Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Scancell's ImmunoBody vaccine technologies to be combined with ImmuneRegen's Homspera

Scancell Holdings Plc, the developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, today announces a strategic collaboration with ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc.. Under the agreement, Scancell and ImmuneRegen will work together to investigate the synergy between ImmuneRegen's Homspera® and Scancell's ImmunoBody® vaccine technologies.

4 Jun 2010

Lovastatin protects animals against plague

An experimental study has revealed that lovastatin, a drug prescribed for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, protects animals against the deadly effects of plague. This infectious disease is on the upsurge in parts of the world. These results obtained by scientists at the Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (CNRS/Université Aix-Marseille 2) have been published in the journal PLoS ONE.

4 Jun 2010

McMaster University researchers discover chemical clue directing Staphylococcus aureus

McMaster University researchers have discovered a central controller or processing unit of a superbug's weaponry. An article on the breakthrough appears in the high-impact journal Science today.

4 Jun 2010

Antiviral drug oseltamivir appears safe and effective for infants hospitalized with influenza: Study

Given promptly, the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) appears safe and effective for infants hospitalized with influenza, reports a study in the June issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

4 Jun 2010

Phase 1B clinical study with PMX-60056 meets safety and efficacy endpoints: PolyMedix

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat acute cardiovascular disorders and infectious diseases, has successfully completed a second Phase 1B clinical safety and pilot efficacy study with PMX-60056, a small synthetic molecule designed to reverse heparin and low molecular weight heparin anticoagulants.

3 Jun 2010

Motavizumab should not be licensed for marketing: FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee

MedImmune today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee has voted 14 to 3 to recommend that motavizumab should not be licensed for marketing regarding the prevention of serious respiratory syncytial virus disease in high-risk infants.

3 Jun 2010

Scientists awarded $3.9M grant to study how XDR-TB transmitted in rural South Africa

The National Institutes of Health has awarded scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $3.9 million grant to study how extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is transmitted in rural South Africa. The findings could alter public health approaches for controlling the XDR-TB epidemic in the developing world.

3 Jun 2010

BD Diagnostics receives 510(k) clearance to market GBS assay on BD MAX System

BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the BD MAX™ GBS Assay for Group B Streptococcus on the BD MAX System. The BD MAX System is a next-generation automated workstation for molecular testing designed to streamline workflow and offer full walkaway automation to accommodate varying workloads for maximum lab efficiency and flexibility.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 3 Jun 2010

Barriers, misinformation still prevent many from seeking flu protection for their families: Canadian Flu Report

According to the Canadian Flu Report released today, 40 per cent of parents are now more interested in vaccinating themselves and their children against seasonal flu following last year's H1N1 outbreak. Yet, significant barriers and misinformation are still preventing many from actually seeking proper flu protection for their families.

2 Jun 2010

Research findings advance the effort to develop AIDS vaccine

In findings that contribute to efforts to design an AIDS vaccine, a team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has determined the structure of an immune system antibody molecule that effectively acts against most strains of human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS.

2 Jun 2010

Santarus commences enrollment in rifamycin SV MMX Phase III clinical program for travelers' diarrhea

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that is has begun to enroll patients in the first study in its Phase III clinical program to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rifamycin SV MMX® for the treatment of patients with travelers' diarrhea.

2 Jun 2010

Texas A&M uses pGAP and IBM supercomputing technology to boost tuberculosis research

IBM today announced that Texas A&M University used IBM supercomputing technology to carry out potentially life-saving tuberculosis research at a rate more than four times faster than was previously possible.

2 Jun 2010

CCL5 protein plays protective role against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: New research

Ohio scientists hope to counter the re-emerging threat of tuberculosis with help from proteins from our bodies. In a research report published in the June 2010 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, scientists show how the protein CCL5 plays a protective role in helping the body ward off this contagious, airborne disease in the early stages of infection.

2 Jun 2010

Anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrate efficacy in preliminary cell culture studies

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrated significant efficacy in the recently completed preliminary cell culture studies. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Eva Harris, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Berkeley.

2 Jun 2010

Azithromycin as effective as penicillin for early-stage syphilis: Study

In a clinical trial involving HIV-negative volunteers with early-stage syphilis, researchers have found that antibiotic pills (azithromycin) are as effective as penicillin injections in curing early-stage syphilis. The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

2 Jun 2010

Plans to continue flu vaccination ban – intensive investigations ongoing

In the first quarter of this year nearly 300 children across Australia fell ill with fevers, vomiting and convulsions following administration of the seasonal flu vaccine.

2 Jun 2010

Researchers identify pattern of gene expression in kidney transplant recipients who don't need anti-rejection drugs

Researchers have identified a distinct pattern of gene expression in the largest reported group of kidney transplant recipients who have not rejected the transplant kidneys even though they stopped taking anti-rejection drugs. This finding may help identify other transplant recipients who could safely reduce or end use of immunosuppressive therapy. In 2008, more than 80,000 people in the United States were living with a kidney transplant.

31 May 2010

Model to help investigators make "socially responsible decisions" in community-based health research

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a grant to investigators at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics to study obligations researchers may have to provide ancillary health care unrelated to their study while working in impoverished settings.

29 May 2010

RNAi therapy shuts down gene critical to RSV, prevents virus replication

John DeVincenzo, MD, professor and researcher in the Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has proven for the first time that a totally new concept in drug design can be used to treat human disease. Dr. DeVincenzo, who also serves as a children's infectious diseases specialist at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, conducted his study at the Children's Foundation Research Center, a UT Health Science Center partner located at Le Bonheur.

29 May 2010

Study demonstrates protection against Ebola infection in nonhuman primates using RNAi

Scientists using tiny particles of genetic material to interfere in the replication process of the deadly Ebola virus have successfully prevented monkeys exposed to that virus from dying of hemorrhagic fever. The proof-of-concept study, published in this week's issue of The Lancet, suggests that such protection also should be possible in humans.

29 May 2010

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Scancell's ImmunoBody vaccine technologies to be combined with ImmuneRegen's Homspera

Lovastatin protects animals against plague

McMaster University researchers discover chemical clue directing Staphylococcus aureus

Antiviral drug oseltamivir appears safe and effective for infants hospitalized with influenza: Study

Phase 1B clinical study with PMX-60056 meets safety and efficacy endpoints: PolyMedix

Motavizumab should not be licensed for marketing: FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee

Scientists awarded $3.9M grant to study how XDR-TB transmitted in rural South Africa

BD Diagnostics receives 510(k) clearance to market GBS assay on BD MAX System

Barriers, misinformation still prevent many from seeking flu protection for their families: Canadian Flu Report

Research findings advance the effort to develop AIDS vaccine

Santarus commences enrollment in rifamycin SV MMX Phase III clinical program for travelers' diarrhea

Texas A&M uses pGAP and IBM supercomputing technology to boost tuberculosis research

CCL5 protein plays protective role against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: New research

Anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrate efficacy in preliminary cell culture studies

Azithromycin as effective as penicillin for early-stage syphilis: Study

Plans to continue flu vaccination ban – intensive investigations ongoing

Researchers identify pattern of gene expression in kidney transplant recipients who don't need anti-rejection drugs

Model to help investigators make "socially responsible decisions" in community-based health research

RNAi therapy shuts down gene critical to RSV, prevents virus replication

Study demonstrates protection against Ebola infection in nonhuman primates using RNAi

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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