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Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Diabetes
Article Date: 12 Jul 2013 - 2:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT

Kamada Ltd. (Nasdaq and TASE: KMDA) have announced that favorable results from a preclinical study analyzing the effects of the Company's human Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT), Glassia, in inter-species islet graft transplantation were published in PLOS One, an open-access peer-reviewed publication. The article is entitled "Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival in Mice Is Extended by a Combination of Alpha-1-Antitrypsin and Single Dose Anti-CD4/CD8 Therapy."

The study was funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and performed by the team of Eli C. Lewis, Ph.D., Director of the Clinical Islet Laboratory, Ben-Gurion University, Negev, Israel.

This study examined transplant survival of pancreatic islets originating in other (xeno) species donors. Pancreatic islet transplantation from other species serves as a model for transplant survival and as a supporting model for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the beneficial effects of AAT. Similar to the immune rejection of the new pancreatic beta cells, which are recognized as foreign by the host and, therefore, are destroyed by the host immune system, in T1D the immune system attacks and destroys the self pancreatic beta cells (autoimmune attack). The effect of AAT shown in this xenograft transplantation model demonstrates the potential role of AAT in the early stages of T1D.

Recent studies have demonstrated that AAT is an anti-inflammatory and tissue protective protein that also has islet autoimmune-tolerance capabilities. As such, it has the capability to control the immune response to foreign antigens, in this case, to the foreign islets.

Administration of the standard clinically-available treatment to decrease the extent of rejection using monoclonal antibodies alone (anti-CD4/CD8, the equivalent of the clinical regimen anti-thymocyte globulins) didn't achieve long term graft acceptance, yet, in combination with Glassia, there was a significant time extension in graft acceptance and a higher rate of graft acceptance compared with groups that did not receive Glassia. This synergism between these two safe approaches is unprecedented in the field of immune regulation, and could be highly attractive as a strategy for type 1 diabetes.

The investigators assume that temporary elimination of T-cells (achieved by anti-CD4/CD8), together with Glassia, enables a window of improved conditions for xenograft recovery and survival.

Dr. Lewis noted, "AAT is an important protein that is able to control unwanted immune responses and has very strong anti-inflammatory properties which modulate immune processes. This may have great benefit compared with current treatments, such as transplantation, which have issues due to the natural immune attack. In xenograft transplantation, where the rejection is even more potent and challenging, AAT can support the acceptance of a foreign graft and increase transplant prognosis. Improved performance of such unique xenograft transplantations offers the potential for additional safe treatment options for transplant recipients, where today we are limited to using organs from human donors."

"The data are very encouraging and support the continued clinical development of our AAT therapeutic to treat type 1 diabetes," said David Tsur, Chief Executive Officer of Kamada. "We look forward to advancing our AAT therapy in this area of great unmet medical need, and expect to initiate Phase II/III clinical studies in this patient population by year-end."

Mr. Tsur added, "In a previous Phase I/II study in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed type-1 diabetes, our AAT therapeutic had a high safety and tolerability pro?le and encouraging signs of efficacy including improved metabolic control and beta-cell function 12 to 15 months from diagnosis. This indicated that AAT may have a protective effect on beta cells, leading to a possible halt in disease progression and re-modulation of the autoimmune attack."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Source:

Kamada Ltd

Visit our transplants / organ donations section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Ltd, Kamada. "Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Jul. 2013. Web.
12 Jul. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT'

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Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 12 Jul 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems

Most risk and protective factors for alcohol use have roots in early childhood. In other words, an individual enters adolescence with personality characteristics and life experiences that have accumulated during the first decade of life. An evaluation of measures of temperament from children six months through to five years of age has found that childhood temperament prior to age five predicts adolescent alcohol use and problems at age 15.5 years, even after controlling for socio-demographic factors and parental alcohol problems.

Results will be published in the December 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Most scientists who study alcohol use start studying people in adolescence, since that is when alcohol use is usually first initiated/experimented with," explained Danielle Dick, associate professor of psychiatry, psychology and human and molecular genetics with the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as corresponding author for the study. "But people don't enter adolescence as blank slates; they have a history of life experiences that they bring with them, dating back to early childhood. This is one of the most comprehensive attempts to understand very early childhood predictors of adolescent alcohol use in a large epidemiological cohort."

