Microcephaly News and Research

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Measuring head circumference (also known as occipito-frontal circumference) is a significant part of the proper evaluation of a child’s growth and development, as it represents a direct indication of head growth. Therefore deviations from normal head growth may reveal certain congenital or acquired problem.

Study sheds light on how Zika virus causes microcephaly in newborns

A new study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine revealed how in utero Zika virus infection can lead to microcephaly in newborns. The team discovered that the Zika virus protein NS4A disrupts brain growth by hijacking a pathway that regulates the generation of new neurons.

14 Nov 2019

The first locally transmitted cases of Zika have been confirmed in Europe

The first native cases of Zika virus have been confirmed in Europe. Experts are calling it a wake-up call as warming global temperatures could lead to more cases across the continent.

8 Nov 2019

Scientists discover cell protein crucial in preventing viral replication

A research team has discovered a protein without which cells infected by viruses cannot trigger an immune response, leading to 100% mortality with even non-disease-producing strains. The discovery of the new Z-DNA binding protein, or ZBP1, was reported in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. It could help develop new treatment methods for viruses that target the nervous system such as the Zika or West Nile Encephalitis virus.

6 Nov 2019

Rilpivirine drug used for HIV treatment also suppresses Zika virus infection

Like an adjustable wrench that becomes the "go-to" tool because it is effective and can be used for a variety of purposes, an existing drug that can be adapted to halt the replication of different viruses would greatly expedite the treatment of different infectious diseases.

30 Oct 2019

Research reveals new mechanism which could lead to premature aging in mother cells

Researchers from the University of Seville and the Andalusian Center of Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine, have discovered a new mechanism that makes it possible to understand premature aging in cells with asymmetrical cell division, as is the case with mother cells.

30 Sep 2019

Invasive mosquitoes plunge deeper into California

Two invasive species of mosquitoes that can carry Zika, dengue, yellow fever and other dangerous viruses are spreading in California — and have been found as far north as Sacramento and Placer counties.

20 Sep 2019

VUMC partners with Batavia to move promising Zika antibody therapy closer to the clinic

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are partnering with the Dutch biopharmaceutical firm Batavia Biosciences and Nashville-based IDBiologics to bring to the clinic a highly potent Zika virus neutralizing antibody they isolated three years ago.

6 Sep 2019

Zika virus damages the adult human brain and impairs memory in mouse model

Zika virus attracted worldwide attention in recent years due to the devastating consequences of infection for pregnant women and their fetuses, many of which were born with microcephaly and other severe neurological malformations.

5 Sep 2019

Hidden Zika outbreak in Cuba uncovered by genomic sequencing and travel data

Researchers from the Scripps have stumbled upon evidence of a hidden outbreak of Zika virus infection in Cuba, around 300 miles from the coast of Miami. The researchers managed to detect the outbreak by some detective work that used air travel patterns as well as genome sequencing of the viral samples.

25 Aug 2019

New approach to detection reveals unreported Zika outbreak in 2017

Public health experts in the US have discovered that the Zika virus may still be spreading in the Americas, despite case reporting having approached close to zero.

23 Aug 2019

Study shows urgent need for long-term follow up of Zika-exposed infants

Even as the Zika virus raged in Brazil, clinicians observed a curious phenomenon: all babies born to mothers infected with the virus during pregnancy were not affected with the characteristic birth anomalies caused by this infection.

5 Aug 2019

Paradoxical outcomes for infants exposed to Zika in utero

In the midst of an unprecedented Zika crisis in Brazil, there were a few flickers of hope: Some babies appeared to be normal at birth, free of devastating birth defects that affected other Brazilian children exposed to the virus in utero.

5 Aug 2019

Early neuroimaging essential for Zika-exposed infants

Seventy-one of 110 Brazilian infants at the highest risk for experiencing problems due to exposure to the Zika virus in the womb experienced a wide spectrum of brain abnormalities, including calcifications and malformations in cortical development, according to a study published July 31, 2019 in JAMA Network Open.

31 Jul 2019

New gene-editing study finds protective genes against Zika virus

Tel Aviv scientists have discovered certain genes that protect the host organism against attack by Zika virus, raising hopes of an eventual vaccine or cure for this dreaded viral disease.

28 Jul 2019

Researchers reveal molecular cause for severe multi-organ disorder

Three unrelated families on three continents (from continental Portugal, the United States and Brazil), all with healthy ancestors, had children with a very rare disease.

18 Jul 2019

Scientists develop universal FACS-based approach to heterogenous cell sorting, propelling organoid research

Researchers have developed three novel FACS protocols that can be used to isolate neural progenitors, astrocytes, and neurons from infected cerebral organoids.

19 Jun 2019

Texas Biomed awarded $2 million DOD grant to study promising Zika vaccine

The emerging Zika virus is a particular threat to pregnant women. The disease can be transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito and is associated with devastating birth defects, like microcephaly. No approved vaccine against the virus exists.

3 Jun 2019

Previous dengue infection could protect against Zika-associated damage

The Zika virus outbreak in Latin America has affected over 60 million people up to now. The infection can have potentially fatal consequences for pregnant women and their unborn children: many children have subsequently been born with malformations of the head, or so-called microcephaly.

18 May 2019

Study reveals long-term behavioral deficits after developmental Zika infection

Mice exposed to the Zika virus during later stages of gestation present behaviors reminiscent of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to a study of genetically diverse animals.

From Society for Neuroscience 14 May 2019

Long-standing immunosuppressive drug reduces Zika birth defects in mice

In experiments with pregnant mice infected with the Zika virus, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report they have successfully used a long-standing immunosuppressive drug to diminish the rate of fetal deaths and birth defects in the mice's offspring.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 7 May 2019