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Mayo Clinic researchers discover new bacterial species that triggers Lyme disease in people

Mayo Clinic researchers, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health officials from Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, have discovered a new bacterial species that causes Lyme disease in people. The new species has been provisionally named Borrelia mayonii. Prior to this finding, the only species believed to cause Lyme disease in North America was Borrelia burgdorferi.

9 Feb 2016

Rescue TDF monotherapy effective in multidrug resistant chronic HBV

Researchers from the Republic of Korea say that rescue therapy with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate alone is an appropriate option for patients with multidrug resistant chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

26 Jan 2016

Study reveals molecular function of protein essential for replication of H5N1 flu virus

An international collaboration of scientists from the CEA, CNRS, University Joseph Fourier, the EMBL and the ILL has revealed the molecular function of a protein essential for replication of H5N1 influenza virus.

10 Dec 2015

Roche announces regulatory clearance to finalize acquisition of Kapa Biosystems

Roche today announced regulatory clearance to finalize acquisition of Kapa Biosystems, Inc., a privately-held company headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, US.

8 Dec 2015

Researchers aiming to improve accuracy of current diagnostics for Leishmania infantum kinetoplast

In an article published in Small, researchers successfully applied a new qualitative and quantitative method for the detection of a DNA sequence characteristic of Leishmania infantum kinetoplast, a frequent parasite in veterinary that affects humans too.

26 Nov 2015

New data shows ALS-008176 drug safe and effective against RSV infection

Alios BioPharma, Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies announced that the New England Journal of Medicine will publish findings from a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) challenge study for ALS-008176, a cytidine nucleoside analog with activity against RSV.

20 Nov 2015

Last resort antibiotics may no longer work

E.coli has become resistant to the last line of antibiotics we have left and untreatable bugs may already be circulating in Britain, warn scientists.

19 Nov 2015

Simple microRNA sensor holds promise for prognosis, treatment of pancreatic and other cancers

A simple, ultrasensitive microRNA sensor developed and tested by researchers from the schools of science and medicine at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center holds promise for the design of new diagnostic strategies and, potentially, for the prognosis and treatment of pancreatic and other cancers.

18 Nov 2015

Utah chemists devise new way to detect DNA damage

University of Utah chemists devised a new way to detect chemical damage to DNA that sometimes leads to genetic mutations responsible for many diseases, including various cancers and neurological disorders.

6 Nov 2015

Researchers successfully test new method for rapid diagnosis of Ebola in Guinea

An international team of researchers, including Ahmed Abd El Wahed, scientist at the University of Göttingen and the German Primate Center, has tested a new method for rapid diagnosis of Ebola in a field trial in Guinea. The test procedure was carried out using a portable suitcase laboratory. The mobile suitcase lab is operated with solar power and enables simple on-site diagnostics in remote areas without the need of an equipped laboratory.

6 Nov 2015

Man dies after developing tapeworm tumors

A man has died as a result of tapeworm tumors growing inside his body, doctors report.

5 Nov 2015

Certain drugs could be used to treat gastric cancers with particular pattern of mutations

Gastric cancer, otherwise known as stomach cancer, does not respond well to existing treatments and it is currently the third leading cause of cancer death in the world (after lung and liver cancer). Researchers have discovered that certain drugs, currently used to treat breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers, could also be used to treat certain gastric cancers with a particular pattern of mutations (genomic molecular fingerprint).

29 Oct 2015

Brown University researchers describe new method to test HIV mutations

Tests that can distinguish whether HIV-positive people are infected with a drug-resistant strain or a non-resistant strain allow patients to get the most effective treatment as quickly as possible. In the November edition of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, a team of Brown University researchers describes a new method that works faster and more sensitively in lab testing than the current standard technologies.

16 Oct 2015

Forces in external environmental and oxidation are greatest threats to DNA, study finds

A study led by Indiana University biologist Patricia Foster and colleagues has found that forces in the external environment and oxidation are the greatest threats to an organism's ability to repair damage to its own DNA.

14 Oct 2015

New test capable of detecting all viruses that affect people and animals

A new, super-sensitive test has been developed that can detect virtually any virus that causes illness in humans and animals, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

1 Oct 2015

Researchers discover five new genetic variants associated with brain cancer

The biggest ever study of DNA from people with glioma - the most common form of brain cancer - has discovered five new genetic variants associated with the disease.

1 Oct 2015

New test identifies viruses that infect people and animals

A new test detects virtually any virus that infects people and animals, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where the technology was developed.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers develop chip-based instrument for reliable detection of Ebola virus

A team led by researchers at UC Santa Cruz has developed chip-based technology for reliable detection of Ebola virus and other viral pathogens. The system uses direct optical detection of viral molecules and can be integrated into a simple, portable instrument for use in field situations where rapid, accurate detection of Ebola infections is needed to control outbreaks.

25 Sep 2015

Johns Hopkins scientists discover earliest premalignant genetic changes that mark potential onset of lung cancer

Working with tissue, blood and DNA from six people with precancerous and cancerous lung lesions, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists has identified what it believes are among the very earliest “premalignant” genetic changes that mark the potential onset of the most common and deadliest form of disease.

23 Sep 2015

New nanozyme test can help curb Ebola spread in western Africa

A new Ebola test that uses magnetic nanoparticles could help curb the spread of the disease in western Africa. Research published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics shows that the new test is 100 times more sensitive than the current test, and easier to use. Because of this, the new test makes it easier and cheaper to diagnose cases, enabling healthcare workers to isolate patients and prevent the spread of Ebola.

10 Sep 2015