Latest Autoimmunity Stories

Antibodies associated with severe lung disease and decreased survival to blame African Americans have more severe complications from systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, than Caucasians. Findings published today in, Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), show that compared with Caucasians, African-American patients were more likely to have antibodies that increased frequency and severity of pulmonary fibrosis, which is associated with...

May 10 is World Lupus Day WASHINGTON, May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recognition of World Lupus Day, May 10, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) seeks to shine a light on the significant physical, emotional, and financial burden of lupus. As part of the observance, the LFA and lupus organizations around the globe are urging everyone to sign a pledge to increase awareness of lupus, a devastating and life-altering autoimmune disease that affects at least five million...

Untangling the root cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been a difficult task for immunologists, as decades of research has pointed to multiple culprits in our immune system, with contradictory lines of evidence. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute announce that it takes a diverse array of regulatory T cells (a specialized subset of white blood cells) to prevent the immune system from generating the tissue-specific inflammation that is a hallmark of the disease.  Regulatory T cell...

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have made an important discovery about the internal programming of B cells, the immune cells that make antibodies against infections. The finding opens the way for the development of vaccines that can work more efficiently and hints at therapies for conditions in which B cells cause harm—such as the autoimmune disease lupus erythymatosus, severe allergies, and B-cell lymphomas. The discovery reveals that B cells produce special proteins to...

University of Colorado School of Medicine leads multi-center study Eye color may be an indicator of whether a person is high-risk for certain serious skin conditions. A study, led by the University of Colorado School of Medicine, shows people with blue eyes are less likely to have vitiligo. It then follows, according to scientists, that people with brown eyes may be less likely to have melanoma. Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disease in which pigment loss results in irregular white patches...

NEW YORK, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lupus Awareness Month starts today and the push is on to be on the look-out for this disease. If you often feel tired and achy, ask your healthcare professional if it could be lupus. And if you're a doctor faced with a patient describing these symptoms, don't dismiss her. Too often, lupus is not considered by either patients or healthcare professionals. That's why the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) asks young women, patients, providers and the...

Cycling Across America to Raise Scleroderma Awareness and Research Funds DANVERS, Mass., May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Twenty-two-year-old Wade Dauberman will do everything he can to raise awareness of scleroderma, a rare disease that took the life of his father two years ago. Wade begins the bike ride of a lifetime on Sunday, May 6. He leaves the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) the day after graduation and embarks on a 4,700-mile solo bike trek across the United...

SAN DIEGO, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Genalyte, Inc., a life sciences company developing and commercializing innovative next-generation multiplexing technology, today announced that it will launch an Early Access program for its Maverick(TM) Detection System and multiplexed autoimmune assays at two major immunology meetings in May. Genalyte will host booths and present scientific data on the performance of the Maverick platform at Immunology 2012(TM), the 99th Meeting of the...

Finding of an amplification defense mechanism may help research on brain infections, tumors & autoimmune attacks – and settle a debate in immunology Like a police officer calling for backup while also keeping a strong hold on a suspected criminal, immune cells in the brain take a two-tier approach to fighting off a threat, new research from the University of Michigan Health System finds. For the first time, the scientists managed to capture that reaction in action, showing how...

Finding of an amplification defense mechanism may help research on brain infections, tumors & autoimmune attacks - and settle a debate in immunology ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Like a police officer calling for backup while also keeping a strong hold on a suspected criminal, immune cells in the brain take a two-tier approach to fighting off a threat, new research from the University of Michigan Health System finds. For the first time, the...