Infectious Diseases News and Research

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NIH awards UH with $361,000 grant for chikungunya vaccine study

It is spread to humans by mosquito bites, causing arthritic symptoms so severe that some victims can't even walk. While rarely fatal, the effects of the chikungunya virus can last up to a year.

28 Apr 2011

IQ Therapeutics completes dosing in IQNLF Phase I trial for anthrax

IQ Therapeutics has completed the dosing of antibody IQNLF in a Phase I clinical trial. A total of 36 healthy volunteers participated in the randomized, placebo controlled, double blind, single dose-escalating study, intended to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of IQNLF.

27 Apr 2011

New angle in cause of tuberculosis discovered - scientists hopeful for new therapy

In a new study published Monday, researchers from the US have isolated the enzyme that allows tuberculosis to destroy lung tissue. This discovery could speed the search for treatments.

26 Apr 2011

PolyMedix defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds show antimicrobial efficacy against anthrax

PolyMedix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat patients with acute infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced today that several of its defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds have shown antimicrobial efficacy in an animal model against the bacteria that causes anthrax.

26 Apr 2011

Caliber opens world's largest plant-made pharmaceutical facility in Bryan

Caliber Biotherapeutics, a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company, announced the opening of the world's largest plant-made pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Bryan, Texas, with the capability of producing 10-100 million doses of infectious vaccines per month, and hundreds of thousands of doses of protein biotherapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies.

26 Apr 2011

U.S. President's Malaria Initiative releases fifth annual report

Each year, World Malaria Day is observed to call attention to the disease and to mobilize action to combat it. On this occasion, the President's Malaria Initiative, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, releases its fifth annual report, which describes the role and contributions of the U.S. Government in the effort to reduce the burden of malaria in Africa.

26 Apr 2011

Scientists identify key enzyme that destroys lung tissue in TB

Scientists have identified a key enzyme responsible for destroying lung tissue in tuberculosis, they report today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Drugs that inhibit this enzyme are already available, meaning that the finding could lead quickly to new treatments.

26 Apr 2011

Kadmon Pharmaceuticals and Nano Terra announce worldwide licensing agreement

Kadmon Pharmaceuticals LLC, and Nano Terra, Inc., today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Kadmon has been granted a perpetual, worldwide exclusive license to three novel, clinical-stage product candidates owned by Nano Terra as well as rights to Nano Terra’s drug discovery platform, Pharmacomer™ Technology. The product candidates and technology platform will be transferred to a newly formed joint venture, NT Life Sciences (“NT Life”), co-owned by Kadmon and Nano Terra, which will act as the licensor and recipient of any licensing or royalty fees subject to the agreement. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

25 Apr 2011

Canadians join hands in fight against meningitis on April 24th

Canadians can join hands in a virtual community with the Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada and become a member of the global family by visiting www.comoonline.org and "joining hands" in the fight against meningitis, and to show support for meningitis awareness and prevention.

25 Apr 2011

FDA approves Sanofi Pasteur's meningococcal vaccine

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted licensure to expand the indication for its meningococcal conjugate vaccine, Menactra, to include a two-dose schedule for infants and children 9 months through 23 months of age.

25 Apr 2011

Maxwell Biotech, Sequella enter license agreement to commercialize SQ109 for TB treatment

Sequella, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing novel antibiotics to treat life-threatening infectious diseases, and Maxwell Biotech Venture Fund announced their agreement to complete the clinical development and commercialize SQ109 for treatment of tuberculosis in the Russian Federation and neighboring Commonwealth of Independent States countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.

25 Apr 2011

Creative approach can tackle bacterial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis

An over-the-counter drug used to treat diarrhea combined with minocycline, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections, could one day change the lives of those living with cystic fibrosis.

25 Apr 2011

Anacor's AN2728 and GSK '052 new data to be presented at upcoming meetings

Anacor Pharmaceuticals announced today that it will present data on two of its compounds at the following conferences: “Safety and efficacy of AN2728 ointment in a phase 2b dose-ranging bilateral study of mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis”.

