Microbiology News and Research

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Viruses lead to discovery of security system in host cells

Viruses have led scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to the discovery of a security system in host cells.

18 Nov 2010

Canada recognizes Nov. 18 as Antibiotic Awareness Day

Antibiotic resistance is an issue health practitioners around the world face daily. Numerous health-related organizations have partnered to mark tomorrow as the first Canadian Antibiotic Awareness Day in an effort to promote prudent use of antibiotics and fight the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

17 Nov 2010

NIH awards $10 million to advance technology for painless influenza vaccine delivery patch

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $10 million to the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University and PATH, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization, to advance a technology for the painless, self-administration of flu vaccine using patches containing tiny microneedles that dissolve into the skin.

17 Nov 2010

Otoscopic exams critical for accurate diagnosis of ear infections in children

Among the findings of an analysis of previous studies regarding ear infections in children are that results from otoscopic exams (an instrument for examining the interior of the ear) are critical to accurate diagnosis and antibiotics are modestly more effective than no treatment, with most antibiotics demonstrating similar rates of clinical success among children at normal risk, according to an article in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Nov 2010

Researchers develop new vaccine delivery system for rotavirus infection

Researchers have developed a promising new approach to vaccination for rotavirus, a common cause of severe diarrheal disease that is responsible for approximately 500,000 deaths among children in the developing world every year.

16 Nov 2010

Adeona third quarter total net revenues increase to $289,898

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of innovative medicines for serious central nervous system diseases, announced its third quarter 2010 financial results as well as recent clinical and operational achievements.

15 Nov 2010

Research on E.Coli bacteria could help develop new vaccine for urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infections are a painful, recurring problem for millions of women. They are also getting more dangerous as bacteria develop resistance to the most common treatments.

15 Nov 2010

Inovio to update HVTN 080 Phase I clinical study for HIV at HVTN Conference

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that Dr. Spyros Kalams will provide an update of interim immune responses and safety results from the HVTN 080 Phase I clinical study of Inovio's PENNVAX-B HIV DNA vaccine in a preventive setting.

12 Nov 2010

PenCLAHRC provides funding to support C. difficile research

The Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (PenCLAHRC) has provided funding to support joint research between the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust to investigate why some cases of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are more difficult to treat than others and also why some cases result in more incidences of relapses.

12 Nov 2010

USPTO issues patent to Aperio's digital pathology system

Aperio, the global leader in providing digital pathology solutions that enhance patient safety and improve patient care, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company patent No. 7,787,674 entitled, "Systems and Methods for Viewing Three Dimensional Virtual Slides."

11 Nov 2010

New discovery can develop diagnostic test to identify gene mutation in AML

Decoding the DNA of a woman who died of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has led researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to a gene that they found to be commonly altered in many patients who died quickly of the disease.

11 Nov 2010

PolyMedix announces publication of defensin-mimetic compounds in Molecular Oral Microbiology

PolyMedix, Inc. an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, announced that data from two separate pre-clinical research studies were published in the December issue of Molecular Oral Microbiology.

10 Nov 2010

Contraceptive, antiviral gel using bee venom wins 2010 Gates Foundation grant

A vaginal gel that affords both contraception and HIV protection using nanoparticles that carry bee venom is one of the bold, unconventional ideas that won a 2010 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

10 Nov 2010

Grand Challenges Explorations projects receive new grants for tuberculosis research

Weill Cornell Medical College announced today that it was awarded two $100,000 grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the next phase of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to encourage bold and unconventional ideas for global health.

10 Nov 2010

Research reveals EBV virus infected cell manipulates cancer-producing cells

A new discovery by UNC scientists describes how cells infected by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) produce small vesicles or sacs called exosomes, changing their cellular "cargo" of proteins and RNA. This altered exosome enters cells and can change the growth of recipient cells from benign to cancer-producing.

9 Nov 2010

Water purification woes

According to an expert desalination plants that are built close to sewage outflows risk contaminating drinking water. An Australian National University professor of infectious diseases and microbiology Peter Collignon said that membrane technology is not fool proof when it comes to screening bugs. This comes coincidentally just after a “reporting error” by Sydney Water that showed E.coli had been found in processed drinking water at its $1.9 billion Kurnell desalination plant in Sydney's south. The plant's intake, which collects water to supply 1.5 million Sydney homes, is about 2.5km north of the Cronulla near-shore sewage outflow.

8 Nov 2010

Researchers identify key step in metabolic pathways linked to diabetes and cancer

United States and Japanese researchers have identified a key step in metabolic pathways linked to diabetes and cancer. The study on activation of the protein complex TORC 2 was published online in the journal Current Biology Oct. 28.

8 Nov 2010

Optimer third quarter net loss increases to $11.8 million

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010. Optimer reported a net loss for the third quarter of 2010 of $11.8 million, or $0.30 per share, which was in line with the Company's expectations. This compares to a net loss for the third quarter of 2009 of $9.4 million, or $0.28 per share. The increase in net loss was primarily due to an increase in research and development and marketing expenses.

2 Nov 2010

Rubicon's PicoPlex kits provide DNA methylation profiling using next-generation sequencing

Rubicon Genomics today reported data demonstrating that its PicoPlex kits currently marketed for the analysis of single cells for research and diagnostic applications also provide important advantages for genetic and epigenetic profiling using next-generation sequencing (NGS).

2 Nov 2010

Thomson Reuters launches Pharmacy Xpert dashboard to manage medication therapy

Thomson Reuters, a global provider of information for healthcare professionals, today announced the launch of Thomson Reuters Pharmacy Xpert the first-of-its-kind clinical intelligence dashboard that helps hospital pharmacists better manage medication therapy to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and manage risk.

2 Nov 2010