Herpes Simplex Virus 2 News and Research

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Herpes Simplex Virus-2 is a sexually transmitted viral infection, which often produces painful sores, usually in the genital area. Once infected, an individual may carry the virus and be subject to recurrent bouts of infection. Some estimate that as many as 20 percent of the adult population in the United States has been exposed to the virus.

Genocea announces close of $35 million Series B venture financing round

Genocea Biosciences Inc., a vaccine discovery and development company pioneering a new class of T cell-based vaccines, today announced that it has closed a $35 million Series B round of venture financing, with new investors Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC), Skyline Ventures and MP Healthcare Venture Management, Inc. (MPH) joining existing investors Polaris Venture Partners, Lux Capital Management, SR One, Cycad Group, Auriga Partners and Morningside Ventures.

3 Jan 2011

AiCuris announces completion of AIC316 Phase II genital herpes trial

The trial has been completed two months earlier than planned. Indeed, in the later stages of the trial, enrolment had to be restricted as the number of subjects was higher than the number that was required to be enrolled according to the trial protocol.

8 Dec 2010

Anti-retroviral therapy yields 'Lazarus effect': Long-term household investment strategy replaces hopelessness

Two teams of researchers at UC San Diego and other U.S. and African universities and the World Bank have documented significant spillover benefits of a drug therapy to combat AIDS symptoms and a novel prevention strategy that focuses on girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, an area with two-thirds of the world's HIV infections.

2 Dec 2010

Preclinical trial shows Chimerix’s CMX001 inhibits HSV replication

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced that data demonstrating preclinical efficacy of Chimerix's lead antiviral compound CMX001 against herpes simplex virus (HSV) as well as its ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier was published in the November 15, 2010 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

23 Nov 2010

Antigenics awarded $424,720 grant under QTDP program

Antigenics Inc. today announced that it has been awarded $424,720 in grants under the IRS' Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) program. The grants were awarded in recognition of our two qualifying programs: AG-707, a phase 1 therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of genital herpes and QS-21 Stimulon® adjuvant.

4 Nov 2010

Chimerix to present CMX001 data for viral infections at IDSA Annual Meeting

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, will present promising clinical data for CMX001 in a late-breaker poster session at the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) 48th Annual Meeting.

25 Oct 2010

NanoViricides' President delivers speech at ASNM Second Annual Conference

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that the Company President was invited to and presented a talk at the Second Annual Conference of the American Society for NanoMedicine (ASNM).

18 Oct 2010

HSV1716 clinical trial for childhood cancer receives FDA grant

A clinical trial testing a genetically reprogrammed herpes simplex virus as treatment for deadly forms of childhood cancer has received a U.S. Food and Drug Administration grant to support the research.

13 Oct 2010

QIAGEN, Abbott enter agreement to strengthen testing menus for automated in-vitro diagnostic applications

QIAGEN and Abbott today announced that they have entered into an agreement that significantly strengthens both companies' testing menus for automated in-vitro diagnostic applications in the United States and Canada. Financial terms were not disclosed.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 13 Oct 2010

Condoms can prevent transmission of herpes simplex virus 2: Study

Condom use is associated with a reduced risk of contracting herpes simplex virus 2, according to a report based on pooled analysis of data from previous studies in the July 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

27 Sep 2010

NanoViricides' anti-Herpes drug candidates demonstrate significant efficacy in cell culture studies

NanoViricides, Inc., reports that its anti-Herpes drug candidates demonstrated significant efficacy in the recently completed cell culture studies. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Ken Rosenthal at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

16 Aug 2010

Vical second-quarter revenues decrease to $2.1 million

Vical Incorporated today reported financial results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2010. Revenues decreased to $2.1 million for the second quarter of 2010 from $4.0 million for the second quarter of 2009, primarily as a result of a $1.5 million milestone payment in 2009 from Merck & Co., Inc., based on Merck's ongoing Phase 1 clinical-stage development of an investigational cancer vaccine.

3 Aug 2010

DIATHERIX Laboratories opens rapid response diagnostic panels for STD, HSV

DIATHERIX Laboratories ,adds a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) panel and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) panel to its line up of highly sensitive, rapid response diagnostic panels. The HSV panel identifies herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 and the STD panel identifies 10 sexually transmitted diseases simultaneously, many of which cannot be accurately identified by current testing methods. These STD organisms, if not appropriately treated, can cause diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoeae, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, etc. and may lead to blindness, infertility or complications during pregnancy.

28 Jul 2010

Antigenics announces positive results of AG-707 genital herpes vaccine

Antigenics announced positive results with AG-707, an investigational therapeutic vaccine being developed to treat herpes simplex virus-2,the virus that causes genital herpes, in infected patients. Developed by Antigenics, the vaccine triggers a cellular immune response, stimulating both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.

28 Jul 2010

Scientists discover mechanism of herpes virus cell entry machinery

The mechanism by which a herpes virus invades cells has remained a mystery to scientists, but now research from Tufts University and the University of Pennsylvania reveals the unusual structure of a key member of the protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells.The new map details an essential piece of the herpes virus "cell-entry machinery," providing scientists with a new target for antiviral drugs.

27 Jul 2010

Vical's prophylactic Vaxfectin-formulated pDNA vaccine effective against HSV-2 in animal model

Vical Incorporated today announced that its prophylactic Vaxfectin®-formulated plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccine against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) protected mice against lethal challenge, provided sterilizing immunity and inhibited viral counts at both the primary and latent infection sites. The Vaxfectin® adjuvant substantially improved vaccine effectiveness. A related vaccine significantly reduced the recurrence of HSV-2 lesions in a therapeutic model using guinea pigs with latent infection.

26 Jul 2010

Researchers make scientific breakthrough in fight against HIV, genital herpes with a vaginal gel

Researchers have achieved an important scientific breakthrough in the fight against HIV and genital herpes with a vaginal gel that significantly reduces a woman's risk of being infected with these viruses. The results of the ground-breaking safety and effectiveness study of an antiretroviral microbicide gel study were reported today by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria.

20 Jul 2010

Fatness drives inactivity, not the other way around

According to a recent longitudinal study in children, inactivity does not lead to fatness! Moreover, the authors concluded that fatness is driving inactivity, and not the other way around. The authors noted that this "reverse causality" explains the observed association between inactivity and fatness. It also explains the repeated failures of the attempts to reduce childhood obesity by increasing physical activity. The study was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood by Dr. Brad Metcalf and colleagues from Plymouth, UK.

15 Jul 2010

Map of herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" provides new target for antiviral drugs

The mechanism by which a herpes virus invades cells has remained a mystery to scientists seeking to thwart this family of viruses. New research funded by the National Institutes of Health and published online in advance of print in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology reveals the unusual structure of the protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells. This detailed map of a key piece of the herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" gives scientists a new target for antiviral drugs.

7 Jul 2010

LEAPS vaccine technology generates dendritic cells to stimulate immune system to fight viral illnesses

CEL-SCI Corporation and researchers at the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) jointly announced today that a LEAPS-based vaccine (Ligand Epitope Antigen Presentation System) study has demonstrated the technology's potential using dendritic cells to stimulate the immune system to fight viral illnesses and other diseases.

29 Jun 2010