"A question largely unanswered by the existing literature concerns the origins of personality differences in adolescents or adults who do and do not have drinking problems," added Matt McGue, Regents Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Minnesota. "In my opinion, the major contribution of the current study is that it shows that these personality differences emerge very early in life."

Dick and her colleagues used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a large epidemiological sample of pregnant women with delivery dates between April 1991 and December 1992. The children (6,504 boys, 6,143 girls) were followed longitudinally. Temperamental characteristics were assessed at six time points from six to 69 months of age. Alcohol use and problems were assessed at age 15.5 years.

"Some of the most interesting findings to emerge from this study are that, one, we can identify childhood temperamental styles that emerge prior to age five that predict alcohol use and problems in mid-adolescence," said Dick. "Two, the early childhood temperamental styles that predict alcohol use are very different and largely uncorrelated - that both kids who show consistent emotional and behavioral problems early on are at elevated risk and kids who are consistently sociable at a very early age are also at risk. This indicates very different pathways to alcohol involvement/patterns, that emerge early on, which has important implications for prevention efforts."

"Temperament is considered to represent the biological foundations of later personality and is manifested in terms of basic reactivity and regulatory process," said McGue. "This study differs from other studies in two significant ways. First, other studies have typically focused on personality, which is normally assessed by self-report. This study indicates that those personality factors are the result, in part, of early temperamental expressions. Second, ALSPAC is a large and very well characterized longitudinal study. This allows the investigators to rigorously evaluate their hypothesis as well as provide them with the statistical power they need to explore important ancillary questions, such as whether the nature of personality risk differs in males and females, a gender effect they did not find in this study."

"Interestingly, the association between sociability and alcohol use/problems was more significant than the association found between emotional and conduct difficulties and later alcohol problems, said Dick. "This underscores the fact that drinking during adolescence is largely a social phenomenon. However, this doesn't mean it's less problematic; we know from other studies that most adolescent drinking is high risk - for example, binge drinking - and can lead to numerous negative consequences."

Both Dick and McGue noted the importance of searching for what may lead to adolescent drinking when trying to understand the development of patterns of alcohol use, such as predictors that emerge very early in life.

"That said," noted McGue, "while I think the most important finding concerns tracing personality differences back to preschool differences in temperament, we cannot, from these findings, predict with much accuracy which preschoolers will have problems with alcohol as adolescents and which will not." McGue spoke favorably of unrelated Canadian research that targets personality risk factors for substance abuse; rather than trying to change the personalities of adolescents, scientists are attempting to teach them how to deal with their personalities.

"All things considered," said Dick, "it's not just 'problem kids' who get involved in alcohol use. It's also the highly sociable kids as well. Parents should be aware of this."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our alcohol / addiction / illegal drugs section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

University, Virginia Commonwealth. "Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Jul. 2013. Web.
12 Jul. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems'

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All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

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Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 12 Jul 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems

Most risk and protective factors for alcohol use have roots in early childhood. In other words, an individual enters adolescence with personality characteristics and life experiences that have accumulated during the first decade of life. An evaluation of measures of temperament from children six months through to five years of age has found that childhood temperament prior to age five predicts adolescent alcohol use and problems at age 15.5 years, even after controlling for socio-demographic factors and parental alcohol problems.

Results will be published in the December 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Most scientists who study alcohol use start studying people in adolescence, since that is when alcohol use is usually first initiated/experimented with," explained Danielle Dick, associate professor of psychiatry, psychology and human and molecular genetics with the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as corresponding author for the study. "But people don't enter adolescence as blank slates; they have a history of life experiences that they bring with them, dating back to early childhood. This is one of the most comprehensive attempts to understand very early childhood predictors of adolescent alcohol use in a large epidemiological cohort."

"A question largely unanswered by the existing literature concerns the origins of personality differences in adolescents or adults who do and do not have drinking problems," added Matt McGue, Regents Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Minnesota. "In my opinion, the major contribution of the current study is that it shows that these personality differences emerge very early in life."

Dick and her colleagues used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a large epidemiological sample of pregnant women with delivery dates between April 1991 and December 1992. The children (6,504 boys, 6,143 girls) were followed longitudinally. Temperamental characteristics were assessed at six time points from six to 69 months of age. Alcohol use and problems were assessed at age 15.5 years.

