Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that it has signed a contract valued at up to $28.7 million with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for advanced development of the company’s third generation anthrax vaccine candidate. The award of this contract increases to over $58 million the total potential development funding from NIAID for this product…

Vitamin D may be an effective therapy to treat and even prevent allergy to a common mold that can cause severe complications for patients with cystic fibrosis and asthma, according to researchers from Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Results of the study, led by Jay Kolls, M.D., Ph.D…

Purdue University researchers have developed a technology that has the potential to more quickly identify food-borne pathogens, aiding U.S. homeland security officials in responding to a bioterrorist attack or other emergencies. The research team, which is based at Discovery Park’s Bindley Bioscience Center, has received a $1.3 million seed grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases to test the technology…

If you spend August sneezing, ragweed may be your allergy enemy. If, like clockwork, you suffer in the spring, tree pollen may be to blame. And if your eyes itch and head feels stuffed up after the first frost should have killed every outdoor allergen, you may have indoor allergies. While some allergy sufferers can pinpoint the cause of their misery, many are unaware of the trigger that sets off their symptoms. In fact, James Temprano, M.D. a SLUCare allergist, says many patients are surprised to learn the source of their allergies…

Research conducted by Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chair of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and colleagues, has found that vitamin D may be an effective therapeutic agent to treat or prevent allergy to a common mold that can complicate asthma and frequently affects patients with Cystic Fibrosis. The work was scheduled to be published online August 16, 2010, ahead of the print edition of the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The environmental mold, Aspergillus fumigatus, is one of the most prevalent fungal organisms inhaled by people…

NICE has opened the consultation on its draft clinical guideline on the diagnosis and assessment of food allergies in children and young people. Its aim is to support GPs and other health professionals in primary care and community settings in recognising the signs and symptoms of food allergy, by giving clear recommendations on taking allergy-focussed histories to assess the condition. Food allergies are adverse immune responses to food allergens[1]. They are among the most common of the allergic disorders and are recognised as a major paediatric health problem in western countries…

Mount Sinai School of Medicine has announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has renewed its funding of the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), providing an additional $29.9 million toward genetic research and the prevention and treatment of food allergy. Mount Sinai is the primary research site for CoFAR, leading seven other institutions around the country. Under the renewed grant, Mount Sinai researchers will continue several clinical trials evaluating immunotherapies for peanut and egg allergy…

Mount Sinai School of Medicine has announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has renewed its funding of the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), providing an additional $29.9 million toward genetic research and the prevention and treatment of food allergy. Mount Sinai is the primary research site for CoFAR, leading seven other institutions around the country. Under the renewed grant, Mount Sinai researchers will continue several clinical trials evaluating immunotherapies for peanut and egg allergy…

A new nationwide research initiative has been launched to define changes in the human immune system, using human and not animal studies, in response to infection or to vaccination. Six U. S.-based Human Immune Phenotyping Centers will receive a total of $100 million over five years to conduct this research. Funding for the centers is provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Support for the first year of this initiative will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act…

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have received a five-year, $10.8 million grant to develop stem cell-based therapies that could be used to mitigate radiation induced gastrointestinal syndrome part of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) for military personnel, first responders and the general public. The Einstein research, funded by the federal Centers for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation, is part of a program coordinated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases…