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WHO releases first-ever guidance for chronic hepatitis B treatment

WHO today issued its first-ever guidance for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, a viral infection which is spread through blood and body fluids, attacking the liver and resulting in an estimated 650 000 deaths each year - most of them in low- and middle-income countries.

12 Mar 2015

Clinical study launched to evaluate effectiveness of new HCV therapy in Washington, D.C.

Officials from the National Institutes of Health and the city of Washington, D.C., launched a clinical trial to examine whether primary care physicians and other health care providers, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, can use a new antiviral therapy as effectively as specialist physicians to treat people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

9 Mar 2015

Predicting the development of type 1 diabetes is possible, shows TEDDY study

New research shows that it is possible to predict the development of type 1 diabetes. By measuring the presence of autoantibodies in the blood, it is possible to detect whether the immune system has begun to break down the body's own insulin cells.

26 Feb 2015

Betaretrovirus may infect patients with primary biliary cirrhosis

In a new study published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, researchers at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry have shown that a betaretrovirus which resembles a mouse mammary tumor virus infects patients with the rare liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

20 Feb 2015

WHO urges affected countries to increase investment in tackling neglected tropical diseases

WHO urges affected countries to scale up their investment in tackling 17 neglected tropical diseases in order to improve the health and well-being of more than 1.5 billion people. This investment would represent as little as 0.1% of current domestic expenditure on health in affected low and middle income countries for the period 2015-2030.

19 Feb 2015

Rutgers patient gets second chance at life following liver transplant

Mati Muñoz is 65 years old - filled with the enthusiastic energy that comes with a second chance at life. A decade ago, says Muñoz, who lives in Woodbridge Township, N.J., her liver was being destroyed by hepatitis C, a viral disease she believes she contracted as a girl in her native Cuba from a poorly sterilized needle used in a medical procedure.

17 Feb 2015

Immune system exploits flu virus' dependence on host's machinery

Viruses are masters of outsourcing, entrusting their fundamental function - reproduction - to the host cells they infect. But it turns out this highly economical approach also creates vulnerability.

13 Feb 2015

Two researchers receive Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy

Recognized for their pioneering work in the development of gene transfer technology using retroviral vectors to deliver therapeutic genes into cells, Richard C. Mulligan, PhD, Director of the Harvard Gene Therapy Initiative, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, MA, and A. Dusty Miller, PhD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, received the Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

9 Feb 2015

Researchers assess causes of febrile illnesses in Tanzanian children

Valérie D'Acremont led the research team from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel and the Policlinique Médicale Universitaire in Lausanne, who systematically assessed the causes of febrile illnesses in Tanzanian children. According to the published paper, in most cases a treatment with antimalarials or antibiotics is not required.

9 Feb 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers reveal that e-cigarettes weaken immune system

In a study with mice, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers have found that e-cigarettes compromise the immune system in the lungs and generate some of the same potentially dangerous chemicals found in traditional nicotine cigarettes.

5 Feb 2015

Quest Diagnostics, CDC partner to identify trends in diagnosis and treatment for viral hepatitis

Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that it will collaborate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify trends in screening, diagnosis and treatment for four strains of viral hepatitis in the United States, based on insights revealed by analysis of Quest’s national testing database.

From Quest Diagnostics 29 Jan 2015

Quest Diagnostics, CDC collaborate to reduce deaths from hepatitis

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that it will collaborate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify trends in screening, diagnosis and treatment for four strains of viral hepatitis in the United States, based on insights revealed by analysis of Quest's national testing database.

From Quest Diagnostics 28 Jan 2015

Research breakthrough in understanding mosquito reproductive process

Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes have contributed to the death and suffering of millions throughout human history, earning the mosquito the title as the world's most dangerous animal. Even today, several devastating mosquito-borne diseases (such as malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus) continue to rage.

21 Jan 2015

Mobile diagnosis device to help reduce unnecessary antibiotics prescribing

New biosensor-based technology could help to reduce the over-prescribing of antibiotics by giving GPs and other frontline healthcare staff an accurate and fast method of identifying the nature of infectious diseases.

15 Jan 2015

ContraVir granted Type B meeting with FDA to discuss proposal for FV-100 Phase 3 trial

ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of targeted antiviral therapies, announced today that it has been granted a Type B meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss its proposal for the design of a Phase 3 trial of ContraVir's lead antiviral candidate, FV-100.

7 Jan 2015

Arcturus to exhibit new mRNA therapeutics pipeline at two healthcare conferences

Arcturus Therapeutics Inc., developing the 'next wave' of RNA medicines, today announced that Joseph Payne, President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present a corporate overview, including the company's new messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics pipeline, at two upcoming healthcare conferences.

7 Jan 2015

Sirnaomics submits STP705 IND Application to CFDA for skin scar treatment

Sirnaomics, Inc. and its affiliate Suzhou Sirnaomics Pharmaceutics, Co. Ltd., together with its partner Guangzhou Xiangxue Pharmaceutical, Co. Ltd., (SZSE: 300147), have formally submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application to the China Food and Drug Administration for STP705, an anti-fibrosis RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic for prevention and treatment of human skin hypertrophic scars.

5 Jan 2015

Researchers discover widespread misconception about antibiotic resistance among patients

Over prescription of antibiotics is a major factor driving one of the biggest public health concerns today: antibiotic resistance. In a first-of-its-kind study, research led by the George Washington University suggests that public health educational materials may not address the misconceptions that shape why patients expect antibiotics, driving doctors to prescribe them more.

16 Dec 2014

New technique allows rapid, large-scale studies of gene function

Using a gene-editing system originally developed to delete specific genes, MIT researchers have now shown that they can reliably turn on any gene of their choosing in living cells.

11 Dec 2014

Kiadis Pharma reports positive interim data from ATIR Phase II clinical study

Kiadis Pharma B.V., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing T-cell immunotherapy treatments for blood cancers, today announces positive interim data from the ongoing Phase II clinical study with its lead product ATIR.

9 Dec 2014