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Study outlines evolution of malaria, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis

One of the most comprehensive analyses yet done of the ancient history of insect-borne disease concludes for the first time that malaria is not only native to the New World, but it has been present long before humans existed and has evolved through birds and monkeys.

3 Nov 2011

New, poison-free approach to malaria control

With a new, poison-free approach to malaria control, researchers in the Solarmal project have expressed not only the hope to eliminate malaria in Africa at local level, but also to provide the local population with a source of sustainable energy. Research into this combined approach was facilitated due to a donation to Wageningen University Fund by the COmON foundation.

2 Nov 2011

New protein microarray technology could eradicate malaria

A new research technology is revealing how humans develop immunity to malaria, and could assist programs aimed at eradicating this parasitic disease.

2 Nov 2011

GM mosquitoes show promise in tackling insect-borne diseases, study shows; some concerned over possible unintended consequences

"Genetically modified mosquitoes could prove effective in tackling dengue fever and other insect-borne diseases," according to the results of a study by a U.K.-based scientific team published in the journal Nature Biotechnology on Sunday, BBC News reports.

2 Nov 2011

Scientists discover Leishmania parasite with juggling chromosomes

Scientists found a deadly parasite with some of its chromosomes in duplicate, others in triplicate, while still others are present four or even five times. Moreover, the copy number varies between individuals. Such a bizarre occurrence has never before been found in nature, in any organism. As a rule, chromosomes should come in couples. The scientists, from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITG) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, made the striking discovery while deciphering the genetic code of a series of Leishmania-parasites.

29 Oct 2011

Human innovation will lead to malaria eradication

Noting advances in bednet, mosquito repellent and malaria vaccine technologies, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in a post on the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, "People used to say eradication was impossible, but we remain optimistic because human beings have a spectacular ability to innovate."

21 Oct 2011

American robin plays a key role in transmission of West Nile virus

After its initial appearance in New York in 1999, West Nile virus spread across the United States in just a few years and is now well established throughout North and South America.

21 Oct 2011

Nearly one-third of all countries affected by malaria on course to eliminate disease, WHO report says

"Nearly a third of all countries affected by malaria are on course to eliminate the mosquito-borne disease over the next 10 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday ... in a progress report published by the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership at the start of an international Malaria Forum conference in Seattle," Reuters reports.

19 Oct 2011

Malaria elimination could be a reality soon

Malaria – a mosquito borne illness kills more than 780,000 people a year worldwide. Nearly a third of all countries affected by malaria are on course to eliminate the mosquito-borne disease over the next 10 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

18 Oct 2011

New global atlas for malaria elimination

A new global atlas charts prospects for malaria elimination by offering the first full-color, detailed depiction of a disease now declining in many parts of the globe. The "Atlas of Malaria-Eliminating Countries" spotlights countries successfully moving toward eliminating the disease and provides a visual tool to help focus resources where they are needed most.

18 Oct 2011

Two genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to severe dengue

Researchers in South East Asia have identified two genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to severe dengue. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, offers clues to how the body responds to dengue infection.

18 Oct 2011

Entirely new platform to assist in developing antimalarial drugs

Malaria has been one of the world's biggest killers for as long as records have been kept. With resistance to existing antimalarial drugs on the rise, there is a renewed push to find different ways to fight it. Two University of Houston (UH) engineers have stepped up to the plate to answer the call.

14 Oct 2011

Evidence suggests mosquitos in Kenya have developed chemical resistance, KEMRI official says

Speaking at a national malaria forum in Nairobi on Monday, Charles Mbogo of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) presented new evidence showing that malaria-causing mosquitos in Kenya have developed resistance to the most common chemicals derived from pyrethroids and DDT, which "could be a major blow to the country's strategy to eradicate malaria by 2017," Nigeria's the Nation reports.

12 Oct 2011

NIH awards United Therapeutics $45 million contract to develop potential oral treatment for viruses

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded United Therapeutics Corporation a contract for up to $45 million over five years "to help develop a potential oral treatment for viruses like influenza and the mosquito-borne tropical fever dengue," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

12 Oct 2011

Unither Virology receives NIAID contract for glycobiology antiviral platform

United Therapeutics Corporation announced that its subsidiary, Unither Virology, LLC, has been awarded a contract for up to approximately $45 million under a Broad Agency Announcement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for studies directed at the development of a broad-spectrum antiviral drug based on its glycobiology antiviral platform.

10 Oct 2011

Indoor spraying with alternative insecticide reduces malaria transmission in Benin, study says

"Indoor spraying with the insecticide bendiocarb has dramatically decreased malaria transmission in many parts of Benin, new evidence that insecticides remain a potent weapon for fighting malaria in Africa despite the rapid rise of resistance to an entire class of mosquito-killing compounds," researchers from Benin's Entomologic Research Center in Cotonou report in a study published Wednesday in the October edition of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (AJTMH), according to an AJTMH press release.

7 Oct 2011

New malaria study in Africa offers evidence of method to bypass, or delay, insecticide resistance

Indoor spraying with the insecticide bendiocarb has dramatically decreased malaria transmission in many parts of Benin, new evidence that insecticides remain a potent weapon for fighting malaria in Africa despite the rapid rise of resistance to an entire class of mosquito-killing compounds, according to a study published today in the October edition of The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

5 Oct 2011

Experiments demonstrate how mosquitoes spread diseases

The carbon dioxide we exhale and the odors our skins emanate serve as crucial cues to female mosquitoes on the hunt for human hosts to bite and spread diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever.

1 Oct 2011

Several barriers to providing decent health care to poor people in developing countries

If you want to provide poor people in developing countries with decent health care, you need to overcome several barriers at the same time. That is the conclusion of researcher Bart Jacobs, based on years of research in Cambodia - and on his experience in several other low- and mid-income countries. The local community and existing social networks play an important role, but the authorities also have a role to play.

30 Sep 2011

Researchers validate two parasite enzymes as potential anti-malarial drug targets

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Monash University, and Virginia Tech have used a set of novel inhibitors to analyze how the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, uses enzymes to chew up human hemoglobin from host red blood cells as a food source.

28 Sep 2011

Mosquito News and Research

Study outlines evolution of malaria, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis

New, poison-free approach to malaria control

New protein microarray technology could eradicate malaria

GM mosquitoes show promise in tackling insect-borne diseases, study shows; some concerned over possible unintended consequences

Scientists discover Leishmania parasite with juggling chromosomes

Human innovation will lead to malaria eradication

American robin plays a key role in transmission of West Nile virus

Nearly one-third of all countries affected by malaria on course to eliminate disease, WHO report says

Malaria elimination could be a reality soon

New global atlas for malaria elimination

Two genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to severe dengue

Entirely new platform to assist in developing antimalarial drugs

Evidence suggests mosquitos in Kenya have developed chemical resistance, KEMRI official says

NIH awards United Therapeutics $45 million contract to develop potential oral treatment for viruses

Unither Virology receives NIAID contract for glycobiology antiviral platform

Indoor spraying with alternative insecticide reduces malaria transmission in Benin, study says

New malaria study in Africa offers evidence of method to bypass, or delay, insecticide resistance

Experiments demonstrate how mosquitoes spread diseases

Several barriers to providing decent health care to poor people in developing countries

Researchers validate two parasite enzymes as potential anti-malarial drug targets

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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