Gregory Barton, PhD, professor of immunology and pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, talked about research on the innate immune system and a key protein involved in the trafficking of a subset of toll-like receptors (TLRs) during FOCIS 2015 in San Diego. To keep the body healthy, the immune system responds constantly to foreign cellular invaders…
How the immune system reacts to potential harm, such as lack of oxygen and inflammation, depends greatly on the human body’s metabolic processes and pathways, according to speakers at FOCIS 2015 in San Diego this past June. During a session devoted to metabolism and the immune system, researchers talked about recent studies that shed light…
The field of rheumatology took center stage when a handful of speakers discussed trends and research during a disease-oriented session of the 2015 Federation of Clinical Immunity Societies (FOCIS 2015) conference held in San Diego in June. Neutrophils in SLE Mariana Kaplan, MD, chief of Systemic Autoimmunity Branch at the National Institute of Arthritis and…
A presentation given during FOCIS 2015, the 15th annual meeting of the Federation of Clinical Immunity Societies in June 2015 in San Diego, focused on advances in stem cell research related to treatment of cancer and the function that particular enzymes play in disease. Anjana Rao, PhD, professor at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy…
ROME, Italy—When it comes to thinking about disease modification—a main goal in the treatment of axial spondyloarthritis (axial SpA) and other inflammatory diseases—it’s time to reconsider the concept, an expert said at EULAR 2015, the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). The traditional way of assessing disease modification, inhibiting radiographic progression, is…
Antibody-like molecules that can bind to more than one target—with the goal of having a more powerful effect than if those targets were treated separately in a combination of therapies—could become part of treatment regimens in rheumatic diseases over the next several years, an expert said here in a session at EULAR 2015, the annual…
ROME, Italy—In what researchers say is the first study evaluating cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) findings in early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) patients, cardiovascular abnormalities were significantly worse in patients with ERA than in matched, healthy controls. The study results were presented at EULAR 2015, the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Cardiovascular Concerns…
ROME, Italy—The role of ACPA positivity in osteoarthritis is coming more into focus, with results from recent studies by researchers in Germany showing that ACPA positivity apparently works in concert with rheumatoid factor positivity to enhance bone erosion and that ACPA-positive patients show signs of bone erosion before they have clinical signs of arthritis. The…
ROME, Italy—The traditional approach to trials to assess new biomarkers and related treatments has largely been inefficient, and a better strategy is needed to make stratified treatment available for patients more quickly, an expert said at EULAR 2015, the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Mahesh Parmar, PhD, director of the Medical…
ROME, Italy—The medical environment is increasingly adapting to the possibilities of optimizing care by individualizing medical treatment and tailoring treatment to disease phenotypes. Data suggest that individualizing exercise therapy, an important treatment modality for rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, can help control disease, maximize function, minimize functional barriers and decrease the risk of co-morbidity.1,2,3 Personalizing exercise…