Infectious Diseases News and Research

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New funding supports research on new and improved drug treatments for tuberculosis, malaria

University of Toronto and McGill University scientists are leading an international partnership to discover new and improved drug treatments for tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases -- thanks to a contribution from Merck Canada Inc., as well as an additional $5 million supplement to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

17 Dec 2015

Researchers report development of rapid, low-cost test for detecting TB in resource-limited areas

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease and a major global health problem, especially in countries with developing health care systems. Because there is no fast, easy way to detect TB, the deadly infection can spread quickly through communities. Now, a team reports in ACS Sensors the development of a rapid, sensitive and low-cost method for detecting the disease in resource-limited areas.

17 Dec 2015

Soligenix reports positive results from SGX942 Phase 2 trial in patients with head and neck cancer

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need, announced today positive results in its Phase 2 clinical trial, in which SGX942, a first-in-class Innate Defense Regulator (IDR), at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg, successfully reduced the median duration of severe oral mucositis by 50% in all patients and by 67% in patients receiving the most aggressive chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for treatment of their head and neck cancer.

16 Dec 2015

Patients can be trained to safely self-administer long-term IV antibiotics, say UT Southwestern physicians

Uninsured patients can be trained to safely and efficiently self-administer long-term intravenous antibiotics, UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians have found, a result that may have profound implications for patient treatment at public hospitals across the country.

16 Dec 2015

Molecular signatures can predict flu vaccine responses in young and old

What factors inhibit strong responses to seasonal flu vaccines in the elderly? Why do anti-flu antibodies last longer after vaccination in some people? Answers are emerging from an Emory University-based systems biology analysis of blood samples from more than 400 volunteers who received seasonal flu vaccines. Bali Pulendran, PhD, led a team of researchers who tracked patterns of gene expression, known as molecular signatures, of strong immune responses in volunteers' blood across five consecutive seasons from 2007 to 2011.

16 Dec 2015

Shingles vaccine can help protect elderly patients with end-stage renal disease

Elderly patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who received the shingles vaccine were half as likely to develop shingles compared to those who were not vaccinated. The new study from Kaiser Permanente, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, also found the best protection against shingles was achieved when patients received the vaccination shortly after beginning dialysis.

16 Dec 2015

Can Nanostructured Microelectrodes be Used to Analyze Biomarkers? An Interview with Dr Shana Kelley

Electrochemical methods are appealing because simple and inexpensive instrumentation can be used to make highly sensitive measurements. However, it has been quite difficult to realize clinically-relevant levels of sensitivity using electrochemistry in highly complex, real-world samples.

From Pittcon 15 Dec 2015

Medication holds promise for protecting fertility and the body's defense system during chemotherapy

While targeted cancer treatments have reduced side effects and improved efficacy, chemotherapy remains the backbone of combination therapies for many forms of cancer. Unfortunately, cancer patients may suffer from several side effects from chemotherapy, including infertility and a weakened defense system that makes them susceptible to life-threatening infections.

15 Dec 2015

Global Health Impact Index can measure actual impact of drugs worldwide

Billions of dollars have been spent on developing drugs and supplying them around the world, but which companies' drugs are actually making an impact? The Global Health Impact Index, headed by Binghamton University Associate Professor Nicole Hassoun and highlighted in a new article published Friday in PLOS ONE, addresses this issue by ranking pharmaceutical companies based on their drugs' impact on global health.

15 Dec 2015

New research sheds light on how gut damage can cause malnutrition, oral vaccine failure

It has been estimated that if every nutritional measure known to be helpful were applied to every child in the world, global malnutrition would be decreased by only a third. New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the University of Vermont and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh sheds light on why: Damage to the gut from infection explains why food alone is not a solution to malnutrition.

15 Dec 2015

SLU scientist awarded new $2.2 million NIH grant to develop cure for hepatitis B

With proof-of-principle in his pocket and a new $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, SLU scientist John Tavis, Ph.D., will take his 25 year mission to finally develop a cure for the hepatitis B virus into the next phase.

15 Dec 2015

WaferGen Bio-systems signs collaboration agreement with Luxembourg Institute of Health

WaferGen Bio-systems announced today that the Company has signed a collaboration agreement with the Luxembourg Institute of Health, a leading public medical research center that specializes in oncology, infectious diseases, immunology, and population health.

