Herpes News and Research

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Herpes is an infection caused by two different but closely related viruses — herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or cold sores and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) or genital herpes. Both are easy to catch. They have similar symptoms (blisters or sores) and both can occur on different parts of the body. When the infection is on the mouth, it is called oral herpes. When it is on or near the sex organs, it is called genital herpes. There is no cure for herpes. Treatments are available to speed up the healing of the genital sores.

New model provides better understanding of epidemic spreading in realistic circumstances

New approaches are needed to control the spread of epidemic diseases, according to the developers of a new model of the way pathogens can 'cooperate'.

16 Nov 2017

New category of immunotherapy appears safe to use in patients with both cancer and HIV

A new category of immunotherapies called checkpoint inhibitors that has been highly effective against many different cancers appears safe to use in patients with both advanced malignancies and HIV, a population excluded from earlier trials of such therapies, according to an early-phase trial.

7 Nov 2017

Using biologics during pregnancy may not raise infant's risk for opportunistic infections

Using a biologic therapy to manage rheumatoid arthritis may not significantly increase an infant's risk for developing opportunistic infections like pneumonia, meningitis, and tuberculosis, according to new research findings presented this week at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego.

6 Nov 2017

CDC recommends new vaccine for shingles

Last month a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel had voted 11 to 0 approving a shingles vaccine for its use in adults aged 50 and over. The panel unanimously accepted the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and thus GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix.

25 Oct 2017

New study explores how herpes simplex virus may change during familial transmission

A new study explores how herpes simplex virus might change when passed from one individual to another, information that may prove useful in future development of therapeutics and vaccines.

20 Oct 2017

Genital herpes was inherited from human ancestors

There are two main herpes simplex viruses that cause herpes in man – those that cause cold sores or HSV1 and those that cause genital herpes or HSV2. Humans and chimpanzees both were affected by HSV1 millions of years ago when their lineages split. HSV2 however did not leap on to humans until much later shows new research.

3 Oct 2017

CDC warns about steep rise in STDs among Americans

According to a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday (26th September 2017), in 2016, a survey has revealed that more than 2 million Americans have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) including infections such as gonorrhea, syphilis and Chlamydia. This is one of the highest numbers that have been detected till date they say.

27 Sep 2017

Researchers receive $11.5 million program project grant to eliminate drug resistant malaria

Texas Biomedical Research Institute researchers, Dr. Tim Anderson and Dr. Ian Cheeseman, have partnered with researchers at the University of Notre Dame and the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Seattle to pursue studies in drug resistant malaria.

20 Sep 2017

Researchers create chimera virus that allows study of molecules to treat cancers

Researchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular Lisboa have created a chimera virus that allows the study of molecules to treat cancers caused by human herpesvirus infection in mice models of disease.

18 Sep 2017

New shingles vaccine gets FDA panel votes

On the 13th of September 2017, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has voted 11 to 0 approving a shingles vaccine for its use in adults aged 50 and over. The panel unanimously accepted the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and thus GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix is on its way to FDA approval.

14 Sep 2017

Combination treatment provides positive results for people with advanced melanoma

In a two-year UCLA-led study, nearly two-thirds of people with advanced melanoma responded positively to a treatment that combines the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab with a herpes virus called talimogene laherpareovec, or T-VEC.

8 Sep 2017

St. Kitts launches probe of herpes vaccine tests on U.S. patients

The government of St. Kitts and Nevis has launched an investigation into the clinical trial for a herpes vaccine by an American company because it said its officials were not notified about the experiments.

31 Aug 2017

Offshore rush for herpes vaccine roils debate over U.S. safety rules

Defying U.S. safety protections for human trials, an American university and a group of wealthy libertarians, including a prominent Donald Trump supporter, are backing the offshore testing of an experimental herpes vaccine.

28 Aug 2017

Studies reveal strategies for using shingles vaccine in arthritis patients

New research indicates that the live varicella-zoster vaccine--which is given to protect against shingles--elicits robust immune responses in patients when administered several weeks prior to the start of treatment with the arthritis drug tofacitinib.

28 Aug 2017

LSU Health New Orleans receives $10 million grant to support research on virus-induced cancers

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded LSU Health New Orleans a $10 million grant over five years to support new basic research studies advancing the development new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for virus-induced cancers.

26 Aug 2017

Research reveals underlying reason for intense pain in patients with shingles

Chickenpox is a typical childhood illness. In most cases, it is benign, and the symptoms disappear within ten days. However, its causative agent, Varicella zoster virus (VZV), remains in the organism forever. In some cases, the virus can be reactivated years later, causing a different disease known as herpes zoster, or shingles.

24 Aug 2017

Accidental discovery opens up new way to find unknown viruses

A chance discovery has opened up a new method of finding unknown viruses. In research published in the journal Virus Evolution, scientists from Oxford University's Department of Zoology have revealed that Next-Generation Sequencing and its associated online DNA databases could be used in the field of viral discovery.

4 Aug 2017

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