Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Biomagnetics Diagnostics to develop handheld testing platform for malaria and bovine TB

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a producer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis testing today announced it has received a equity-based financing commitment up to $1 million from investors and an anonymous philanthropic source. These funds will be used to further develop the company’s unique handheld testing platform targeting the areas of malaria and bovine tuberculosis testing.

29 Sep 2009

Research finds novel chemical that targets drug-resistant bacteria

Eric Brown, a professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, and a team of researchers from the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research have identified a novel chemical compound that targets drug-resistant bacteria in a different way from existing antibiotics. The discovery could lead to new treatments to overcome antibiotic resistance in certain types of microorganisms.

29 Sep 2009

Medical experts explore future of health advancements at Military Medicine Symposium

Renowned military, government and civilian medical experts will discuss advances in posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, humanitarian assistance and global infectious disease and explore the collaborative future of health advancements at the Partnership for Military Medicine Symposium on Nov. 6 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C.

29 Sep 2009

PolyMedix receives patent protection for computational methods in the design of amphiphilic polymers

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company developing new therapeutic drug products to treat infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders based on biomimetics, has received patent protection for certain exclusively licensed intellectual property by the issuance to the University of Pennsylvania of U.S. patent number 7,590,517, “Methods, Systems, and Computer Program Products for Computational Design of Amphiphilic Polymers.”

28 Sep 2009

Combined immunodeficiency results in severe health problems

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a genetic mutation that accounts for a perplexing condition found in people with an inherited immunodeficiency. The disorder, called combined immunodeficiency, is characterized by a constellation of severe health problems, including persistent bacterial and viral skin infections, severe eczema, acute allergies and asthma, and cancer.

28 Sep 2009

U.S. underfunds climate change health-related research

A recent commentary suggests that the U.S. should spend roughly $197 million more than it currently does to research the impact of climate change on public health.

28 Sep 2009

Child health experts to gather in Italy for Excellence in Paediatrics conference

Obesity, the flu pandemic and diabetes are just three of the hot topics that will be explored when top child health experts gather in Italy for Excellence in Paediatrics from 3 to 6 December 2009.

28 Sep 2009

WHO Asia-Pacific Countries pledge to use artemisinin with other drugs by 2015 to prevent drug-resistance

On Wednesday, nine of the 10 countries in the WHO's Asia-Pacific region "that suffer most" from malaria pledged to phase out the use of artemisinin-only to treat malaria and use it in combination with other drugs by 2015, Reuters reports (Lyn, 9/23).

28 Sep 2009

Investigational vaccine regimen 31% effective in preventing HIV infection

In an encouraging development, an investigational vaccine regimen has been shown to be well-tolerated and to have a modest effect in preventing HIV infection in a clinical trial involving more than 16,000 adult participants in Thailand. Following a final analysis of the trial data, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, the trial sponsor, announced today that the prime-boost investigational vaccine regimen was safe and 31 percent effective in preventing HIV infection.

27 Sep 2009

INFORMS annual meeting in San Diego from October 11th to 14th

When 4,000 experts in everything from problems with California's hospitals to a perpetual game of Monopoly come to San Diego on October 11, the city will find itself deluged not only by smart people who use math for a living but also problem solvers who tackle America's greatest threats.

26 Sep 2009

GenVec to receive $2.3M from NIAID for HIV vaccine candidate production

GenVec, Inc. announced today that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has executed its third option period (year four) under a previously announced, five-year contract with GenVec valued at up to $52 million for the production of HIV vaccines.

26 Sep 2009

Virginia Tech student granted fellowship for research study on LaCrosse Virus disease

Camille Harris of Ridgeland, Mississippi, a graduate student in biological sciences at Virginia Tech, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Graduate Research Fellowship for her study of forest disturbance and its ecological impacts on LaCrosse Virus, a mosquito-borne disease that can cause seizures, coma, paralysis, and permanent brain damage in severe cases.

