Latest Interferon Stories

Key protein's double wing-like crystal structure captures secreted molecules from invading pathogens, activating the body's powerful immune response Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have unlocked the structure of a key protein that, when sensing certain viruses and bacteria, triggers the body's immediate immune response. In the journal Molecular Cell, scientists describe the double wing-like crystal structure of this key protein, known as STING, which is a soldier on the...

Researchers have identified the primary player of the biochemical bugle call that musters the body's defenders against viral infection. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a key molecule, MDA5, is essential for producing enough interferon (the bugle call) to rally virus-fighting cells during certain viral infections. In mice, the lack of MDA5 forces the immune system to rely on less effective defenders, which may give the virus opportunities...

A team of researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University have identified a novel way that a common virus, called adenovirus, causes disease. In doing so, they have discovered important information on one of the body's key immune responses. Their findings, published today in Cell Host & Microbe, may have implications for infectious diseases and cancer. Adenovirus infections most often cause mild illnesses of the respiratory system, resulting in runny noses,...

Biomedical engineers at UC Davis have developed a microfluidic chip to test for latent tuberculosis. They hope the test will be cheaper, faster and more reliable than current testing for the disease. "Our assay is cheaper, reusable, and gives results in real time," said Ying Liu, a research specialist working with Professor Alexander Revzin in the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering. The team has already conducted testing of blood samples from patients in China and the United...

BRISBANE, Calif., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN) today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement with Vidara Therapeutics International Limited (Vidara) to sell its rights to Actimmune® (interferon gamma-1b) in a cash transaction valued at $55 million plus a two-year royalty stream. Vidara is part of an international specialty pharmaceutical group of companies with operations in Ireland and the United States. Dan Welch, Chairman, Chief...

Studies also highlight formidable challenges that remain The editors of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, are pleased to announce the publication of this year's highly anticipated special 13th issue. Published each May, the 13th issue is devoted to a particular gastroenterological topic of broad interest; this year's topic is viral hepatitis. In conjunction with editor-in-chief M. Bishr Omary, MD, PhD, this issue was...

Results of a new study demonstrate the feasibility of a novel strategy in drug discovery: screening large numbers of existing drugs — often already approved for other uses — to see which ones activate genes that boost natural immunity. Using an automated, high-volume screening technique, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a cancer drug that enhances an important natural response to viral infection in human cells. "Over many years of...

There's a high rate of depression among patients with hepatitis C, but a standard treatment for the disease includes a drug, interferon, that can cause depression. In a review article, researchers tackle the complexities of diagnosing and managing depression before and after initiating treatment with interferon. Dr. Murali S. Rao of Loyola University Medical Center is a co-author of the study, published in the International Journal of Interferon, Cytokine and Mediator Research....

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – According to a recent study, people who received injections of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drug interferon beta-1a directly after noticing signs of possible MS were less likely to progress into definite MS compared to those who switched to interferon beta-1a from placebo. Although it is not currently available in the United States, the trial was conducted with the human serum albumin-free formulation of interferon beta-1a, which is available in all European Union...

People who received injections of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drug interferon beta-1a soon after their first signs of possible MS were less likely to progress to clinically definite MS than people who switched to interferon beta-1a from placebo, according to new phase three results of the three-year REFLEXION clinical trial that will be presented as part of the Emerging Science program (formerly known as Late-Breaking Science) at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New...