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Pneumonic plague bacteria transform lungs into a playground for microbes to flourish

Among medical mysteries baffling many infectious disease experts is exactly how the deadly pneumonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, goes undetected in the first few day of lung infection, often until it's too late for medical treatment.

1 Feb 2012

Researchers investigate Avian Pathogenic E. coli strains

Escherichia coli bacteria thrive in the lower intestine of humans and other animals, including birds. Most are vital constituents of the healthy gut flora, but certain forms of E. coli cause a range of diseases in both humans and poultry.

1 Feb 2012

Idaho Technology submits FilmArray Respiratory Panel for FDA 510(k) clearance

Technology, Inc. announced today that it has filed a submission with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for 510(k) clearance of five additional respiratory pathogens for its FilmArray Respiratory Panel, a user-friendly Multiplex PCR assay currently FDA cleared for 15 respiratory pathogens.

30 Jan 2012

Leprosy pathogen exploits micro-RNAs to weaken immune response

A team of UCLA scientists has found that the pathogen that causes leprosy has a remarkable ability to avoid the human immune system by inhibiting the antimicrobial responses important to our defenses.

30 Jan 2012

Researchers describe malarial enzymes responsible for Vitamin B6 biosynthesis with atomic 3D structures

New research by scientists at the University of Southampton could lead to the design of more effective drugs to combat malaria.

30 Jan 2012

Researchers identify dual role of key player in human immune system

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researchers have identified a new and unusual role for a key player in the human immune system. A protein initially believed to regulate one routine function within the cell has proven vital for another critical step in the activation of the immune system.

30 Jan 2012

University of York scientists reveal how cholera attacks body

A team of biologists at the University of York has made an important advance in our understanding of the way cholera attacks the body.

30 Jan 2012

Duke team creates vaccine adjuvant of nanoparticles that target lymph nodes

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have created synthetic nanoparticles that target lymph nodes and greatly boost vaccine responses, said lead author Ashley St. John, Ph.D., a researcher at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

23 Jan 2012

National Biosecurity Board to review state of bird flu research

Federal officials have asked the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) "to review the state of the science looking at human transmission of deadly bird flu, says panel chief Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University," USA Today reports.

12 Jan 2012

New NIST clinical SRM can help in accurate CMV detection and treatment

A new clinical Standard Reference Material (SRM) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will help health care professionals more accurately diagnose and treat cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common pathogen that is particularly dangerous for infants and persons with weakened immune systems.

12 Jan 2012

Children with autism, gastrointestinal symptoms have high levels of Sutterella in their gut

New research conducted in the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, reports that children with autism and gastrointestinal disturbances have high levels of a bacterium called Sutterella in their intestines.

12 Jan 2012

Potential human health risk from illegal wildlife trade

An article released today in PLoS ONE entitled, Zoonotic Viruses Associated with Illegally Imported Wildlife Products, from a collaborative study led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identified evidence of retroviruses and herpesviruses in illegally imported wildlife products confiscated at several U.S. international airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental-Houston and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International.

11 Jan 2012

Infectious disease-fighting drugs could be designed to block pathogen's entry into cells

New research shows that infectious disease-fighting drugs could be designed to block a pathogen's entry into cells rather than to kill the bug itself.

11 Jan 2012

MPIIB, QIAGEN partner to develop latent TB diagnostic test

QIAGEN N.V. and the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB), Department of Immunology have announced a new collaboration to develop a molecular diagnostic test to assess the risk of an individual with latent tuberculosis (TB) developing active TB disease during their lifetime.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 9 Jan 2012

Roka raises $47.5M in Series D round

Roka Bioscience announced today that it has secured $47.5 million in Series D financing. New investor Aisling Capital participated in the financing along with existing investors OrbiMed Advisors, New Enterprise Associates, Inc., and TPG Biotech. In conjunction with the financing, Josh Bilenker, M.D., Partner at Aisling Capital, will join Roka's Board of Directors.

6 Jan 2012

Tetragenetics reports results from G-SOME H5N1 vaccine preclinical study

Tetragenetics Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of recombinant vaccines, today reported preclinical study results showing that an investigational nanoparticle-based influenza vaccine protects against a highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza strain.

6 Jan 2012

Study assesses reasons for continued lack of success in prevention, control of Lyme disease

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States, with the majority of cases occurring in the Northeast. It has been three decades since the agent of the disease, the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, and the ticks that vector it were identified. However, the number of Lyme disease cases have steadily increased.

5 Jan 2012

Researchers show how modern science can unlock mysteries of the past

Two teams of Michigan State University researchers - one working at a medieval burial site in Albania, the other at a DNA lab in East Lansing - have shown how modern science can unlock the mysteries of the past.

4 Jan 2012

Columbus’s crew may have brought back syphilis: Study

New research shows that syphilis – a sexually transmitted disease was carried to Europe aboard Christopher Columbus' ships as they sailed home from the New World. The disease was not spread through sexual contact at the time, but adapted to survive once it got to Europe, Emory University researchers say.

1 Jan 2012

AAA announces recipients of Young Investigator Awards

The American Association of Anatomist's (AAA) Young Investigator Awards combine three long-standing AAA awards-Bensley, Herrick, and Mossman-with the recently established Morphological Sciences Award, all recognizing investigators in the early stages of their careers who have made important contributions to biomedical science through their research in cell/molecular biology, developmental biology, comparative neuroanatomy, or the morphological sciences.

26 Dec 2011