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GenVec receives NIAID’s Phase I SBIR grant to support RSV vaccine program

GenVec, Inc. announced today that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the Company's Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine program.

4 May 2012

Novel stem cell transplantation holds promise for HIV prevention

UC Davis Health System researchers are a step closer to launching human clinical trials involving the use of an innovative stem cell therapy to fight the virus that causes AIDS.

3 May 2012

Vitamin D strengthens innate immunity against viral infections

Vitamin D may be known as the sunshine vitamin, but a new research report appearing in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that it is more than that. According to the report, insufficient levels of vitamin D are related to a deficiency in our innate immune defenses that protect us from infections, neoplasias or autoimmune diseases.

30 Apr 2012

Researchers use Moffitt's Total Cancer Care to create designer lymph nodes

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center are in the first phase of creating "designer lymph nodes." Designer lymph nodes are built with specialized gene-modified cells that are injected into patients and produce a pre-planned immunologic response for cancer patients locally and then throughout their bodies. The researchers are examining a cancer vaccine "boosting" effect of the manufactured lymph nodes in patients with advanced melanoma.

30 Apr 2012

Researchers define structure of key part of human obesity receptor

Medical researchers at the University of Sheffield have defined the structure of a key part of the human obesity receptor- an essential factor in the regulation of body fat- which could help provide new treatments for the complications of obesity and anorexia.

27 Apr 2012

Allergies may provide benefit by keeping away noxious environmental toxins

Yale researchers suggested Wednesday that allergies may be an outgrowth of the protective mechanism of the body to protect itself from noxious substances in the environment.

26 Apr 2012

Study examines role of NLRP3 inflammasome in ventilator-induced lung injury

Mechanical ventilation is often lifesaving, but can also initiate or aggravate lung injury. A new study in the May issue of Anesthesiology examined the role of one particular receptor in the inflammatory pathway, the NLRP3 inflammasome, and whether it impacts ventilator-induced lung injury.

26 Apr 2012

Link between obesity and RA in women

Obesity and the painful autoimmune disorder rheumatoid arthritis are each becoming more common, raising a logical question: Could one have something to do with the other? For women, it appears there is a link, Mayo Clinic researchers say.

26 Apr 2012

Lophius Biosciences completes prospective multicenter clinical validation study for T-Track CMV/EBV tests

Lophius Biosciences, a leading developer of novel T-cell based diagnostic testing systems, today announces the successful completion of a prospective multicenter clinical validation study for its T-Track CMV/EBV tests.

25 Apr 2012

Clinical and Translational Science Institute-Children's National awards pilot grant to GW researchers

GW researchers in the School of Medicine, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine and David Diemert, M.D., FRCP(C), Associate Research Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine and Director of Clinical Trials for the Sabin Vaccine Institute's Product Development Partnership (PDP), have been awarded a Pilot Grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute-Children's National.

25 Apr 2012

Mayo Clinic vaccine expert, pediatrician refute 3 common myths about child vaccine safety

In the limited time of an office visit, how can a primary care physician make the case to parents that their child should be vaccinated? During National Infant Immunization Week, a Mayo Clinic vaccine expert and a pediatrician offer suggestions for refuting three of the most common myths about child vaccine safety. Their article, The Clinician's Guide to the Anti-Vaccinationists' Galaxy, is published online this month in the journal Human Immunology.

24 Apr 2012

Herpes zoster vaccine safe and well tolerated: Study

The herpes zoster vaccine, also known as the shingles vaccine, is generally safe and well tolerated according to a Vaccine Safety Datalink study of 193,083 adults published online in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

23 Apr 2012

Autophagy potential target for new CF treatments

Scientists have found why a certain type of bacteria, harmless in healthy people, is so deadly to patients with cystic fibrosis.

23 Apr 2012

Cruciferous vegetables protect and improve breast cellular health

Broccoli, cabbage, leafy greens, cauliflower-your mother insisted they were good for you while you defiantly pushed them around your plate. Perhaps you didn't believe they were all that good for you. If they're so great, why don't they taste better? Turns out your mother was right. These cruciferous vegetables have a profound influence on the health of your body's cells. In fact, a recent study by Vanderbilt University's Ingram Center showed that a diet full of cruciferous vegetables protects and improves breast cellular health.

19 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 17, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports from the presidential campaign trail as well as news from the states regarding abortion laws.

17 Apr 2012

Caring for wife with breast cancer can affect men's health

Caring for a wife with breast cancer can have a measurable negative effect on men's health, even years after the cancer diagnosis and completion of treatment, according to recent research.

17 Apr 2012

Canadian docs recommend HPV vaccine for boys

Girls have had access to free HPV vaccinations for five years - administered to protect them against cervical cancer - and this week, the Canadian Cancer Advocacy Coalition called on provincial governments to pay for the vaccine for boys as well. In January, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended HPV vaccination for males aged nine to 25.

16 Apr 2012

Immunotherapy may also help elderly cancer patients

Cancer is much more likely in the elderly than the young, and their bodies often are less prepared to fight the disease and the often-toxic side effects of treatment.

16 Apr 2012

Flu shots offered to populations at risk at the beginning of season

All Care Inala Medical Centre doctor Michael Ho said flu shots were becoming more popular each year. “Flu seasons tends to begin in late March early April to June,” he said. “More and more people are opting to get vaccinations because they are promoted well within the community.” He added, “It is particularly important for elderly people to be immunized because their immune system is already not at its best…This is also the case for people who have chronic medical conditions like diabetes, severe asthma, or heart disease. With their current condition, if they catch the flu they can end up with a worse outcome.”

12 Apr 2012

Genocea to highlight progress in malaria vaccine development at World Vaccine Congress

Genocea Biosciences today announced that it will highlight new progress it is making toward the development of an effective vaccine for malaria during a presentation today at the World Vaccine Congress by Jessica Baker Flechtner, Ph.D., Vice President of Research.

12 Apr 2012