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NanoViricides' anti-Herpes drug candidates demonstrate significant efficacy in cell culture studies

NanoViricides, Inc., reports that its anti-Herpes drug candidates demonstrated significant efficacy in the recently completed cell culture studies. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Ken Rosenthal at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

16 Aug 2010

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims of key Tuschl III patent covering Mir-155

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed claims in a patent application (US Serial No. 12/550,579) derived from the "Tuschl III" patent series. The allowed claims relate to human microRNA miR-155, a microRNA that is a potential target for immuno-inflammatory indications, and a lead program of the Regulus-GSK Strategic Alliance.

11 Aug 2010

Boston Globe examines rise of polio in Tajikistan, other pockets of world

"Polio has reappeared in a corner of the world that had not seen cases in years - Tajikistan, the former Soviet republic - a chilling setback in the two-decade campaign to purge a dreaded cause of childhood paralysis from the planet," the Boston Globe reports in a story that examines the reemergence of polio in other areas of the world.

7 Aug 2010

Research establishes bases of possible future pharmaceutical drugs to combat AIDS virus

The doors are closing on the AIDS virus. The scientific community continues to strive to find the formula that will halt the advance of one of the viruses that has sparked most scientific interest over recent years. A study by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient-ficas (CSIC) and led by Mr F-lix Go-i, director of the Biophysics Unit at the CSIC-University of the Basque Country Mixed Centre, has developed a method of attack against the AIDS virus The method involves creating a prevention system, i.e. an 'armour' in the cells that are likely to be infected and thus impede, de facto, the virus from accessing them and starting to act on their immunological system.

31 Jul 2010

Dengue fever emerges as major health threat in Gulf coast cities

Several cases of dengue fever, a potentially fatal viral disease transmitted by the bite of urban dwelling Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, have recently been reported in the continental United States. Prevalent in Central America and the Caribbean, dengue fever's most common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and body aches lasting several days. The disease's more threatening form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause internal bleeding, loss of blood pressure, and death. Over the past five years, outbreaks of both forms of the disease have been reported in Texas and Florida.

28 Jul 2010

Scientists discover mechanism of herpes virus cell entry machinery

The mechanism by which a herpes virus invades cells has remained a mystery to scientists, but now research from Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania reveals the unusual structure of a key member of the protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells.The new map details an essential piece of the herpes virus "cell-entry machinery," providing scientists with a new target for antiviral drugs.

27 Jul 2010

DBS signs exclusive license agreement with JLB

Decas Botanical Synergies, LLC. today announced that it has signed an Exclusive License Agreement with a purchase option with JLB, Inc. developer and owner of broad-based patents covering cranberry and other vaccinium species.

20 Jul 2010

Idera announces issuance of patents for synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to TLRs

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the issuance of patents covering compositions and methods of using its synthetic immune modulatory oligonucleotides targeted to Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The Company's intellectual property portfolio currently contains over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide and includes claims for TLR-targeted compounds, second-generation antisense chemistry, and oral delivery of certain oligonucleotides.

8 Jul 2010

Brain fever mistaken as migraine kills a 30 year old woman

Jane Harrop, a 30 year old British woman was complaining of headaches for several days that made her feel “drunk”. She was diagnosed to be suffering from migraine but died two days later from a viral infection of the brain.

7 Jul 2010

Map of herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" provides new target for antiviral drugs

The mechanism by which a herpes virus invades cells has remained a mystery to scientists seeking to thwart this family of viruses. New research funded by the National Institutes of Health and published online in advance of print in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology reveals the unusual structure of the protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells. This detailed map of a key piece of the herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" gives scientists a new target for antiviral drugs.

7 Jul 2010

Adding nutrients could improve efficiency of deep sea biological pump

Adding nutrients to the sea could decrease viral infection rates among phytoplankton and enhance the efficiency of the biological pump, a means by which carbon is transferred from the atmosphere to the deep ocean, according to a new mathematical modelling study. The findings, published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, have implications for ocean geo-engineering schemes proposed for tackling global warming.

2 Jul 2010

Researchers use neonatal piglet model to study infant brain development

Events occurring during the development of an infant's brain can leave behind fingerprints. And researchers at the University of Illinois are interested in learning how these fingerprints can predict future behavioral problems such as cognitive deficits, anxiety disorders, depression, and even autism.

29 Jun 2010

Specific virus can interact with mutation in host's genes to trigger diseases: Scientists

Scientists have shown that a specific virus can interact with a mutation in the host's genes to trigger disease. The observation may help explain why many people with disease risk genes do not actually develop disease.

25 Jun 2010

Preclinical study shows treatment with DAS181 inhibits infection with multiple HPIV strains

NexBio, Inc. announced today the publication of a "Major Article" in the Journal of Infectious Diseases of a preclinical study showing that treatment with DAS181 (Fludase) inhibits infection with multiple human parainfluenza virus strains. DAS181 is a broad spectrum host-targeted investigational drug candidate for treatment and prevention of Influenza-Like Illness.

19 Jun 2010

Study evaluates effect of Viusid on oxidative stress, cytokine parameters in patients with CHC

The pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C is associated with severe oxidative stress and non-selective immunological disturbance that lead to necroinflammation and the progression of fibrosis. Several trials have suggested that antioxidant and immunostimulant therapies may have a beneficial effect. Two previous clinical studies have reported that the Viusid related effect on histologic features, especially fibrosis, appears to be associated with antioxidant and/or immunomodulatory properties.

18 Jun 2010

White blood cells with receptors for both virus and nerve proteins may assault nerves after fighting infection

A virus infection can incite the body to attack its own nerve tissue by activating unusual, disease-fighting cells with receptors for both viral and nerve proteins. The dual-receptor observation suggests a way brain and spinal cord nerve damage might be triggered in susceptible young adults afflicted with multiple sclerosis.

11 Jun 2010

New methodology may help control influenza

Scientists have uncovered the flu's secret formula for effectively evolving within and between host species: balance. The key lies with the flu's unique replication process, which has evolved to produce enough mutations for the virus to spread and adapt to its host environment, but not so many that unwanted genomic mutations lead to the flu's demise (catastrophic mutagenesis).

11 Jun 2010

Researchers decipher how mast cells set immune defense on right track

In the event of an infection, the immune system releases messenger substances. These molecules can either activate immune cells to defeat invading pathogens, or inhibit them to prevent an excessive immune reaction. For this, the immune system has to decide very quickly what mixture of activating and inhibiting messenger molecules leads to a successful defence.

8 Jun 2010

Alnylam, Mount Sinai scientists discover svRNAs that play a critical role in influenza A virus replication

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the publication of new research findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by Alnylam scientists and collaborators from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In the new study, Alnylam and Mount Sinai scientists discovered a novel class of virus-produced small non-coding RNAs, called small viral RNAs (svRNAs), which play a critical role in the replication of influenza A virus.

2 Jun 2010

Anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrate efficacy in preliminary cell culture studies

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrated significant efficacy in the recently completed preliminary cell culture studies. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Eva Harris, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Berkeley.