Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Vical Incorporated announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,888,112 covering DNA vaccines for cytomegalovirus containing specific gene sequences and formulated with Vical's Vaxfectin adjuvant.

16 Feb 2011

Flu vaccine update

This new vaccine which could become available in the United States in the next few years, is made by growing the influenza virus in cultures of animal cells rather than in the chicken eggs that have been used for more than five decades. This shortens the process by six months. Using animal cells, which are grown in enclosed steel tanks, also reduces the risk of bacterial contamination, which has led to shortages of seasonal vaccines in some years. The study was reported in The Lancet this Tuesday.

16 Feb 2011

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia establishes Jeffrey Modell Endowed Chair in Pediatric Immunology Research

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia today announced the establishment of the Jeffrey Modell Endowed Chair in Pediatric Immunology Research.

16 Feb 2011

Advaxis added to Mentor Capital Cancer Immunotherapy Index

Mentor Capital, Inc. reports that Advaxis, Inc. has been added as the newest member of the Mentor Capital Cancer Immunotherapy Index.

16 Feb 2011

Over 20% of young children with respiratory viral infections will develop middle ear infections

More than 20 percent of young children with colds or other respiratory viral infections will develop middle ear infections of varying severity—including some mild infections that don't require antibiotics, according to a study in the February issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Feb 2011

Sanofi-aventis, Sunnybrook enter agreement to develop and commercialize vasculotide

Sanofi-aventis and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre announced that they have entered into a research agreement and licensing option for vasculotide, an investigational compound to treat chronic wounds. This includes neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers caused by a lack of sensation and neuropathic ulcers that are complicated by peripheral arterial disease, commonly called neuroischemic diabetic foot ulcers.

16 Feb 2011

Aeolus receives BARDA contract for AEOL 10150 drug development against ARS

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of broad spectrum catalytic antioxidant compounds that reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and subsequent tissue damage-signaling cascades resulting from radiation exposure, today announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded Aeolus a contract for the advanced development of AEOL 10150 as a medical countermeasure against the pulmonary sub-syndrome of acute radiation syndrome.

16 Feb 2011

New review of anthrax case discussed by review committee vice chair, Stanford bioterrorism expert

In 2001, a mystery perpetrator mailed a series of anthrax-laced letters to several locations, killing five people. In 2008, shortly after emerging as the prime suspect in an exhaustive investigation by the FBI, an Army microbiologist, Bruce Ivins, PhD, committed suicide. This morning, a National Academy of Sciences committee, charged in September 2008 with reviewing the scientific approaches used by the FBI in that investigation, released its report.

15 Feb 2011

Research: 75% of nonmilitary group medically evacuated for nonbattle injuries did not return to field

After analyzing data on 2,155 private contractors, diplomats and other civilians supporting war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan who were medically evacuated out of combat zones, researchers have found they are more likely to be evacuated for noncombat-related injuries, but more likely to return to work in-country after treatment for these conditions.

15 Feb 2011

Green on satellite images warns of hantavirus outbreaks

The risk of deadly hantavirus outbreaks in people can be predicted months ahead of time by using satellite images to monitor surges in vegetation that boost mouse populations, a University of Utah study says. The method also might forecast outbreaks of other rodent-borne illnesses worldwide.

15 Feb 2011

Tianyin Pharmaceutical's second quarter revenue increases 69.6% to $25.3 million

Tianyin Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., a pharmaceutical company that specializes in the patented biopharmaceutical, modernized traditional Chinese medicine, branded generics and other pharmaceuticals, announced the financial results for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2011.

14 Feb 2011

Free, confidential home-kit testing for sexually transmitted infections effective with young people

Infectious disease experts at Johns Hopkins say new research clearly shows that screening teens and young adults for sexually transmitted infections may best be achieved by making free, confidential home-kit testing available over the Internet. From a public health standpoint, the project is a clear winner, the experts say.

14 Feb 2011

Rising number of livestock diseases threatens public health, food security in developing countries, report says

"A growing number of livestock, such as cows and pigs, are fuelling new animal epidemics worldwide and posing more severe problems in developing countries as it threatens their food security, according to a report [.pdf] released on Friday" during an international conference in New Delhi, India, on Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition & Health, Reuters reports (Lyn, 2/11).

14 Feb 2011

Janssen, Medivir collaborate to discover and develop drugs against dengue virus

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, announces today that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. for the discovery and development of drugs for the prophylaxis and treatment of dengue virus infection.

14 Feb 2011

Gene-transfer system may control mosquito-borne diseases without pesticides

Scientists have modeled a system that may be used to control mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit, without the use of pesticides. In the proposed system, mosquitoes are engineered to carry two genes. The first gene causes males to transmit a toxin to females through their semen. The second gene, when expressed in females, makes them immune to this toxin.

14 Feb 2011

New York Times examines factors contributing to presence of 'exotic' infectious diseases in New York City

"When New York City's health department revealed last weekend that three people had contracted cholera, it was a reminder that the city is not just a world capital of arts, business and the like - but also of exotic diseases," the New York Times writes in an article that explores how diseases from around the world often make their way to the city through its diverse population of travelers.

14 Feb 2011

HIV infection in mothers reduces disease resistance in babies: Study

New research suggests that babies whose mothers have HIV, but are not HIV-infected themselves, are born with lower levels of specific proteins in their blood called antibodies, which fight infection, compared with babies not exposed to HIV.

13 Feb 2011

53 share a needle & HIV risk due to a clinic blunder

Over 50 patients at a private radiology clinic were given blood tests using a needle device meant for single-patient use. Authorities have launched an investigation into the matter. These patients are all at risk of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV infection. These cancer patients will need testing for the viruses, and again in three months. They had visited the hospital for a positron emission tomography (PET) scan for cancer detection.

13 Feb 2011

Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation awards $3M to Cleveland physicians for AIDS research

A three-year, $3 million gift from the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation will fund research by a pair of Cleveland physicians into HIV and the body's response in autoimmune diseases.

11 Feb 2011

Medivir initiates phase 1a clinical trial of TMC649128 for chronic HCV infection

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, today announces the start of a phase 1a clinical trial with TMC649128 intended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

10 Feb 2011

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Flu vaccine update

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia establishes Jeffrey Modell Endowed Chair in Pediatric Immunology Research

Advaxis added to Mentor Capital Cancer Immunotherapy Index

Over 20% of young children with respiratory viral infections will develop middle ear infections

Sanofi-aventis, Sunnybrook enter agreement to develop and commercialize vasculotide

Aeolus receives BARDA contract for AEOL 10150 drug development against ARS

New review of anthrax case discussed by review committee vice chair, Stanford bioterrorism expert

Research: 75% of nonmilitary group medically evacuated for nonbattle injuries did not return to field

Green on satellite images warns of hantavirus outbreaks

Tianyin Pharmaceutical's second quarter revenue increases 69.6% to $25.3 million

Free, confidential home-kit testing for sexually transmitted infections effective with young people

Rising number of livestock diseases threatens public health, food security in developing countries, report says

Janssen, Medivir collaborate to discover and develop drugs against dengue virus

Gene-transfer system may control mosquito-borne diseases without pesticides

New York Times examines factors contributing to presence of 'exotic' infectious diseases in New York City

HIV infection in mothers reduces disease resistance in babies: Study

53 share a needle & HIV risk due to a clinic blunder

Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation awards $3M to Cleveland physicians for AIDS research

Medivir initiates phase 1a clinical trial of TMC649128 for chronic HCV infection

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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