Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Genetic mutations in deadly Ebola virus appear to block antibody-based treatments

Genetic mutations called "escape variants" in the deadly Ebola virus appear to block the ability of antibody-based treatments to ward off infection, according to a team of U.S. Army scientists and collaborators. Their findings, published online this week in the journal Cell Reports, have implications for the continued development of therapeutics to treat Ebola virus disease, which has claimed the lives of over 11,000 people in West Africa since last year.

14 Sep 2015

Aridis' AR-301 granted FDA Fast Track Designation for treatment of pneumonia caused by S. aureus

Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company applying proprietary technologies to produce novel anti-infectives and immunotherapies for infectious diseases, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track Designation to AR-301, the Company's fully human anti-Staphylococcal alpha-toxin IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb).

11 Sep 2015

Targeting exhausted immune cells may change prognosis for leukemia relapse patients after transplant

Targeting exhausted immune cells may change the prognosis for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) relapse after a stem cell transplant, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

11 Sep 2015

Northwestern University nanoscientist wins Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Convergence Research

Northwestern University scientist Chad A. Mirkin, one of the world's leaders in nanotechnology research and its application, has been awarded the inaugural $400,000 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Convergence Research from the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Sep 2015

CureVac, IAVI team up to advance development, testing of AIDS vaccines

The non-profit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and biopharmaceutical company CureVac are partnering to accelerate the development of AIDS vaccines, utilizing novel immunogens developed by IAVI and partners, delivered via CureVac's novel messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.

10 Sep 2015

CureVac announces official launch of U.S. operations in Cambridge, MA

CureVac, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of mRNA-based technology, today announced the official launch of its U.S. operations in Cambridge, MA, as the company advances the development of its proprietary mRNA platform technology and multiple, clinical-stage mRNA therapeutics and vaccines.

10 Sep 2015

Healthy adults who receive flu vaccination may also help protect older adults at higher risk for flu-related complications

Healthy adults who get the flu vaccine may help protect not only themselves but also older adults in their community at higher risk for serious complications from influenza, suggest findings from a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Based on a national sample of more than 3 million people across eight flu seasons, researchers observed that seniors were up to 21 percent less likely to be diagnosed with flu-related illness if they lived in areas where more adults under 65 were immunized.

10 Sep 2015

New systematic review questions effectiveness of MVA85A vaccine on TB

A new systematic review of animal studies testing a vaccine for tuberculosis raises questions about whether the studies provided sufficient evidence to move into trials of children.

10 Sep 2015

Deadly parasite that causes Chagas disease widespread in Texas bugs

A deadly parasite that causes Chagas disease is widespread in a common Texas insect, according to a new study by University of Texas at El Paso researchers. The finding suggests that the risk of Texans contracting the disease may be higher than previously thought.

10 Sep 2015

New nanozyme test can help curb Ebola spread in western Africa

A new Ebola test that uses magnetic nanoparticles could help curb the spread of the disease in western Africa. Research published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics shows that the new test is 100 times more sensitive than the current test, and easier to use. Because of this, the new test makes it easier and cheaper to diagnose cases, enabling healthcare workers to isolate patients and prevent the spread of Ebola.

10 Sep 2015

Research opens up potential new pathways to vaccine development against HA-MRSA

New research led by NYU Langone Medical Center has uncovered why a particular strain of Staphylococcus aureus -- known as HA-MRSA -- becomes more deadly than other variations. These new findings open up possible new pathways to vaccine development against this bacterium, which the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions says accounts for over 10,000 deaths annually, mostly among hospital patients.

10 Sep 2015

ICU-related mortality may explain variations in cancer outcomes

A Scottish population-based study has characterised the incidence of critical illness resulting in admission to an intensive care unit during the first 2 years after a cancer diagnosis.

9 Sep 2015

New UC Davis study suggests that popular molecular tests over-diagnose C. difficile infections

Clostridium difficile is a common cause of infection and diarrhea in hospitalized patients, but a new study by UC Davis pathologists suggests that many patients are mistakenly diagnosed and do not need antibiotic treatment. As a result, patients are likely being over-diagnosed and over-treated, adding to concerns about antibiotic resistance, damage to the "good" bacteria that live in people's intestines, and increased health-care costs.

9 Sep 2015

NEI experts explore long-term effects of Ebola on the eye

Following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa that took the lives of more than 11,200 people in the region, the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has deployed a team of clinicians and technical experts to Monrovia, Liberia to investigate the long-term effects of Ebola on the eye.

9 Sep 2015

Three drug-like compounds may offer better odds of survival to patients with prostate cancer, find SMU researchers

Researchers at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, have discovered three new drug-like compounds that could ultimately offer better odds of survival to prostate cancer patients.

9 Sep 2015

Daily iron supplementation during pregnancy does not increase malaria risk in malaria-endemic region

Among women in a malaria-endemic region in Kenya, daily iron supplementation during pregnancy did not result in an increased risk of malaria, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA. Iron supplementation did result in increased birth weight, gestational duration, neonatal length, and a decreased risk of low birth weight and prematurity.

9 Sep 2015

Researchers identify new way to help AML patients avoid a relapse

A protein domain once considered of little importance may be key to helping patients who are fighting acute myeloid leukemia (AML) avoid a relapse.

8 Sep 2015

Study demonstrates effectiveness of new approach to protect humans from infectious disease

There are two common approaches to protecting humans from infectious disease: Targeting pathogens and parasites with medicines like antibiotics, or dealing with the conditions that allow transmission.

8 Sep 2015

PTC Therapeutics announces recipients of STRIVE Awards

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. is pleased to announce five recipients of its first-ever global awards program, the STRIVE Awards (Strategies to Realize Innovation, Vision and Empowerment), designed to aid nonprofit organizations that are committed to serving the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) community.

4 Sep 2015

Researchers document accuracy of new tests for rapid diagnosis of drug-resistant forms of TB

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have documented the accuracy of three new tests for more rapidly diagnosing drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis (TB), which are much harder and more expensive to treat and which, experts say, represent a major threat to global public health.

4 Sep 2015

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Genetic mutations in deadly Ebola virus appear to block antibody-based treatments

Aridis' AR-301 granted FDA Fast Track Designation for treatment of pneumonia caused by S. aureus

Targeting exhausted immune cells may change prognosis for leukemia relapse patients after transplant

Northwestern University nanoscientist wins Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Convergence Research

CureVac, IAVI team up to advance development, testing of AIDS vaccines

CureVac announces official launch of U.S. operations in Cambridge, MA

Healthy adults who receive flu vaccination may also help protect older adults at higher risk for flu-related complications

New systematic review questions effectiveness of MVA85A vaccine on TB

Deadly parasite that causes Chagas disease widespread in Texas bugs

New nanozyme test can help curb Ebola spread in western Africa

Research opens up potential new pathways to vaccine development against HA-MRSA

ICU-related mortality may explain variations in cancer outcomes

New UC Davis study suggests that popular molecular tests over-diagnose C. difficile infections

NEI experts explore long-term effects of Ebola on the eye

Three drug-like compounds may offer better odds of survival to patients with prostate cancer, find SMU researchers

Daily iron supplementation during pregnancy does not increase malaria risk in malaria-endemic region

Researchers identify new way to help AML patients avoid a relapse

Study demonstrates effectiveness of new approach to protect humans from infectious disease

PTC Therapeutics announces recipients of STRIVE Awards

Researchers document accuracy of new tests for rapid diagnosis of drug-resistant forms of TB

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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