Adenovirus News and Research

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Adenoviruses most commonly cause respiratory illness; however, depending on the infecting serotype, they may also cause various other illnesses, such as gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, cystitis, and rash illness. Symptoms of respiratory illness caused by adenovirus infection range from the common cold syndrome to pneumonia, croup, and bronchitis. Patients with compromised immune systems are especially susceptible to severe complications of adenovirus infection. Acute respiratory disease (ARD), first recognized among military recruits during World War II, can be caused by adenovirus infections during conditions of crowding and stress.

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

Protein-based modular system could help detect viral infection or kill cancer cells

MIT biological engineers have developed a modular system of proteins that can detect a particular DNA sequence in a cell and then trigger a specific response, such as cell death.

22 Sep 2015

CEVEC launches unique cell-expression system for scalable production of gene therapy vectors

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals GmbH, the expert in the production of tailor-made recombinant glycoproteins and gene therapy vectors, today announced the introduction of its unique cell-expression system, CAP GT, for the fully scalable production of gene therapy vectors, based on the Company's proprietary CAP technology.

8 Sep 2015

Alpha lipoic acid can stimulate telomerase with positive effects in mouse model of atherosclerosis

In human cells, shortened telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, are both a sign of aging and contribute to it. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found that the dietary supplement alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can stimulate telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, with positive effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis.

24 Aug 2015

Researchers identify strategy to prevent adenoviruses from multiplying and causing sickness in humans

Using an animal model they developed, Saint Louis University and Utah State university researchers have identified a strategy that could keep a common group of viruses called adenoviruses from replicating and causing sickness in humans.

21 Aug 2015

Reducing amyloid fibril levels in semen may help reduce transmission of HIV

There may be two new ways to fight AIDS -- using a heat shock protein or a small molecule - to attack fibrils in semen associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the initial phases of infection, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

18 Aug 2015

Shire acquires Foresight Biotherapeutics for $300 million

Shire plc announced today that it has acquired New York-based, privately held Foresight Biotherapeutics Inc. for $300 million.

3 Aug 2015

Oxford University performs second phase of experimental Ebola vaccine trial

Oxford University doctors and scientists are performing the second phase of clinical studies of an experimental Ebola vaccine regimen. The study is part of the EBOVAC2 project, a collaborative programme involving the University of Oxford, French Institute of Health and Medical Research as project coordinator, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Le Centre Muraz, Inserm Transfert and the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

15 Jul 2015

Ebola vaccine study begins in Dakar, Senegal

A trial to evaluate an Ebola vaccine has begun in Dakar, Senegal, after initial immunisations started at the Jenner Institute, Oxford University. The announcement comes as a conference in Oxford discusses the global response to Ebola and the implications for future drug and vaccine development.

15 Jul 2015

Hiroshima University researchers reveal molecular mechanisms involved in neuropathic pain

A research group from Hiroshima University demonstrated that the downregulation of spinal astrocyte connexin43 (Cx43) expression causes sustained neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury. Controlling the Cx43 expression using pharmacological approaches or gene therapy might serve as novel therapeutic strategies ameliorate neurological disorders in general and neuropathic pain in particular.

14 Jul 2015

Canadian researchers launch world's first viral therapy clinical trial to attack and kill cancer cells

Canadian researchers have launched the world's first clinical trial of a novel investigational therapy that uses a combination of two viruses to attack and kill cancer cells, and stimulate an anti-cancer immune response. Previous research by this team and others worldwide suggests that this approach could be very powerful, and could have fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy and radiation, although it will take years to rigorously test through this trial and others.

13 Jul 2015

Turnstone announces ongoing enrollment of Marabex clinical trial

Turnstone Biologics Inc., a FACIT portfolio company, has announced the ongoing enrollment of the Marabex clinical trial assessing the safety and immune responses in patients with advanced or metastatic, MAGE-A3-expressing solid tumours.

12 Jul 2015

Researchers reveal how certain lipids help adenoviruses to enter the cell

Adenoviruses cause numerous diseases, such as eye or respiratory infections, and they are widely used in gene therapy. Researchers from the University of Zurich have now discovered how these viruses penetrate the cells, a key step for infection and gene delivery. The cell unwillingly supports virus entry and infection by providing lipids that are normally used to repair damaged membranes.

10 Jul 2015

DNAtrix signs agreement to utilize Alcyone's MEMS platform for direct drug delivery into glioblastoma

Alcyone Lifesciences, Inc., a leader in neural intervention systems for neurological conditions and targeted drug delivery, and DNAtrix Inc., a privately held biotechnology company and a leader in oncolytic virus therapy, have entered into an exclusive clinical collaboration. Under the agreement, DNAtrix will utilize Alcyone's MEMS Cannula (AMC) targeted delivery platform for the intratumoral delivery of DNX-2401, an oncolytic adenovirus and DNAtrix's lead product for the treatment of the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma (GBM).

19 May 2015

Experimental gene therapy holds promise against metastatic prostate cancer

Even with the best available treatments, the median survival of patients with metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer is only two to three years. Driven by the need for more effective therapies for these patients, researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine have developed a unique approach that uses microscopic gas bubbles to deliver directly to the cancer a viral gene therapy in combination with an experimental drug that targets a specific gene driving the cancer's growth.

12 May 2015

T cell expansion technology: an interview with Alexander Malykhin, CVPF, University of Pennsylvania

T cells are taken from the patient’s blood and then modified using lentivirus, adenovirus or RNA electroporation.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Flow Cytometry 5 May 2015

Ebola survivors face long-term adverse health effects: Study

Ebola survivors experienced negative health effects that persisted more than two years after the 2007-2008 Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) outbreak in Uganda that claimed 39 lives. These findings are detailed in a paper published online today in Lancet ID.

23 Apr 2015

GenVec, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology sign research collaboration agreement

GenVec, Inc. today announced that it has signed a research collaboration agreement with the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.

21 Apr 2015

New Ebola vaccine shows promise in first phase 1 clinical trial

Results from the first phase 1 trial of an Ebola vaccine based on the current (2014) strain of the virus are today published in The Lancet. Until now, all tested Ebola virus vaccines have been based on the virus strain from the Zaire outbreak in 1976. The results suggest that the new vaccine is safe, and provokes an immune response in recipients, although further long-term testing will be needed to establish whether it can protect against the Ebola virus.

27 Mar 2015

Personalized gene therapy to fight against cancer

The fight to treat cancer and eradicate tumors will likely benefit from a new set of treatments if early development phases continue to show promise, according to Kalorama Information. The healthcare market research publisher stated that gene therapies that are able to deliver genetic material to a specific cell population or tumor that will result in the destruction of the tumor.

25 Mar 2015