25 Apr 2011

New study: Children born with HIV are now faring well into adolescence, adulthood

Once facing an almost certain death sentence, most children born with HIV are now faring well into adolescence and adulthood, according to a newly published study co-authored by Tulane infectious diseases expert Dr. Russell Van Dyke. The study was published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

22 Apr 2011

Rate of antiretroviral virological failure higher among children living with HIV/AIDS than adults, study finds

One in eight children living with HIV/AIDS "experiences triple-class virological failure - meaning the virus becomes resistant to multiple drugs - within five years of starting antiretroviral treatment," according to a study published Wednesday in the Lancet, HealthDay News/MSN reports. The "failure rate is higher than in adults and highlights the challenge of maintaining viral load suppression in young patients who begin antiretroviral therapy so early in life, the researchers said," according to the news service (Preidt, 4/19).

21 Apr 2011

Immigrant screening fails to detect more than 70% cases of latent tuberculosis infection

Current UK procedures to screen new immigrants for tuberculosis (TB) fail to detect more than 70 per cent of cases of latent infection, according to a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

21 Apr 2011

Genetically modified mosquitoes tested to prevent spread of malaria: Study

According to the latest study in the journal Nature, researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Washington, Seattle found that after making specific genetic changes to a few mosquitoes and then allowing them to breed could eventually dramatically reduce the spread of the deadly disease malaria.

20 Apr 2011

ARIAD executes three exclusive out-license agreements for ARGENT cell-signaling regulation technology

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced execution of three exclusive out-license agreements for separate aspects of its ARGENT™ cell-signaling regulation technology.

20 Apr 2011

Cmed Group selected to help PDPs develop new medicines in Third-World Countries

Cmed Group, an innovative clinical trials services and advanced software provider, announced today that it has been selected as one of six preferred providers offering its clinical research expertise to a consortium of 14 global health Product Development Partnerships (PDPs). The PDPs are working to develop and deliver affordable treatments and vaccines that will help improve the lives of the some of the world's most vulnerable people, especially those in developing countries.

20 Apr 2011

Furiex acquires full rights to JNJ-Q2, a novel broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has acquired full exclusive license rights to develop and commercialize the compound JNJ-Q2 under its existing development and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V.. Furiex acquired these rights as a result of Janssen's decision not to exercise its option under the agreement that gave Janssen the opportunity to continue development of JNJ-Q2.

20 Apr 2011

Infectious Diseases News and Research

NIH awards UH with $361,000 grant for chikungunya vaccine study

IQ Therapeutics completes dosing in IQNLF Phase I trial for anthrax

New angle in cause of tuberculosis discovered - scientists hopeful for new therapy

PolyMedix defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds show antimicrobial efficacy against anthrax

Caliber opens world's largest plant-made pharmaceutical facility in Bryan

U.S. President's Malaria Initiative releases fifth annual report

Scientists identify key enzyme that destroys lung tissue in TB

Kadmon Pharmaceuticals and Nano Terra announce worldwide licensing agreement

Canadians join hands in fight against meningitis on April 24th

FDA approves Sanofi Pasteur's meningococcal vaccine

Maxwell Biotech, Sequella enter license agreement to commercialize SQ109 for TB treatment

Creative approach can tackle bacterial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis

Anacor's AN2728 and GSK '052 new data to be presented at upcoming meetings

New study: Children born with HIV are now faring well into adolescence, adulthood

Rate of antiretroviral virological failure higher among children living with HIV/AIDS than adults, study finds

Immigrant screening fails to detect more than 70% cases of latent tuberculosis infection

Genetically modified mosquitoes tested to prevent spread of malaria: Study

ARIAD executes three exclusive out-license agreements for ARGENT cell-signaling regulation technology

Cmed Group selected to help PDPs develop new medicines in Third-World Countries

Furiex acquires full rights to JNJ-Q2, a novel broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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