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Company to test drug for immune disorders NEW YORK, Jun 23 (Reuters Health) - Human Genome Sciences said on Friday that is has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to begin human clinical trials of B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS), a protein that could help sufferers of Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) and other immune disorders, including AIDS. People with CVID are more susceptible to infection, leaving them plagued by frequent recurrences of conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis and sinusitis. The BLyS therapy is designed to address CVID patients' failure to make normal quantities of the antibodies that help defend the body against infection by viruses and bacteria. The usual treatment for the condition is regular administration of antibodies. BLyS may help to restore the body's ability to produce antibodies on its own, according to the firm, by stimulating immune system cells called B cells to produce antibodies, the company explained. Only a few thousand patients in the US and Europe suffer from the CVID, but BLyS may also prove useful in treating other immune disorders. Preclinical studies have indicated the protein's potential as a therapy for AIDS, as well as for immune deficiencies resulting from certain cancers and from medical procedures such as organ transplants, the firm said. In addition, BLyS may hold promise as a treatment to boost the function of the immune system in elderly adults. A spokesperson for the company told Reuters Health that the trials are expected to be underway by late July, only about a year after the firm's original discovery of the protein. |
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