Autoimmune diseases–which involve an abnormal immune system response against compounds and tissues normally located in the human body–seem to be more prevalent among females. For instance, while autoimmune diseases affect just 8 percent of the human population, 78 percent of those infected are women, according to a paper published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases […]
Ever since the 1950s – when James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, and other pertinent scientists uncovered the structure of deoxyribose nucleic acids (DNA) – the field of genetics has erupted and played a significant role in scientific research. More recently, scientists from the National Institutes of Health have uncovered that a gene called BACH2 […]
Animal models, a vital part of pre-clinical research, can be used for studying the immune system’s reaction to a variety of allergies. The type of allergies studied include agents found in food, seasonal allergens and pollen that cause conjunctivitis, and viral infections that lead to allergic sensitization as well as asthma. One study stemming from […]
Approximately 2% of the US population suffers from psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that occurs when the immune system overreacts to certain conditions which speeds up the skin’s cellular turnover rate. As a result, the skin thickens and becomes inflamed. Psoriasis Types Psoriasis is usually clinically identified, though lab testing is sometimes necessary. […]
The design of pre-clinical studies is a complex task, and understanding the translation from animal model to human diseases requires a great deal of care and a high level of understanding of both the basic science and the clinical condition. Many drugs in clinical development flounder due to lack of efficacy or unacceptable side effects. […]