Pathogen News and Research

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New concept to fight microorganisms can promote stronger immune system

Managing bacteria and other microorganisms in the body, rather than just fighting them, may be lead to better health and a stronger immune system, according to a Penn State biologist.

29 Mar 2013

Genome sequencing reveals drug-resistant bacteria are transmitted from animals to humans

Researchers have used whole genome sequencing to reveal if drug-resistant bacteria are transmitted from animals to humans in two disease outbreaks that occurred on different farms in Denmark.

26 Mar 2013

Harvard scientists to further advance blood-cleansing technology for treating sepsis

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University announced today that it was awarded a $9.25 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to further advance a blood-cleansing technology developed at the Institute with prior DARPA support, and help accelerate its translation to humans as a new type of sepsis therapy.

26 Mar 2013

$Immune system responds to fracture in similar way as to infection$

Immune system responds to fracture in similar way as to infection

Researchers at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have succeeded in demonstrating an association between delayed bone fracture healing and increased concentration of specific immune cells in the blood of the patient.

25 Mar 2013

Fralin Life Science Institute researchers use TALENS to alter mosquito genome

Virginia Tech researchers successfully used a gene disruption technique to change the eye color of a mosquito - a critical step toward new genetic strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of diseases such as dengue fever.

22 Mar 2013

Positive results from Affinium Pharmaceuticals' Phase 2a clinical trial of AFN-1252 in ABSSSI

Affinium Pharmaceuticals announced today that its Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating oral AFN-1252 in acute bacterial skin & skin structure infections demonstrated excellent efficacy and safety data, marking a significant proof-of-concept milestone for Affinium's first-in-class, novel antibiotic targeted against bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis inhibition (FabI inhibitors).

21 Mar 2013

Nanomedicines prevent tissue damage associated with atherosclerosis, other chronic diseases

Doses of medicine 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair prevent the tissue damage associated with atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases in mice.

20 Mar 2013

Research findings could lead to development of new drugs for gout treatment

Findings from a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study could lead to the development of new drugs to treat gout.

20 Mar 2013

Cytomegalovirus employs a novel trick to hide from immune detection

A virus that most people have probably never heard of, yet most of us carry, is the number 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects. One in 750 children are born with, or develop, permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage as a result of CMV (cytomegalovirus) infection in the womb.

17 Mar 2013

Study: Flagellin plays a critical role in regulating host innate defences against UTIs

A new study by British scientists reveals that motile Escherichia coli isolates demonstrated significant activation of NF-κB signaling suggesting that flagellin plays a key role in up-regulating the host innate defences against urinary tract infections (UTIs).

15 Mar 2013

ST131 infection is more prevalent in LTCF residents and elderly population

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) continues to proliferate, driven largely by expansion of a strain of E. coli know as sequence type ST131. A new study points to hospitals and long-term care facilities (LTCF) as settings in which this antibiotic-resistant strain is increasingly found.

14 Mar 2013

UCSF study on T-cell behavior sheds light on how vaccines work

The immune system's T cells, while coordinating responses to diseases and vaccines, act like honey bees sharing information about the best honey sources, according to a new study by scientists at UC San Francisco.

14 Mar 2013

Immune system B cells play crucial role in defence of pathogens

Immune system B cells play a crucial role in the defence of pathogens; when they detect such an intruder, they produce antibodies that help to combat the enemy.

13 Mar 2013

New, inexpensive nano-biosensor can detect Listeria monocytogenes in food

The foodborne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes sickens about 2,500 people in the U.S. each year and many more worldwide, killing about 25-30% of those infected. Listeriosis is caused by eating food contaminated with L. monocytogenes, and current methods for detecting the bacteria are costly and time consuming.

13 Mar 2013

Pneumococcal vaccine pre-clinical development supported by £0.2 million award from Biomedical Catalyst

ImmBio (Immunobiology Ltd), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative vaccines against serious infectious diseases, today announced that the UK government-backed Biomedical Catalyst has awarded the company approximately £0.2 million ($0.3 million) to support pre-clinical development of its pneumococcal vaccine, PnuBioVax™, which targets a wide range of strains of the bacteria.

12 Mar 2013

Study helps explain why viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns

Viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns, infecting some cells but missing others. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain why. The scientists showed that natural immune defenses that resist viral infection are turned on in some brain cells but switched off in others.

8 Mar 2013

Southeast Asia's commercial trade plays a central role in spread of amphibian pathogens

A team of scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), revealed in a new study, for the first time, the presence of the pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in amphibians sampled in Singapore. And the American bullfrog may be a central player in the spread of the disease.

8 Mar 2013

Idera announces new data from IMO-3100 and IMO-8400 preclinical study on psoriasis

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of new data showing that its selective Toll-like receptor antagonists, IMO-3100 and IMO-8400, normalized the gene expression of important cytokines in a preclinical study of skin inflammation that is commonly used as a model of psoriasis.

4 Mar 2013

Intralytix’s SalmoFresh food safety product receives GRAS recognition from FDA

Intralytix, Inc. announced today that its latest food safety product, SalmoFresh, has received GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) recognition from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

28 Feb 2013

Princeton metabolic model can predict how parasites would fare in altered climates

Knowing the temperatures that viruses, bacteria, worms and all other parasites need to grow and survive could help determine the future range of infectious diseases under climate change, according to new research.

27 Feb 2013