Avian Influenza News and Research

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Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.

Company affiliation is the greatest driver of farm-to-farm disease transmission risk: Study

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examines the potential influence that the business connections between broiler chicken growers may have on the transmission of avian influenza, H5N1. According to the study, the risk of between-farm transmission is significantly greater among farms within the same company group than it is between farms with different company affiliation.

31 Mar 2010

Inovio Biomedical's total revenue increased to $2.6M for quarter ended December 31, 2009

Inovio Biomedical Corporation today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009.

29 Mar 2010

Zenyaku Kogyo receives license to Theraclone Sciences' influenza monoclonal antibody program

Theraclone Sciences, Inc., announced that Zenyaku Kogyo Co. Ltd., has exercised its option for an exclusive license in the Japan territory to Theraclone’s influenza monoclonal antibody program. The collaboration utilizes Theraclone’s I-STAR™ technology to discover broadly protective monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of pandemic influenza and severe seasonal influenza.

22 Mar 2010

ITDS can be effective for screening fever during H1N1 influenza pandemic: UNMC researchers

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found an Infrared Thermal Detection System to be a fast and effective fever screening tool in clinical settings during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. The ITDS detected fever in patients through split-second, non-contact skin temperature measurements.

20 Mar 2010

PPD, Southern Research Institute collaborate in pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine research

PPD and Southern Research Institute today announced they have formed a collaborative agreement in pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine research and development to provide clients a full spectrum of influenza vaccine development services by collaborating on client bids and projects.

18 Mar 2010

TCAD therapy superior to double combinations and monotherapy against influenza viruses

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today results from in vivo animal studies and in vitro tests demonstrating that its triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy is superior relative to double combinations and monotherapy against multiple strains of pandemic and avian influenza viruses. Results of these studies were presented Sunday evening in an oral session at the XII International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections being held in Taipei.

15 Mar 2010

Celltrion develops novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection

Celltrion, Inc., a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, has developed novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection, which neutralize a broad spectrum of influenza viruses, including pandemic H1N1 and the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus. Preliminary tests in laboratory animals indicate that the novel human monoclonal antibodies can be used to prevent disease when given either before or after infection.

10 Mar 2010

Vaxart raises $12.5M to advance Phase I clinical trials on Avian flu vaccine

Vaxart, Inc., a San Francisco biotechnology company developing oral-delivery vaccines, has closed a $12.5 million Series B financing, led by Care Capital of Princeton NJ. The funding will be used to advance the Company's lead product, an oral vaccine for Avian influenza, through Phase I clinical trials.

4 Mar 2010

Inovio Biomedical's SynCon preventive DNA vaccine receives approval in Korea for Phase I clinical trial

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that its affiliate VGX International Inc. has received approval in Korea to begin a Phase I clinical trial in healthy volunteers for Inovio’s SynCon™ preventive DNA vaccine (VGX-3400) targeting H5N1 avian influenza.

2 Mar 2010

McGill University and RI MUHC secure $300,000 CIHR grant to develop VLP vaccines

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have awarded a $300,000 grant for research focusing on the nature of the immune response induced by the action mechanisms of plant-made Virus-Like Particles (VLP) to Dr. Louis Vezina, Chief Scientific Officer of Medicago and to Dr. Brian Ward and Dr. Ciriaco Piccirillo of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) and McGill University.

1 Mar 2010

TCAD therapy active and synergistic against drug resistant influenza virus strains

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, reported today on the publication of results from a preclinical study that demonstrated the synergistic effects of triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy against multiple strains of seasonal, pandemic, and avian influenza A (H1N1, H3N2 and H5N1) virus, including three strains of amantadine resistant pandemic H1N1 and two strains of oseltamivir resistant seasonal H1N1.

23 Feb 2010

IBM, VLSCI scientists to use Blue Gene supercomputer to study human disease

IBM today announced a Research collaboratory in Melbourne, Australia, where scientists from the Victorian Life Sciences Computational Initiative at the University of Melbourne and the IBM Research Computational Biology Center will use high performance computing – including IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer – to study human disease.

12 Feb 2010

Inovio Biomedical announces additional immunogenicity data from therapeutic cervical cancer vaccine trial

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today additional interim safety and immunogenicity data from its therapeutic cervical cancer vaccine (VGX-3100) trial. VGX-3100 is a DNA vaccine targeting the E6 and E7 proteins of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 and is delivered via in vivo electroporation.

8 Feb 2010

Pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from seasonal flu

Current research suggests that pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from the seasonal flu, yet does not result in the pathogenic severity of avian flu viruses.

2 Feb 2010

Study identifies key demographic and psychological factors that predict protective behaviour during pandemics

A study that looked at how people behave during pandemics has identified key demographic and psychological factors that may predict protective behaviours. The study is published online today, 30th January 2010, in the British Journal of Health Psychology.

30 Jan 2010

MBL generates human monoclonal antibodies against pandemic A type influenza virus

Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. (MBL), with the collaboration of Osaka University, has successfully generated several fully human monoclonal antibodies against pandemic A (H1N1 and H3N2) type influenza virus by utilizing blood samples from volunteers who were inoculated with influenza vaccine.

27 Jan 2010

New genetic evidence can improve avian influenza surveillance programs

Genetic analyses of avian influenza in wild birds can help pinpoint likely carrier species and geographic hot spots where Eurasian viruses would be most likely to enter North America, according to new U.S. Geological Survey research.

13 Jan 2010

Inovio Biomedical expands existing license agreement with the University of Pennsylvania

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that it has expanded its existing license agreement with the University of Pennsylvania, adding exclusive worldwide licenses for technology and intellectual property for novel DNA vaccines against pandemic influenza, Chikungunya, and foot-and-mouth disease.

11 Jan 2010

Also in global health news: ART access in Zimbabwe; Indonesia bird flu deaths; Kenya floods; Solomon Island tsunami

Zimbabwe's government plans work with international organizations to increase the number of people receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to 300,000 by the end of the year, up from the 180,000 who currently get the drugs, Henry Madzorera, the country's health minister, said on Tuesday, ZimOnline reports.

6 Jan 2010

Food safety leader organizes holiday recipe contest to highlight food borne illness

It's not too late! Enter the National Pasteurized Eggs, (www.SafeEggs.com), makers of Davidson's Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs, best holiday recipe contest. Designed by National Pasteurized Eggs, food safety leader, to celebrate the season and remind at-home chefs and bakers about food borne illness, the Davidson's Safest Choice "Safest Recipes" contest runs through Dec. 31, 2009.

23 Dec 2009