Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Older HIV-positive men at higher risk of HPV that causes anal cancer

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer in women, is also known to cause anal cancer in both women and men. Now, a study led by researchers at the UCLA School of Nursing has found that older HIV-positive men who have sex with men are at higher risk of becoming infected with the HPVs that most often cause anal cancer.

4 Dec 2013

PrimeraDx gets FDA clearance for ICEPlex C. difficile Assay Kit and ICEPlex System

PrimeraDx, a molecular diagnostics company, announced today that the ICEPlex C. difficile Assay Kit and the ICEPlex System have received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

3 Dec 2013

Virginia Mason first to use non-invasive FibroScan technology to evaluate liver diseases

Virginia Mason today becomes the first in the Pacific Northwest to use non-invasive FibroScan technology to evaluate disease stage in patients diagnosed with liver ailments.

3 Dec 2013

Newly identified protein could prove promising new drug target for AIDS

Researchers have identified a protein that causes loss of function in immune cells combatting HIV. The scientists report in a paper appearing online Dec. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that the protein, Sprouty-2, is a promising target for future HIV drug development, since disabling it could help restore the cells' ability to combat the virus that causes AIDS.

2 Dec 2013

Xagenic announces closing of $20 million Series B financing

Xagenic Inc., a molecular diagnostics company developing the first lab-free molecular diagnostic platform with a 20 minute time-to-result, today announced the close of a Series B financing totaling $20 million. The round was led by new investor Domain Associates, LLC, which was joined by existing investors including CTI Life Sciences Fund and the Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund.

2 Dec 2013

Soligenix initiates orBec Phase 2 study for GI manifestations of chronic GVHD

Soligenix, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to treat serious inflammatory diseases where there remains an unmet medical need, as well as developing several biodefense vaccines and therapeutics, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating orBec (oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate or BDP) as a treatment for the gastrointestinal manifestations of chronic Graft-versus-Host disease.

2 Dec 2013

Visterra secures exclusive patent license for promising dengue virus antibodies from MIT

Visterra, Inc., a developer of novel antibody therapeutics to prevent and treat major infectious diseases, today announced that it has secured an exclusive patent license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to a family of early-stage monoclonal antibodies that target dengue virus. These antibodies were developed by MIT in the laboratory of Dr. Ram Sasisekharan, a founder of Visterra, using novel protein engineering approaches. Visterra will apply its proprietary network analysis technology to develop a human monoclonal antibody product candidate capable of broadly neutralizing all four dengue virus serotypes.

2 Dec 2013

Visterra gets $8.1M in proceeds from upsized and final closing of Series A financing round

Visterra, Inc., a developer of novel therapeutics to prevent and treat major infectious diseases, today announced that it has received $8.1 million in proceeds from an upsized and final closing of its Series A financing round. The company also announced that it has deepened its executive management team by appointing two industry veterans to newly created roles, which follows the recent appointment of Brian Pereira, M.D. as President and Chief Executive Officer of Visterra this past summer.

2 Dec 2013

Maintaining antiretroviral adherence: An ongoing challenge for women with HIV

To mark World AIDS Day (December 1, 2013), Women for Positive Action - a global, multidisciplinary group of experts committed to addressing the specific concerns of women living with HIV - has released a commentary highlighting the challenges faced by women in maintaining adherence to their antiretroviral treatment.

29 Nov 2013

Scientists identify new approach to fight malaria parasites

Using advanced methodologies that pit drug compounds against specific types of malaria parasite cells, an international team of scientists, including researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, have identified a potential new weapon and approach for attacking the parasites that cause malaria.

28 Nov 2013

PLOS and DNDi to launch collection of neglected tropical diseases at 10-year anniversary of DNDi

As part of a collaborative initiative, PLOS and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) are delighted to be launching a special Collection-PLOS & DNDi: a decade of Open Access and Neglected Tropical Diseases R&D (Research and Development)-to coincide with a joint event at the Institut Pasteur in Paris celebrating the 10-year anniversary of DNDi.

28 Nov 2013

Researchers identify protein in malaria that is inhibited by newly discovered anti-malarial compounds

Researchers have identified the protein in malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites that is inhibited by a newly discovered class of anti-malarial compounds known as imidazopyrazines.

28 Nov 2013

Findings highlight possible new approach to combat malaria

An international team of scientists, including researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, has identified a key metabolic enzyme that common malaria parasites require for survival at each stage of infection in humans. The findings raise the possibility of a new approach to combating malaria, one of the world's deadliest diseases. The study was published today in the online edition of the journal Nature.

27 Nov 2013

New NIH guidelines for managing opportunistic infections in children with HIV

Sharon Nachman, MD, a pediatric HIV and infectious diseases specialist at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, is a co-author of new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-issued guidelines for the prevention, treatment and management of opportunistic infections in HIV-exposed and HIV-infected children. The 2013 guidelines shed light on the most effective way to treat dangerous and deadly infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis that can strike immunosuppressed pediatric HIV patients.

27 Nov 2013

HIV test for new inmates may not yield new diagnoses, says study

More than 90 percent of HIV-infected inmates entering prison in North Carolina had previously tested positive for the virus, according to a study published in the November 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

27 Nov 2013

Typhoon survivors in Tacloban vaccinated against measles and polio

Children in Tacloban – the city hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan – were vaccinated against measles and polio in the first phase of a mass campaign by the Government of the Philippines with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and other partners. They also received Vitamin A supplements to help improve their immunity against infections.

27 Nov 2013

Isis Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 1 study of ISIS-GSK3Rx for treatment of common viral infection

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1 study for ISIS-GSK3Rx and earned a $3 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline.

27 Nov 2013

HIV patients face higher risk of virologic failure than previously thought

People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) run a higher risk of virologic failure than previously thought, even when their number of RNA copies of the retrovirus per millilitre of blood is slightly above the detection threshold, according to a study by Claudie Laprise at the University of Montreal's Department of Social and Preventative Medicine.

26 Nov 2013

USF is among top 10 organizations worldwide with Fellows named this year

Six faculty members at the University of South Florida in Tampa have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

26 Nov 2013

Asparagine found in meat, eggs and dairy products is important for normal brain development

Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development.

26 Nov 2013

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Older HIV-positive men at higher risk of HPV that causes anal cancer

PrimeraDx gets FDA clearance for ICEPlex C. difficile Assay Kit and ICEPlex System

Virginia Mason first to use non-invasive FibroScan technology to evaluate liver diseases

Newly identified protein could prove promising new drug target for AIDS

Xagenic announces closing of $20 million Series B financing

Soligenix initiates orBec Phase 2 study for GI manifestations of chronic GVHD

Visterra secures exclusive patent license for promising dengue virus antibodies from MIT

Visterra gets $8.1M in proceeds from upsized and final closing of Series A financing round

Maintaining antiretroviral adherence: An ongoing challenge for women with HIV

Scientists identify new approach to fight malaria parasites

PLOS and DNDi to launch collection of neglected tropical diseases at 10-year anniversary of DNDi

Researchers identify protein in malaria that is inhibited by newly discovered anti-malarial compounds

Findings highlight possible new approach to combat malaria

New NIH guidelines for managing opportunistic infections in children with HIV

HIV test for new inmates may not yield new diagnoses, says study

Typhoon survivors in Tacloban vaccinated against measles and polio

Isis Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 1 study of ISIS-GSK3Rx for treatment of common viral infection

HIV patients face higher risk of virologic failure than previously thought

USF is among top 10 organizations worldwide with Fellows named this year

Asparagine found in meat, eggs and dairy products is important for normal brain development

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