Infectious Diseases News and Research

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New cellular entry pathway improves gene therapy outcomes

Scientists from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney have made a landmark discovery that could lead to safer and more effective gene therapies for a range of serious genetic disorders including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Pompe disease and hemophilia.

15 Jul 2025

Dual targeting of lipid kinases offers hope against emerging viruses

Lipid kinases are enzymes that play a critical role in both cell signalling and membrane trafficking by phosphorylating lipid molecules in the body.

14 Jul 2025

Hepatitis C treatment gaps persist for children and new mothers

As the opioid epidemic has worsened in the United States, prevalence of hepatitis C has also increased. Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus that damages the liver.

11 Jul 2025

Scientists identify key role of T-bet in flu memory B cells

At the surface, the immune response to a flu virus is simple. Some cells recognize the pathogen and send a signal to the immune system, and immune cells produce a potentially lifesaving antibody against the virus. Antigen in, antibody out.

11 Jul 2025

How a simple blood test can forecast future health risks

Plasma proteomics reveals that the biological ages of key organs, especially the brain and immune system, strongly predict the risk of future disease and early death. These organ-specific “clocks” provide a new tool for identifying those at highest risk and personalizing preventive care.

10 Jul 2025

Largest study of ancient DNA traces infectious diseases through history

A research team led by Eske Willerslev, professor at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Cambridge, has recovered ancient DNA from 214 known human pathogens in prehistoric humans from Eurasia.

9 Jul 2025

New TB drugs show promise with fewer side effects than linezolid

The drugs, sutezolid and delpazolid, have demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity and a notably better safety profile compared to linezolid, with potential to replace this current cornerstone in the treatment of drug-resistant TB.

8 Jul 2025

UCLA researchers discover new way to prevent immunotherapy-induced type 1 diabetes

A team of researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified a potential new strategy to prevent, and even reverse, immune checkpoint inhibitor–induced type 1 diabetes, a rare but life-threatening side effect of cancer immunotherapy, using an existing class of autoimmune drugs.

8 Jul 2025

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics and Therapeutics

In this interview, Professor James J. Collins, founder of the field of Synthetic Biology, discusses his journey to founding the field of synthetic biology and the potential of living diagnostics.

From Pittcon 7 Jul 2025

Study provides a molecular snapshot of Tanshi constitution's immunological landscape

The study aims to uncover the immunological basis of Tanshi (phlegm-dampness) constitution—a subhealth type in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)—using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

7 Jul 2025

Innovative approach for the development of next-generation cancer therapies targeting FGFR2/3

Aberrations in fibroblast growth factor receptors FGFR2/3 are major drivers of many cancers-including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, endometrial, breast, gastric, and bladder cancers.

4 Jul 2025

Canada faces growing threat from communicable diseases and misinformation

Canada must address the growing crisis of communicable diseases that has occurred in tandem with a rise in misinformation that threatens our health systems, argue authors in an editorial in CMAJ.

3 Jul 2025

European study reveals barriers to multinational clinical trials

A new study by investigators from Europe, including the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK), has shed light on significant ethical, administrative, regulatory, and logistical (EARL) hurdles in delivering multinational randomized clinical trials.

3 Jul 2025

TET2 mutations in blood stem cells linked to lower Alzheimer's risk

A study published in Cell Stem Cell reveals that some mutations in blood stem cells might help protect against late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

2 Jul 2025

Mature dendritic cell vesicles enhance influenza vaccine effectiveness

Influenza hemagglutinin subunit vaccines are more effective and offer better cross protection against various influenza virus challenges when combined with a mucosal adjuvant that enhances the body's immune response, according to a study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

2 Jul 2025

Targeting RAP proteins for next-generation malaria treatments

A University of California, Riverside-led team has made an advance in the basic understanding of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria, that could make novel, highly targeted anti-malarial therapies possible.

1 Jul 2025

Researchers link genetic ancestry to severity of dengue fever

For the first time, the extreme variability in dengue fever has been linked to a biological mechanism, potentially opening doors to new treatments and vaccines for the most common mosquito-borne disease worldwide.

30 Jun 2025

Gene therapy shows promise for reducing stroke risk in patients with sickle cell disease

Gene therapy for sickle cell disease may help improve a major contributing factor to stroke risk in patients, reports a new study from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

30 Jun 2025

Newly discovered target may re-energize exhausted immune cells in the fight against cancer

Van Andel Institute scientists and collaborators have discovered a potential treatment target that may re-energize dysfunctional or "exhausted" immune cells in their fight against cancer.

27 Jun 2025

Kennedy’s vaccine advisers sow doubts as scientists protest US pivot on shots

As fired and retired scientists rallied outside in the Atlanta heat, an advisory panel that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handpicked to replace experts he'd fired earlier met inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's headquarters to plan a more skeptical vaccine future.

27 Jun 2025