doc. 2010-18496) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

National Institute of General Medical Sciences; Notice of Closed Meeting (Doc. 2010-18088) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meeting (Doc. 2010-18052) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Bioengineering Research Partnerships (BRP)[R01] (PAR-10-234) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

EVENTS (Listed by Date)

CHI’s 5th Annual Immunotherapeutics and Vaccine Summit (ImVacS)
August 17-19, 2010
Cambridge, United States

14th International Congress of Immunology
August 22-27, 2010
Kobe, Japan

Select Biosciences 3rd Annual Stem Cells Europe Conference
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

Select Biosciences Inaugural Cellular Therapy Summit
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

Select Biosciences 7th Annual RNAi & miRNA Europe
September 14-15, 2010
Dublin, Ireland

Immunology & Microbiology, Genetics & Genomics, Development, Other
September 18-22, 2010
Barcelona, Spain

Cell Symposia: Inflammation and Disease
September 26-28, 2010
Lisbon, Portugal

11th International Symposium on Dendritic Cells in Fundamental and Clinical Immunology – DC2010: Forum on Vaccine Science
September 26-30, 2010
Lugano, Switzerland

5th International Conference on Gene Regulation in Lymphocyte Development
October 9-14, 2010
Chania, Greece

Autumn Immunology Conference 2010
November 19-22, 2010
Chicago, United States

Cell Symposia: Influenza – Translating Basic Insights
December 2-4, 2010
Washington, D.C., United States

Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.

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