15 Dec 2015

Unhealthy microbiome shifts can lead to weight gain, obesity

The link between the gut microbiome and obesity seems clear, but just how changes to gut bacteria can cause weight gain is not.

14 Dec 2015

Kaiser Permanente bans 'germ-fighting' antimicrobial agents for use in hospitals

Concerned about mounting exposure to toxic chemicals in everyday life and the threat of drug-resistant bacteria, Kaiser Permanente has banned paint and other interior building products treated with "germ-fighting" antimicrobial agents for use in its hospitals and other buildings.

13 Dec 2015

BD announces launch of BD FACSCelesta flow cytometer during ASCB annual meeting

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, today announced the launch of the BD FACSCelesta flow cytometer during the 2015 American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting. Uniquely designed to leverage the broad BD Horizon Brilliant reagent portfolio, this new system offers simultaneous measurement of up to 14 different single cell characteristics.

13 Dec 2015

Rutgers scientists uncover biological pathways that provide insight into tiny cell bubbles

Rutgers scientists have uncovered biological pathways in the roundworm that provide insight into how tiny bubbles released by cells can have beneficial health effects, like promoting tissue repair, or may play a diabolical role and carry disease signals for cancer or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

12 Dec 2015

New CRC aims to better understand autophagy at molecular and cellular level

The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/DFG) has approved 11 M € for the next four years for establishing a CRC on selective autophagy under the lead of Goethe University. Autophagy literally means "self-eating" and refers to a sophisticated system in which cellular waste is specifically detected and removed.

12 Dec 2015

U.S. has sufficient capacity for treating Ebola outbreak but financial, resource challenges remain as hurdle

The United States has sufficient capacity for treating another outbreak of the Ebola virus, but financial, staffing and resource challenges remain a hurdle for many hospitals and health systems attempting to maintain dedicated treatment centers for highly infectious diseases, according to new study released today.

12 Dec 2015

NIAID scientists successfully test prime-boost H7N9 influenza vaccine concept in clinical trial

In clinical trials, several candidate H7N9 pandemic influenza vaccines made from inactivated viruses have been shown to be safe and to generate an immune response. However, scientists believe for practical use, these potential vaccines would require multiple doses or the addition of adjuvants, which enhance the immune response.

12 Dec 2015

Sangamo presents Phase 2 data from two ongoing clinical trials of SB-728-T for treatment of HIV/AIDS

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc., the leader in therapeutic genome editing, announced the presentation of Phase 2 data from two of the Company's ongoing clinical trials (SB-728-1101 Cohort 3* and SB-728-mR-1401) of SB-728-T, which is being developed for the functional control of HIV/AIDS.

11 Dec 2015

Infectious Diseases News and Research

New funding supports research on new and improved drug treatments for tuberculosis, malaria

Researchers report development of rapid, low-cost test for detecting TB in resource-limited areas

Soligenix reports positive results from SGX942 Phase 2 trial in patients with head and neck cancer

Patients can be trained to safely self-administer long-term IV antibiotics, say UT Southwestern physicians

Molecular signatures can predict flu vaccine responses in young and old

Shingles vaccine can help protect elderly patients with end-stage renal disease

Can Nanostructured Microelectrodes be Used to Analyze Biomarkers? An Interview with Dr Shana Kelley

Medication holds promise for protecting fertility and the body's defense system during chemotherapy

Global Health Impact Index can measure actual impact of drugs worldwide

New research sheds light on how gut damage can cause malnutrition, oral vaccine failure

SLU scientist awarded new $2.2 million NIH grant to develop cure for hepatitis B

WaferGen Bio-systems signs collaboration agreement with Luxembourg Institute of Health

Unhealthy microbiome shifts can lead to weight gain, obesity

Kaiser Permanente bans 'germ-fighting' antimicrobial agents for use in hospitals

BD announces launch of BD FACSCelesta flow cytometer during ASCB annual meeting

Rutgers scientists uncover biological pathways that provide insight into tiny cell bubbles

New CRC aims to better understand autophagy at molecular and cellular level

U.S. has sufficient capacity for treating Ebola outbreak but financial, resource challenges remain as hurdle

NIAID scientists successfully test prime-boost H7N9 influenza vaccine concept in clinical trial

Sangamo presents Phase 2 data from two ongoing clinical trials of SB-728-T for treatment of HIV/AIDS

NGS for Infectious Disease Surveillance eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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