Cytomegalovirus News and Research

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the herpes virus group, which includes herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus (which causes chickenpox), and Epstein-Barr virus (which causes infectious mononucleosis). Infection with CMV is a major cause of disease and death in immunocompromised patients, including organ transplant recipients, patients undergoing hemodialysis, patients with cancer, patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs, and HIV-infected patients. While drugs are available for treatment of these conditions, the primary drug choices carry significant side effects and warnings. Currently, there are no anti-CMV drugs indicated for treatment of primary CMV infection during pregnancy resulting in infections that can have catastrophic consequences to the newborn. Maternal-fetal transfer of CMV infection results in a fetal death rate of 12% and most survivors have permanent debilitating disorders, including mental retardation, vision loss, and sensorineural deafness.

First three recipients of inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships named

Harry Winston, Inc. and the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute have named the first three recipients of the inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships.

7 Oct 2014

Transfer of few immune cells can protect immunodeficient patients

The cells of the human immune system are created from special stem cells in the bone marrow. In diseases affecting the bone marrow, such as leukemia, the degenerate cells must be destroyed using radiation or chemotherapy.

18 Jun 2014

PaxVax partners with UC to develop combination vaccine to prevent genital HSV infections

PaxVax Inc., a specialty vaccine company with a commercial focus on travel and biodefense and a social mission to ensure global access to its vaccines, today announced that it has entered into a research and development collaboration with the University of California, San Diego to develop a combination vaccine to prevent genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections.

10 Jun 2014

Device used in physics and chemistry reveals dynamics of pervasive pathogen

If you have it, you probably don't know it. Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is perhaps one of the biggest pathogens you've never heard of-big, both proportionately and epidemiologically.

6 Jun 2014

Chronic bystander viral impairs development of memory T cells

Studies of vaccine programs in the developing world have revealed that individuals with chronic infections such as malaria and hepatitis tend to be less likely to develop the fullest possible immunity benefits from vaccines for unrelated illnesses.

16 May 2014

Clinigen Group announces acquisition of SAVENE oncology support therapy from SpePharm

Clinigen Group plc ('Clinigen' or the 'Group') the specialty global pharmaceutical company today announces the acquisition of SAVENE® (dexrazoxane) from SpePharm AG, a majority owned affiliate of Norgine B.V. The Financial terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed.

From Clinigen Group 31 Mar 2014

Johns Hopkins researchers identify protein that regulates the body's immune response to CMV

Infectious disease specialists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have identified a protein that regulates the body's immune response to cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common pathogen that causes lifelong infections and can lead to devastating illness in newborns and those with weakened immune systems.

27 Mar 2014

CLL patients more prone to infections due to reduced number of antibodies

People with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) are essentially more prone to infections such as varicella, influenza or pneumococci due to the reduction in the number of antibodies that their condition causes.

19 Mar 2014

Researchers suggest potential treatment target for HCMV infection

Discovering where a common virus hides in the body has been a long-term quest for scientists. Up to 80 percent of adults harbor the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), which can cause severe illness and death in people with weakened immune systems.

11 Mar 2014

Exposure to common infections linked to memory and brain function

Exposure to common infections is linked to memory and brain function - even if the infections never made you ill, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014.

13 Feb 2014

Long-distance signaling molecules tell brain to produce anti-viral interferon

The brain contains a defense system that prevents at least two unrelated viruses-and possibly many more-from invading the brain at large. The research is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Virology.

11 Feb 2014

Mayo Clinic Cardio-Rheumatology Clinic created for catching heart disease early in arthritis patients

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other chronic forms of inflammatory arthritis can face life-threatening complications, and heart disease tops the list. People with such rheumatic diseases are twice as likely as the average person to develop heart problems.

15 Nov 2013

Viropharma announces financial results for third quarter 2013

ViroPharma Incorporated reported today its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2013. Net sales were $113 million for the third quarter ended September 30, 2013, as compared to $91 million in the same three months of 2012.

31 Oct 2013

New insights into human cytomegalovirus may lead to development of therapeutic interventions

New insights into how human cytomegalovirus, the leading cause of birth defects associated with infection spreads from pregnant mother to fetus and from organ to organ in newborns provides translational researchers an exciting new avenue for investigation that may lead to the development of therapeutic interventions.

31 Oct 2013

Patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis more likely to have heart problems

People with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions are at higher risk of heart disease. Who is in the most danger, why and how best to prevent and detect cardiovascular complications are important questions for physicians and researchers.

28 Oct 2013

Specific antibody patterns predict schizophrenia risk

The presence of antibodies to multiple foods and infectious agents is a risk marker for new-onset schizophrenia, a case-control study suggests.

23 Oct 2013

Cambridge professor to speak about nature of viruses at free public lecture at University of Leicester

Former Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge to deliver public lecture on Monday 21 October

17 Oct 2013

Sahlgrenska Academy study finds no traces of viruses in breast cancer and glioblastoma

A major study conducted at the Sahlgrenska Academy has now disproved theories of a viral cause for breast cancer and the brain tumour, glioblastoma. The study, which was based on over seven billion DNA sequences and which is published in Nature Communications, found no genetic traces of viruses in these forms of cancer.

9 Oct 2013

T. gondii antibodies implicated in mania

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii may confer an increased risk for mania, say researchers.

26 Sep 2013

Scientists report advancement in smartphone-based imaging to detect viruses in remote locations

Scientists are reporting an advance in smartphone-based imaging that could help physicians in far-flung and resource-limited locations monitor how well treatments for infections are working by detecting, for the first time, individual viruses. Their study on the light-weight device, which converts the phone into a powerful mini-microscope, appears in the journal ACS Nano.