Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Novel synthetic DNA vaccine induces protective immunity against MERS virus in animal study

A novel synthetic DNA vaccine can, for the first time, induce protective immunity against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus in animal species, reported researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

21 Aug 2015

Trojan horse strategy may elucidate why antibiotics ineffective in some patients

Bacteria are pretty wily creatures. Take for example, an organism such as Salmonella, which which are killed by antibiotics in lab tests, but can become highly resistant in the body.

21 Aug 2015

Analysis of toilet waste from international aircraft may lead to global surveillance of infectious diseases

Current international disease surveillance systems are mainly based on reports made by doctors after treatment of infected patients. As a consequence, disease-causing microorganisms and resistance bacteria have time to spread and make large population groups sick before they are detected.

20 Aug 2015

Discovery provides new insights into how asthma may be caused

Researchers from the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Genentech, have discovered new insights into how asthma may be caused, by identifying three distinct groups of asthma patients characterised by the activity of different genes in an individual's airways.

20 Aug 2015

Penn State College of Medicine students to work with medical educators to design new curriculum

The medical school model that has existed for decades involves two years of study in the basic sciences followed by two years of clinical study. An initiative under way at Penn State College of Medicine will involve students in developing a new curriculum that integrates the two areas of study, with a goal of preparing physicians for the new realities of health care.

20 Aug 2015

Experimental MERS-CoV vaccine shows promise in monkeys and camels

National Institutes of Health scientists and colleagues report that an experimental vaccine given six weeks before exposure to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) fully protects rhesus macaques from disease. The vaccine also generated potentially protective MERS-CoV antibodies in blood drawn from vaccinated camels.

20 Aug 2015

Having depressed friends doesn't affect your mental health, study finds

Having friends who suffer from depression doesn't affect the mental health of others, according to research led by the University of Warwick.

20 Aug 2015

NIAID exercises option to advance development of Soligenix's heat stabilized ricin toxin vaccine

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing products that address unmet medical needs in the areas of inflammation, oncology and biodefense, announced today that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has exercised its option to advance the development of Soligenix's heat stabilized ricin toxin vaccine, RiVax.

19 Aug 2015

Contact precaution use needs to be individualized to fit hospital's specific needs and resources

Contact precautions are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for all patients known to be infected with or carrying multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). Yet, the use of contact precautions--which require a patient to be isolated in a single hospital room and health care providers to wear a gown and gloves when caring for patients--is widely debated in the medical community.

19 Aug 2015

Discovery allows study of naturally occurring forms of HCV in the lab

Worldwide, 185 million people have chronic hepatitis C. Since the late 1980s, when scientists discovered the virus that causes the infection, they have struggled to find ways to grow it in human cells in the lab -- an essential part of learning how the virus works and developing new effective treatments.

19 Aug 2015

Astellas Farma Brasil named one of Top 20 places to work in Brazil

Astellas Farma Brasil is one of the Top 20 small- to medium-sized companies to work for in the country across all industries, according to the Great Place to Work Institute's latest rankings. The results are based on a survey of thousands of employees across multiple industries in Brazil.

18 Aug 2015

Reducing amyloid fibril levels in semen may help reduce transmission of HIV

There may be two new ways to fight AIDS -- using a heat shock protein or a small molecule - to attack fibrils in semen associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the initial phases of infection, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

18 Aug 2015

Researchers report increasing disparities between resource inputs, outcomes in biomedical research

As more money has been spent on biomedical research in the United States over the past 50 years, there has been diminished return on investment in terms of life expectancy gains and new drug approvals, two Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers say.

18 Aug 2015

New study explores impact of climate change on human health

Researchers at Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness and the University of Washington have published a new study focused on the public health implications of climate change. The article explores climate change impacts on human health in the U.S. Gulf Coast and has implications for this and other coastal regions that are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

14 Aug 2015

Opioids produced by yeast; revealing the potential for cheaper pain relief

Researchers at Stanford University have genetically engineered yeast so it produces hydrocodone, a semi-synthetic opioid analgesic used in the United States for relief of moderate to severe pain.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers develop new genomic data set on Lassa virus

An international team of researchers has developed the largest genomic data set in the world on Lassa virus (LASV).

14 Aug 2015

Duke specialist offers infection control measures to maintain health of pro football players

Keeping any team healthy is an important and daunting challenge, but the task is amplified in the National Football League when a bug that spreads rapidly through locker rooms and training facilities can impact an entire season.

14 Aug 2015

PHIV children may lack immunity against measles, mumps, and rubella despite vaccination

Between one-third and one-half of individuals in the United States who were infected with HIV around the time of birth may not have sufficient immunity to ward off measles, mumps, and rubella--even though they may have been vaccinated against these diseases.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers receive Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a $7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at eliminating river blindness and elephantiasis, two neglected tropical diseases that annually sicken millions.

14 Aug 2015

Inhibikase Therapeutics launches observational clinical study in patients who survived PML

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. announces the launch of an observational clinical study in patients who contracted Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), the rare and often fatal brain infection that arises as an unintended side effect of some medications used for treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn's disease, Ulcerative Colitis and certain cancers of the blood and lymph.

13 Aug 2015

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Novel synthetic DNA vaccine induces protective immunity against MERS virus in animal study

Trojan horse strategy may elucidate why antibiotics ineffective in some patients

Analysis of toilet waste from international aircraft may lead to global surveillance of infectious diseases

Discovery provides new insights into how asthma may be caused

Penn State College of Medicine students to work with medical educators to design new curriculum

Experimental MERS-CoV vaccine shows promise in monkeys and camels

Having depressed friends doesn't affect your mental health, study finds

NIAID exercises option to advance development of Soligenix's heat stabilized ricin toxin vaccine

Contact precaution use needs to be individualized to fit hospital's specific needs and resources

Discovery allows study of naturally occurring forms of HCV in the lab

Astellas Farma Brasil named one of Top 20 places to work in Brazil

Reducing amyloid fibril levels in semen may help reduce transmission of HIV

Researchers report increasing disparities between resource inputs, outcomes in biomedical research

New study explores impact of climate change on human health

Opioids produced by yeast; revealing the potential for cheaper pain relief

Researchers develop new genomic data set on Lassa virus

Duke specialist offers infection control measures to maintain health of pro football players

PHIV children may lack immunity against measles, mumps, and rubella despite vaccination

Researchers receive Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

Inhibikase Therapeutics launches observational clinical study in patients who survived PML

eBook: Advancing infectious disease vaccine development eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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