"Some of the most interesting findings to emerge from this study are that, one, we can identify childhood temperamental styles that emerge prior to age five that predict alcohol use and problems in mid-adolescence," said Dick. "Two, the early childhood temperamental styles that predict alcohol use are very different and largely uncorrelated - that both kids who show consistent emotional and behavioral problems early on are at elevated risk and kids who are consistently sociable at a very early age are also at risk. This indicates very different pathways to alcohol involvement/patterns, that emerge early on, which has important implications for prevention efforts."

"Temperament is considered to represent the biological foundations of later personality and is manifested in terms of basic reactivity and regulatory process," said McGue. "This study differs from other studies in two significant ways. First, other studies have typically focused on personality, which is normally assessed by self-report. This study indicates that those personality factors are the result, in part, of early temperamental expressions. Second, ALSPAC is a large and very well characterized longitudinal study. This allows the investigators to rigorously evaluate their hypothesis as well as provide them with the statistical power they need to explore important ancillary questions, such as whether the nature of personality risk differs in males and females, a gender effect they did not find in this study."

"Interestingly, the association between sociability and alcohol use/problems was more significant than the association found between emotional and conduct difficulties and later alcohol problems, said Dick. "This underscores the fact that drinking during adolescence is largely a social phenomenon. However, this doesn't mean it's less problematic; we know from other studies that most adolescent drinking is high risk - for example, binge drinking - and can lead to numerous negative consequences."

Both Dick and McGue noted the importance of searching for what may lead to adolescent drinking when trying to understand the development of patterns of alcohol use, such as predictors that emerge very early in life.

"That said," noted McGue, "while I think the most important finding concerns tracing personality differences back to preschool differences in temperament, we cannot, from these findings, predict with much accuracy which preschoolers will have problems with alcohol as adolescents and which will not." McGue spoke favorably of unrelated Canadian research that targets personality risk factors for substance abuse; rather than trying to change the personalities of adolescents, scientists are attempting to teach them how to deal with their personalities.

"All things considered," said Dick, "it's not just 'problem kids' who get involved in alcohol use. It's also the highly sociable kids as well. Parents should be aware of this."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our alcohol / addiction / illegal drugs section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

University, Virginia Commonwealth. "Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Jul. 2013. Web.
12 Jul. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Study Evaluates The Impact Of Childhood Temperament On Later Alcohol Use/Problems'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Diabetes
Article Date: 12 Jul 2013 - 2:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT

Kamada Ltd. (Nasdaq and TASE: KMDA) have announced that favorable results from a preclinical study analyzing the effects of the Company's human Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT), Glassia, in inter-species islet graft transplantation were published in PLOS One, an open-access peer-reviewed publication. The article is entitled "Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival in Mice Is Extended by a Combination of Alpha-1-Antitrypsin and Single Dose Anti-CD4/CD8 Therapy."

The study was funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and performed by the team of Eli C. Lewis, Ph.D., Director of the Clinical Islet Laboratory, Ben-Gurion University, Negev, Israel.

This study examined transplant survival of pancreatic islets originating in other (xeno) species donors. Pancreatic islet transplantation from other species serves as a model for transplant survival and as a supporting model for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the beneficial effects of AAT. Similar to the immune rejection of the new pancreatic beta cells, which are recognized as foreign by the host and, therefore, are destroyed by the host immune system, in T1D the immune system attacks and destroys the self pancreatic beta cells (autoimmune attack). The effect of AAT shown in this xenograft transplantation model demonstrates the potential role of AAT in the early stages of T1D.

Recent studies have demonstrated that AAT is an anti-inflammatory and tissue protective protein that also has islet autoimmune-tolerance capabilities. As such, it has the capability to control the immune response to foreign antigens, in this case, to the foreign islets.

Administration of the standard clinically-available treatment to decrease the extent of rejection using monoclonal antibodies alone (anti-CD4/CD8, the equivalent of the clinical regimen anti-thymocyte globulins) didn't achieve long term graft acceptance, yet, in combination with Glassia, there was a significant time extension in graft acceptance and a higher rate of graft acceptance compared with groups that did not receive Glassia. This synergism between these two safe approaches is unprecedented in the field of immune regulation, and could be highly attractive as a strategy for type 1 diabetes.

The investigators assume that temporary elimination of T-cells (achieved by anti-CD4/CD8), together with Glassia, enables a window of improved conditions for xenograft recovery and survival.