26 Sep 2009

Associated Press/Washington Post examine contributions of military research to reducing global disease burden

In light of the U.S. Army's announcement yesterday that an experimental HIV vaccine trial it is sponsoring in Thailand showed modest potential for preventing infection, the Associated Press/Washington Post examines how military research is contributing to the fight against major diseases around the world.

25 Sep 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

A study appearing in the Journal of Infectious Diseases explores how well access to safe drinking water reduces rates of diarrhea experienced by 6-month-old infants born to HIV-infected mothers following weaning.

25 Sep 2009

Non-AIDS-defining malignancies more prevalent among HIV-infected patients than non-HIV patients

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that non-AIDS-defining malignancies such as anal and lung cancer have become more prevalent among HIV-infected patients than non-HIV patients since the introduction of anti-retroviral therapies in the mid-1990s.

25 Sep 2009

Caliper Life Sciences unveils XenoLight Rediject reagents series at WMIC

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery and life sciences research, today introduced a series of XenoLight Rediject reagents at the World Molecular Imaging Congress (WMIC) in Montreal, Canada. Rediject D-Luciferin Ultra is the latest in an expanding range of XenoLight reagents for Caliper's IVIS optical imaging systems.

25 Sep 2009

iCo Therapeutics, CPDD sign collaboration development agreement

iCo Therapeutics Inc. (TSX-V: ICO) is pleased to announce that the company has signed a collaboration development agreement with The Consortium for Parasitic Drug Development (CPDD) for the research and development of iCo's oral drug delivery technology for the treatment of neglected diseases such as leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis. Initial funding of USD $182,930 will be provided for formulation optimization for tropical conditions.

25 Sep 2009

Phase III clinical trial of investigational HIV vaccine regimen complete

Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases (“GSID”) announced today that a Phase III clinical trial of an investigational HIV vaccine regimen has been shown to be safe and modestly effective in preventing HIV infection. The double-blind, placebo controlled study was conducted in Thailand among more than 16,000 volunteers.

25 Sep 2009

Partial success reported in the Phase 3 trial of HIV/AIDS vaccine

GeoVax Labs, Inc., an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for HIV/AIDS (HIV-1, Human Immunodeficiency Virus), was pleased to hear the announcement today of partial success in the recently completed Phase 3 trial in Thailand of a candidate HIV/AIDS vaccine owned by Sanofi-Aventis and Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases.

25 Sep 2009

Investigational vaccine shows modest potential for protecting against HIV infection

For the first time, scientists say an investigational vaccine has modest potential for protecting people against HIV infection, the Associated Press reports. "The vaccine — a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines — cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by ... 31 percent in the world's largest [HIV] vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, researchers announced Thursday in Bangkok," the news service writes (Marchione/Casey, 9/24).

25 Sep 2009

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Biomagnetics Diagnostics to develop handheld testing platform for malaria and bovine TB

Research finds novel chemical that targets drug-resistant bacteria

Medical experts explore future of health advancements at Military Medicine Symposium

PolyMedix receives patent protection for computational methods in the design of amphiphilic polymers

Combined immunodeficiency results in severe health problems

U.S. underfunds climate change health-related research

Child health experts to gather in Italy for Excellence in Paediatrics conference

WHO Asia-Pacific Countries pledge to use artemisinin with other drugs by 2015 to prevent drug-resistance

Investigational vaccine regimen 31% effective in preventing HIV infection

INFORMS annual meeting in San Diego from October 11th to 14th

GenVec to receive $2.3M from NIAID for HIV vaccine candidate production

Virginia Tech student granted fellowship for research study on LaCrosse Virus disease

Associated Press/Washington Post examine contributions of military research to reducing global disease burden

Recent releases in Global Health

Non-AIDS-defining malignancies more prevalent among HIV-infected patients than non-HIV patients

Caliper Life Sciences unveils XenoLight Rediject reagents series at WMIC

iCo Therapeutics, CPDD sign collaboration development agreement

Phase III clinical trial of investigational HIV vaccine regimen complete

Partial success reported in the Phase 3 trial of HIV/AIDS vaccine

Investigational vaccine shows modest potential for protecting against HIV 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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