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In literature, a "chimera" is a creature from Greek mythology that is made of parts from different animals. Perhaps the most famous chimera is "Cerberus," the part dog, part snake who was captured by Hercules in his final labor.

A phase I study of costimulatory blocking agent CTLA4Ig shows that the treatment appears safe for use in multiple sclerosis (MS) and that it can induce favorable immunologic changes. Results from the ITN-led study were published in the September 16, 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Neurology.

Subject enrollment in the ITN's study of immunosuppression withdrawal in pediatric liver transplantation was completed this month, with the enrollment of the 20th and final subject.

In an ITN study of combined kidney and bone marrow transplantation, four of five subjects studied were able to be removed from all anti-rejection medications and maintain functioning kidney transplants. The study was led by Drs. David Sachs and Ben Cosimi of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and published in the January 24, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The results of an Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) study, published in the October 5, 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that a six-week experimental allergy treatment can relieve hay fever symptoms for at least two years. The researchers believe that the six-injection immunotherapy regimen with a novel DNA-based drug known as ‘AIC’ could offer a significant improvement over traditional allergen immunotherapy, which can require several years of weekly or bi-weekly injections.

The results of the world's first multicenter clinical trial of islet transplantation have confirmed the technique's potential benefits in patients with difficult-to-control type 1 (or "juvenile") diabetes. Published in the September 28, 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the international team of investigators report that the Edmonton Protocol for islet transplantation can safely and successfully promote long-term stabilization of blood sugar levels in "brittle" diabetes patients and in some cases, relieve them of the need for insulin injections altogether for at least two years.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world's leading charitable supporter of research into type 1 diabetes and its complications, today announced a new, 5-year $15 million joint funding program with the NIH-supported Immune Tolerance Network (ITN) that is aimed at accelerating the pace of clinical research towards a cure for type 1 diabetes.  The JDRF-ITN Partnership in Immune Tolerance program will fund early-stage clinical trials and late stage preclinical development of potential immune tolerance-inducing treatments for type 1 diabetes.  Applications for support will be accepted on an ongoing basis through the ITN website beginning today.

The Immune Tolerance Network today released updated results from its multicenter clinical trial of the Edmonton Protocol for islet transplantation. The results provide further confirmation that transplantation of pancreatic islet cells can safely and effectively eliminate the need for daily insulin injections in patients with type 1 diabetes. The expanded results, encompassing the entire cohort of 36 patients enrolled in the trial also confirms that the technique can be successfully applied at multiple clinical centers.