Dr. Lewis noted, "AAT is an important protein that is able to control unwanted immune responses and has very strong anti-inflammatory properties which modulate immune processes. This may have great benefit compared with current treatments, such as transplantation, which have issues due to the natural immune attack. In xenograft transplantation, where the rejection is even more potent and challenging, AAT can support the acceptance of a foreign graft and increase transplant prognosis. Improved performance of such unique xenograft transplantations offers the potential for additional safe treatment options for transplant recipients, where today we are limited to using organs from human donors."

"The data are very encouraging and support the continued clinical development of our AAT therapeutic to treat type 1 diabetes," said David Tsur, Chief Executive Officer of Kamada. "We look forward to advancing our AAT therapy in this area of great unmet medical need, and expect to initiate Phase II/III clinical studies in this patient population by year-end."

Mr. Tsur added, "In a previous Phase I/II study in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed type-1 diabetes, our AAT therapeutic had a high safety and tolerability pro?le and encouraging signs of efficacy including improved metabolic control and beta-cell function 12 to 15 months from diagnosis. This indicated that AAT may have a protective effect on beta cells, leading to a possible halt in disease progression and re-modulation of the autoimmune attack."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Source:

Kamada Ltd

Visit our transplants / organ donations section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Ltd, Kamada. "Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Jul. 2013. Web.
12 Jul. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Study Demonstrating Pancreatic Islet Xenograft Survival With Kamada's AAT'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Study Of Dogs With Microchimerism Should Improve Understanding Of Disease In Humans

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 12 Jul 2013 - 0:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study Of Dogs With Microchimerism Should Improve Understanding Of Disease In Humans

Some people possess a small number of cells in their bodies that are not genetically their own; this condition is known as microchimerism. It is difficult to determine potential health effects from this condition because of humans' relatively long life-spans. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that microchimerism can be found in dogs as well. Jeffrey Bryan, an associate professor of oncology at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and director of Comparative Oncology and Epigenetics Laboratory, says this discovery will help doctors determine what diseases humans with microchimerism may be more likely to develop during their lifetimes.

"Dogs have a much shorter lifespan than humans, which allows us, as researchers, to better monitor what diseases they may develop throughout their entire lives," Bryan said. "We already have some evidence that microchimerism may increase risk of thyroid disease while lowering the risk of breast cancer in women. Finding microchimerism in dogs allows us to track this condition over a lifespan of about 10 years, as opposed to the 70 or 80 years of a human life. This will make it much easier to determine any increased risk of or protection from other diseases brought on by microchimerism."

"Our study demonstrates that male microchimerism of probable fetal origin occurs in the pet dog population," said Sandra Axiak-Bechtel, an assistant professor of oncology at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. "Evidence exists in women that fetal microchimerism may have conflicting roles in disease formation. The pet dog represents an excellent model of many ailments in people, and the presence of fetal microchimerism in dogs will allow studies which further clarify its role in health and disease."

Microchimerism most often occurs when a mother gives birth to a child. Sometimes, cells from that child are left in the mothers' body and continue to live, despite being of a different genetic makeup than surrounding cells. Those cells can then be passed on to other children the mother may have later. Cells also can be passed on through blood transfusions as well as bone marrow and organ transplants.

In their study published in PLOS ONE, Bryan and Axiak-Bechtel, along with MU researchers Senthil Kumar, a co-investigator in this study and assistant research professor and assistant director of the Comparative Oncology and Epigenetics Laboratory, and Sara Hansen, a comparative medicine resident at MU, studied 90 golden retrievers and found that 36 percent of the dogs had microchimerism. Closer to 40 percent of female dogs that were at least eight years post-pregnancy had the condition.

Axiak-Bechtel, Bryan, and Kumar plan on continuing their research to follow the lifespans of dogs with microchimerism to determine to what diseases those dogs may be susceptible. Bryan and Kumar also received a new grant for more than $400,000 to study epigenetic biomarkers in dogs, which will ultimately enhance diagnosis and treatment of dogs with cancer.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our cancer / oncology section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

University of Missouri-Columbia. "Study Of Dogs With Microchimerism Should Improve Understanding Of Disease In Humans." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Jul. 2013. Web.
12 Jul. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Study Of Dogs With Microchimerism Should Improve Understanding Of Disease In Humans'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here