Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Computers could discover future drugs

The drugs of tomorrow may be discovered by computers. A proof-of-concept study published December 23 in Cell Systems demonstrates that with the right input of data about infectious yeast, a machine algorithm can learn to identify combinations of existing and previously unknown compounds that can work together as antifungal agents.

24 Dec 2015

Lower levels of antibodies in saliva linked to increased risk of mortality

New research from the University of Birmingham has found that lower levels of antibodies in saliva are associated with of an elevated risk of mortality, and could be an early indicator of risk.

24 Dec 2015

Single VRC01 antibody infusion could suppress HIV level in people not taking ART

A single infusion of a powerful antibody called VRC01 can suppress the level of HIV in the blood of infected people who are not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), scientists at the National Institutes of Health report in a paper published today.

24 Dec 2015

Immunogeneticist helps monitor immune responses in VRC01 phase 1 trial in HIV-infected individuals

Janardan Pandey, Ph.D., an immunogeneticist specializing in immunoglobulin GM genes at the Medical University of South Carolina, helped monitor for immune responses that could limit the effectiveness of the broadly neutralizing antibody VRC01 in a phase 1 trial of that antibody in HIV-infected individuals led by a team at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

24 Dec 2015

ATS commends President Obama for release of National Action Plan to combat TB

The American Thoracic Society applauds President Barack Obama and the Administration for the release of the National Action Plan to Combat Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (TB) today.

23 Dec 2015

New study examines single 'transformer' proteins involved in cancer

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital shows how a protein involved in cancer twists and morphs into different structures.

22 Dec 2015

Roche announces availability of cobas HBVassay for use on cobas 4800 System

Roche announced today the commercial availability of the cobas HBVassay for use on the cobas 4800 System in countries accepting the CE mark. This new molecular diagnostic assay expands the available virology menu on the cobas 4800 System, improving system efficiency and providing testing flexibility that allows physicians to assess a patient's response to antiviral therapy.

22 Dec 2015

Benjamin Wolozin receives $500,000 award in Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery Research

Research that leads to improved therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is one goal of Boston University School of Medicine professor of pharmacology and neurology Benjamin Wolozin, MD, PhD. He was one of six researchers awarded a two-year, $500,000 award in Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery Research by the Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation.

22 Dec 2015

UM student awarded grant for research on human immune system

A hardworking University of Montana undergraduate student will spend the next two and half years studying the hardest-working cell in the human immune system.

22 Dec 2015

SciClone plans to pursue development of SGX942 in the Greater China market

SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced plans to pursue development and registration of SGX942 in the Greater China market, for the treatment of oral mucositis.

21 Dec 2015

Roche's cobas HIV-1 viral load test approved by FDA for use on cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 Systems

Roche announced today that it has received FDA approval for the cobas HIV-1 viral load test by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use on the cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 Systems. This HIV-1 viral load test is part of the next generation of Roche viral load tests, which clinicians use to manage the disease and treatment of patients infected with HIV-1.

21 Dec 2015

Flu vaccine: the facts. An interview with Dr Lisa Maragakis

There are different formulations of the flu vaccine but in general they all do the same thing, which is to stimulate our body's immune system to recognize and fight against the influenza virus.

21 Dec 2015

Janssen collaborates with Bavarian Nordic to develop, commercialize vaccine for chronic HPV infections

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the company has entered into a definitive collaboration and license agreement with Bavarian Nordic to leverage their MVA-BN technology, jointly with Janssen's own AdVac® technology, in the development and commercialization of a heterologous prime-boost vaccine for the treatment of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) chronic infections which can lead to cancer.

20 Dec 2015

More effort needed to reduce risks of mosquito-transmitted epidemics in the U.S. and Mexico

Despite the increasing risks of mosquito-transmitted epidemics in the United States and Mexico, policymakers in both countries have made little effort to prevent future outbreaks, according to a new policy brief by tropical-disease and science policy experts at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

18 Dec 2015

Study examines effect of nonoperative treatment for appendicitis

It is too early to change the standard treatment of appendicitis in U.S. adults to initial antibiotic therapy only, rather than surgical removal of the appendix, or appendectomy, authors of a new systematic review study conclude.

18 Dec 2015

Roche files direct de novo application to FDA for Anti-Mullerian assay

Roche announced today that it has filed a direct de novo application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a fully automated Anti-Mullerian (AMH) assay for use on Roche's full portfolio of laboratory analyzers. The determination of AMH is useful for the assessment of ovarian reserve in women presenting to infertility clinics for evaluation in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory findings.

17 Dec 2015

Candidiasis needs to be treated early, aggressively to help vulnerable hospitalized patients

One of the most common causes of healthcare-associated infections, candidiasis is a serious, life-threatening fungal infection that needs to be treated early, aggressively and appropriately, note updated guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

17 Dec 2015

Patients trained to perform S-OPAT have lower rates of hospital readmission

Patients trained to administer their own intravenous antibiotics at home (self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy or S-OPAT), achieved similar or better outcomes compared to patients who received healthcare-delivered OPAT (H-OPAT) with assistance from a home-care nurse or skilled nursing facility, according to a paper published this week in PLOS Medicine.

17 Dec 2015

RBHS Chancellor leads study to eliminate chronic viral hepatitis

Chronic viral hepatitis has a reputation for being a silent killer. The infection often goes undetected until the symptoms of advanced liver cancer appear. By that point, a patient has a five-year survival rate, according to the American Cancer Society.

17 Dec 2015

Salk researchers move one step closer to unlocking how the brain functions

How the brain functions is still a black box: scientists aren't even sure how many kinds of nerve cells exist in the brain. To know how the brain works, they need to know not only what types of nerve cells exist, but also how they work together. Researchers at the Salk Institute have gotten one step closer to unlocking this black box.

17 Dec 2015