Aspergillus News and Research

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Indian wild plants offer hope against resistant infections

Cancer treatments often have the side effect of impairing the patient's immune system. This can result in life-threatening secondary infections from bacteria and fungi, especially since bacteria, like Staphylococcus aureus, are becoming multi-drug resistant.

20 May 2011

New test can diagnose deadly human fungal infections

Deadly human fungal infections caused by certain strains of Aspergillus fungi appear to be developing resistance to current drug treatments at an alarming rate, say scientists.

5 May 2011

Researchers uncover new disease mechanism in patients with CGD

Infection researchers at Umeå University have uncovered a new disease mechanism in patients with Chronic Granulomatous Disease in an international clinical collaboration with the Children's Hospital in Zurich.

11 Mar 2011

New ATS guidelines for treating fungal infection in adult pulmonary and critical care patients

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official clinical policy statement on the treatment of fungal infections in adult pulmonary and critical care patients.

4 Jan 2011

Fungus may provide clue about human response to changes in circadian rhythm

Humans are not the only species ruled by a circadian rhythm. Even simple organisms like moulds are governed by an inner clock. Studying red bread mould may teach us how our own internal clock works. This is exactly what the Centre for Organelle Research at the University of Stavanger, Norway is doing.

30 Dec 2010

Low levels of microbe-killing molecules improve survival rate of people with CGD

Investigators at the National Institutes of Health have observed that the survival rate of people with a rare immunodeficiency disease called chronic granulomatous disease is greatly improved when even very low levels of microbe-killing molecules are present.

30 Dec 2010

Study examines the impact on asthmatics related to common environmental mould

Scientists investigating the allergic reactions that asthmatics suffer towards a common mould have discovered that many people with asthma actually had the mould growing in their own lungs.

15 Dec 2010

Performance of Myconostica's MycAssay Aspergillus in CF reported at British Thoracic Society meeting

At the prestigious annual British Thoracic Society meeting in London on December 1st, Dr Caroline Baxter reported the highly sensitive performance of Myconostica's real-time PCR assay MycAssayTM Aspergillus in cystic fibrosis sputum which is 260% more sensitive than the currently used culture.

6 Dec 2010

MU researchers examine Aspergillus fumigatus to find cure for fungus, parasite

If finding the cure for a fungus and parasite that affects millions of people were the subject of a detective show, University of Missouri Chemistry Professor John Tanner would be the forensic expert in the lab, using high-tech equipment to make a model that could eventually solve the crime.

20 Oct 2010

AJMS journal provides research update on new infectious pathogens

Newly recognized disease-causing viruses, bacteria, and other infections are continually emerging around the world, posing difficult challenges for patient diagnosis and treatment and for public health responses. A special symposium section of the September issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, provides a research update on important new infectious pathogens.

24 Sep 2010

Myconostica's MycAssay Aspergillus for serum granted CE marking

Myconostica Ltd, the UK-based medical diagnostic company developing and commercialising rapid and highly specific tests for life-threatening fungal infections, today announces the CE marking of its lead product MycAssay™ Aspergillus for detection of Aspergillus DNA in serum.

6 Sep 2010

Vitamin D may be effective in preventing allergies in patients cystic fibrosis, asthma

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.

26 Aug 2010

Fralin Life Science Institute professor receives grant from NSF to elucidate research on fungi

Pablo Sobrado, assistant professor of biochemistry with the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, has received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance his research on the mechanism of iron acquisition in fungi and mycobacteria.

19 Aug 2010

Myconostica announces CE marking for MycAssay Aspergillus and Pneumocystis on additional platforms

Myconostica Ltd, the UK-based medical diagnostic company developing and commercialising rapid and highly specific tests for life-threatening fungal infections, today announces the CE marking of its lead products MycAssay™ Aspergillus and MycAssay™ Pneumocystis on the Roche Lightcycler® 2.0 and Stratagene Mx3000 series platforms.

9 Aug 2010

IRIC scientists identify vitamin B3 as potential antifungal treatment

A team of scientists from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the University of Montreal have identified vitamin B3 as a potential antifungal treatment. Led by IRIC Principal Investigators Martine Raymond, Alain Verreault and Pierre Thibault, in collaboration with Alaka Mullick, from the Biotechnology Research Institute of the National Research Council Canada, the study is the subject of a recent article in Nature Medicine.

9 Jul 2010

AdVnt launches 15 Minute Black Mold Detection Test

AdVnt Biotechnologies, the company known for producing BioWarfare Agent Detection Devices for HAZMAT First Response Teams around the globe to help them rapidly detect such biological agents as Anthrax, Ricin and Botulinum, has just released its newest product for In-Home and Professional use. Building on the expertise gained in the international arena of BioWarfare Agent Detection, AdVnt is now applying its R&D expertise to help defend against another type of bio threat that could be growing in the walls and under the floorboards in your own home.

30 Jun 2010

Norgen Biotek launches over 30 new kits for NA based diagnostics

Norgen Biotek Corp., an innovative privately held Canadian biotechnology company focusing primarily on advancing powerful tools for nucleic acids (NA) and protein purification, today announced the launch of over 30 new kits for nucleic-acid based diagnostics. Norgen makes best-in-class kits for nucleic acid and protein sample preparation, and has recognized that high quality sample preparation is the key to high quality diagnostics.

19 Mar 2010

Yeast could help prevent sale of aflatoxin-contaminated food

Pistachios, almonds and other popular tree nuts might someday be routinely sprayed with a yeast called Pichia anomala. Laboratory and field studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant physiologist Sui-Sheng (Sylvia) Hua have shown that the yeast competes successfully for nutrients--and space to grow--that might otherwise be used by an unwanted mold, Aspergillus flavus.

28 Jan 2010

Eating green leafy vegetables could reverse the effects of aflatoxin poisoning

Not only are the vitamins and minerals good for you, but eating greens could also save your life, according to a recent study led by the National Nuclear Security Administration's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists.

27 Jan 2010

Pacific Beach BioSciences signs licensing agreement with major pharmaceutical company

Pacific Beach BioSciences, Inc. today reported that it has granted non-exclusive rights to a large pharmaceutical company for the use of one of its anti-fungal compounds required for the manufacturing of a clinical stage product.

9 Dec 2009