Infectious Diseases News and Research

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MacroGenics to receive milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim

MacroGenics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company that develops next generation antibody therapeutics, announced today that it will receive a milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim.

20 Dec 2011

Three-dose artesunate therapy effective in treating children with malaria

A shorter anti-malaria treatment is as effective in treating seriously ill children as the standard regimen, according to new research. Researchers have shown that three doses over two days of the drug artesunate are as effective in killing the malaria parasite in the blood as five doses over three days.

20 Dec 2011

OneWorld Health to become PATH affiliate

"PATH and OneWorld Health (OWH) on Friday announced that OWH will become an affiliate of PATH, bringing its drug development expertise and experience in neglected infectious diseases to bear on PATH's mission of improving global health through innovation," according to a PATH press release.

20 Dec 2011

New gel could nip Lyme borreliosis infection in the bud

They come out in the spring, and each year they spread further - the ticks. Thirty percent of them transmit borrelia pathogens, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis that can damage joints and organs.

19 Dec 2011

Scientists discover a way to keep normal and cancer cells alive in the lab

In a major step that could revolutionize biomedical research, scientists have discovered a way to keep normal cells as well as tumor cells taken from an individual cancer patient alive in the laboratory - which previously had not been possible. Normal cells usually die in the lab after dividing only a few times, and many common cancers will not grow, unaltered, outside of the body.

19 Dec 2011

President Obama honors mentoring program for minority girls in science and health

Teresa Woodruff, the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring at the White House from President Barack Obama Monday, Dec. 12.

17 Dec 2011

Immediate ART appears preferable to deferring treatment among recently infected HIV patients

Among people recently infected with HIV, immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears preferable to deferring treatment, according to a new study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and now available online.

17 Dec 2011

Soligenix secures Harvard option rights to initiate anthrax vaccine development program

Soligenix, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has initiated a next generation anthrax vaccine development program pursuant to a field-exclusive option agreement with Harvard University to negotiate a license under patent rights that cover prophylactic uses of a modified anthrax toxin protein.

16 Dec 2011

Six UNC faculty members named AAAC fellow

Six University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

16 Dec 2011

New book on clinical laboratory mycological identification

A new edition of the definitive practical resource for laboratory identification of fungal infections is now available. "The fully revised Medically Important Fungi: A Guide to Identification, 5th Edition," published by ASM Press, offers step-by-step guidance and textual descriptions that allow both novice and experienced lab technologists to accurately distinguish between fungi that display similar characteristics.

16 Dec 2011

Antimalarial drugs administered during pregnancy safer than contracting malaria, study suggests

"Antimalarial drugs are safer for pregnant women than contracting the disease," according to a study from the University of Oxford published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases on Tuesday that "assessed the effects of malaria and its treatment in the first trimester of pregnancy," HealthCanal.com reports.

16 Dec 2011

Lab results change in consistent ways during the course of Kawasaki disease

Children with Kawasaki disease show a pattern of changing laboratory test results as the disease runs its course, according to a study in the December issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

15 Dec 2011

FDA approves modernized labeling for ViroPharma's Vancocin Capsules

ViroPharma Incorporated today announced the modernization of labeling for Vancocin (vancomycin hydrochloride, USP) Capsules made effective through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of a supplemental new drug application.

15 Dec 2011

M. pneumoniae CARDS toxin plays a critical role in asthma

Five years ago, microbiologists at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio discovered the toxin produced by a common respiratory bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Joel Baseman, Ph.D., who led the discovery, said at the time that the toxin's presence in humans could be causing as many as 40 percent of all asthma cases.

15 Dec 2011

Nighttime satellite images could provide clues to disease outbreaks, researchers suggest

"The intensity of light shining from cities at night could help identify hot spots where outbreaks of infectious disease are likely to take place," PBS NewsHour's "The Rundown" reports.

14 Dec 2011

Aethlon Hemopurifier can capture Nef protein exosomes linked with HIV

Aethlon Medical, Inc., the pioneer in developing therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease and cancer, announced today that researchers have discovered that the Aethlon Hemopurifier is able to capture particles known as Nef protein exosomes, which contribute to the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

14 Dec 2011

Statins linked with reduced risk of death among hospitalized flu patients

The two main ways to prevent and control influenza today are annual immunization and antiviral drugs. A team of investigators has found that statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, may offer an additional treatment to complement these approaches and reduce mortality among patients hospitalized with influenza.

14 Dec 2011

Scientists discover how intestinal tract influences B cells to prevent infection

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found an explanation for how the intestinal tract influences a key component of the immune system to prevent infection, offering a potential clue to the cause of autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

13 Dec 2011

'Twinning' team approach improves pediatric lymphoma outcomes

In an African county lacking any specialists in children's cancers, a team approach that "twins" Rwandan physicians with Boston-based pediatric oncologists has shown it can deliver expert, curative care to young patients stricken with lymphoma.

13 Dec 2011