Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Loyola researcher says rapid influenza diagnostic tests can present significant risk to public health

Rapid influenza diagnostic tests used in doctors' offices, hospitals and medical laboratories to detect H1N1 are virtually useless and could pose a significant danger to public health, according to a Loyola University Medical Center researcher.

18 Nov 2009

Accurate diagnostic tests required to fight against major infectious disease

A rapid and accurate diagnosis is the first step towards treatment in the fight against infectious disease. However, a team headed by Dr. Madhukar Pai at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University in collaboration with researchers at the TDR* and the WHO*, has highlighted the poor quality of published studies that evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic tests for 3 major killer infectious diseases (TB, HIV/AIDS and malaria).

18 Nov 2009

Quest Diagnostics' Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test receives CE mark

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that the Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test developed by its Focus Diagnostics business has been CE marked and is now available as a test kit for distribution to approximately 35 countries in Europe.

From Quest Diagnostics 18 Nov 2009

Previous flu infections can reduce the severity of H1N1

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have found that previous influenza infections may provide at least some level of immunity to the H1N1 "swine" flu. "The question we asked was, "Is the swine flu more like the seasonal flu or like a totally new strain of influenza where there would be no immunity?," said Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., an internationally recognized vaccine expert and director of the La Jolla Institute's Center for Infectious Disease.

18 Nov 2009

PolyMedix completes public offering of units for aggregate gross proceeds of $20.7 million

PolyMedix Inc. (http://polymedix.com), an emerging biotechnology company developing acute care therapeutic drug products for infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced today that it has completed a public offering of units for aggregate gross proceeds of $20.7 million.

18 Nov 2009

MEMS: Sensors made for automobiles are being used for healthcare devices

MEMS industry execs attending the annual MEMS Executive Congress last week were rapt by presentations and panel discussions by leading innovators in automotive, bio/medical, consumer electronics, mobile communications and energy. Buoyed by optimistic forecasts for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices such as accelerometers and multi-axis gyros—increasingly used in mobile handsets and video games—they engaged with keynote speaker Dr. Mauro Ferrari, professor and director of The Division of NanoMedicine and Deputy Chairman of The University of Texas Department of Biomedical Engineering, whose proteomic NanoChips and multi-stage drug-delivery systems may one day ‘cure cancer.’

17 Nov 2009

FDA to change its policy regarding the post-harvest processing of raw Gulf Coast oysters

Several weeks ago, the FDA announced its intent to change, by summer 2011, its policy regarding the post-harvest processing of raw Gulf Coast oysters harvested in the warmer months.

17 Nov 2009

Healthy adults may have better immunity to 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, says study

A new study shows that molecular similarities exist between the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus and other strains of seasonal H1N1 virus that have been circulating in the population since 1988. These results suggest that healthy adults may have a level of protective immune memory that can blunt the severity of infection caused by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

17 Nov 2009

Live Facebook chat on H1N1 flu

People who have questions about the H1N1 flu can get answers from infectious disease experts at Rush University Medical Center during a one-hour, live Facebook chat to be held on Friday, November 20 from12 p.m. until 1 p.m.

16 Nov 2009

Sequella broadens the licensed therapeutic indications of its SQ109 lead drug candidate

Sequella, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on commercializing products to treat life-threatening infectious diseases, today announced that it amended an existing agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to significantly broaden the licensed therapeutic indications, or "field of use," for Sequella's lead drug candidate, SQ109.

16 Nov 2009

SPOT: A one-stop HIV and sexually transmitted diseases testing center for youth

In the last 10 years, the St. Louis area has seen an alarming increase in new diagnoses of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among 13-24 year-olds. Between 1997-2007, more than 50 new diagnoses of HIV were made each year among adolescents and young adults, who are often disconnected from the health-care system or support services. Nationwide, St. Louis has among the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in this age group.

16 Nov 2009

Inovio Biomedical reports financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009

Inovio Biomedical Corporation today reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Ore Pharmaceutical Holdings reports financial results and provides operational updates for third quarter 2009

Ore Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc. today reported financial results and provided an operational update for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

13 Nov 2009

Third quarter 2009 financial results announced by Soligenix

Soligenix, Inc., (Soligenix or the Company) (OTC Bulletin Board: SNGX), formerly known as DOR BioPharma, Inc., a late-stage biotechnology company, announced today its financial results for the third quarter of 2009.

13 Nov 2009

State Fund to offer a series of free seminars to help employers protect from H1N1 influenza

In response to recent fears of the H1N1 influenza and a possible pandemic, State Fund has partnered with UC Berkeley's Center for Infectious Disease and Emergency Readiness to offer a series of free seminars statewide helping employers protect their workforces and business operations.

13 Nov 2009

RERF awarded $9.7M to study the effects of atomic bomb radiation and aging on the human immune system

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded nearly $9.7 million over five years to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), Japan, to study the effects of atomic bomb radiation and aging on the human immune system.

13 Nov 2009

Tobira Therapeutics presents data on TBR-652 at the European AIDS Conference

Tobira Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to research and product discovery for the treatment of life-threatening and life-altering infectious diseases, today announced pharmacokinetic data and results from two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of TBR-652 in eighty-four healthy volunteers.

12 Nov 2009

Stapled Peptides directly inhibit the Notch transcription factor complex

Aileron Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company leading the development of a new class of drugs called Stapled Peptides, announced today that its collaborators, James E. Bradner, MD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Gregory L. Verdine, PhD, Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, published research in Nature entitled, “Direct Inhibition of the Notch Transcription Factor Complex.”

12 Nov 2009

Canadian researchers organize clinical trials to find new treatments for H1N1 infection

An important, ground-breaking initiative is unfolding in the global critical care community in response to the H1N1 pandemic.

12 Nov 2009

Stapled Peptides can inhibit key intracellular biological targets, says new research

Aileron Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company leading the development of a new class of drugs called Stapled Peptides, announced today that its collaborators, James E. Bradner, MD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Gregory L. Verdine, PhD, Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, published research in Nature entitled, "Direct Inhibition of the Notch Transcription Factor Complex." Results presented in the paper showed that Stapled Peptides can potently and directly inhibit the transcription factor Notch, an oncogene implicated in cancer cell proliferation and survival.

12 Nov 2009

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Loyola researcher says rapid influenza diagnostic tests can present significant risk to public health

Accurate diagnostic tests required to fight against major infectious disease

Quest Diagnostics' Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test receives CE mark

Previous flu infections can reduce the severity of H1N1

PolyMedix completes public offering of units for aggregate gross proceeds of $20.7 million

MEMS: Sensors made for automobiles are being used for healthcare devices

FDA to change its policy regarding the post-harvest processing of raw Gulf Coast oysters

Healthy adults may have better immunity to 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, says study

Live Facebook chat on H1N1 flu

Sequella broadens the licensed therapeutic indications of its SQ109 lead drug candidate

SPOT: A one-stop HIV and sexually transmitted diseases testing center for youth

Inovio Biomedical reports financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009

Ore Pharmaceutical Holdings reports financial results and provides operational updates for third quarter 2009

Third quarter 2009 financial results announced by Soligenix

State Fund to offer a series of free seminars to help employers protect from H1N1 influenza

RERF awarded $9.7M to study the effects of atomic bomb radiation and aging on the human immune system

Tobira Therapeutics presents data on TBR-652 at the European AIDS Conference

Stapled Peptides directly inhibit the Notch transcription factor complex

Canadian researchers organize clinical trials to find new treatments for H1N1 infection

Stapled Peptides can inhibit key intracellular biological targets, says new research

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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