Respiratory Illness News and Research

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Luminex's NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel obtains FDA clearance

Luminex Corporation today announced that it has received FDA clearance for its NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel that detects 20 clinically relevant viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens, including the atypical bacteria Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumonia.

20 Dec 2015

Simple approach to predict viral evolution may improve vaccine efficacy

New results from a study performed at the University of Helsinki suggest that genomic information from circulating influenza viruses can help in producing more efficient seasonal vaccines. The researchers were able to develop a simple approach for reliable real-time tracking and prediction of viral evolution based on whole-genome sequences of influenza viruses.

8 Dec 2015

Seqirus announces FDA approval of Fluad for seasonal influenza

Seqirus announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Fluad (Influenza Vaccine, Adjuvanted) to help protect those aged 65 years and older against seasonal influenza. Fluad is the first adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine approved in the United States; it was specifically developed for the adult population aged 65 and older.

25 Nov 2015

New data shows ALS-008176 drug safe and effective against RSV infection

Alios BioPharma, Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies announced that the New England Journal of Medicine will publish findings from a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) challenge study for ALS-008176, a cytidine nucleoside analog with activity against RSV.

20 Nov 2015

New vaccine candidate shows great promise at fighting respiratory syncytial virus

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers say a new candidate vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) made with a weakened version of the virus shows great promise at fighting the disease, the leading cause of hospitalization for children under the age of one in the U.S.

5 Nov 2015

Johns Hopkins doctors urge people to get vaccinated against influenza virus

Flu season is upon us again — and yes, you should get the flu vaccine. Doctors at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine say everyone 6 months of age and older should get vaccinated against the influenza virus this year.

31 Oct 2015

New studies raise important questions about impact of statin therapy on effectiveness of flu vaccines

A new pair of studies suggests that statins, drugs widely used to reduce cholesterol, may have a detrimental effect on the immune response to influenza vaccine and the vaccine's effectiveness at preventing serious illness in older adults. Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings, if confirmed by additional research, may have implications for flu vaccine recommendations, guidelines for statin use around the time of vaccination, and future vaccine clinical trials in seniors.

29 Oct 2015

Luminex's NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel receives CE-IVD marking

Luminex Corporation today announced that it has received CE-IVD marking for its NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel. The Panel detects 21 clinically-relevant viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens, including the atypical bacteria Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila.

19 Oct 2015

Study: Influenza vaccines offer sustained protection up to 6 months during flu season

Individuals who received the flu vaccine were protected for up to 6 months post-vaccination, the duration of most flu seasons, according to a study presented at the 2015 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

25 Aug 2015

Children increase parents’ risk for viral infection

The BIG LoVE (Utah Better Identification of Germs-Longitudinal Viral Epidemiology) study, led by scientists at the University of Utah School of Medicine, finds that each bundle of joy puts the entire household at increased risk for infection with viruses that cause colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses.

5 Aug 2015

Vaccine containing virus-like nanoparticles could be novel treatment option for RSV

A vaccine containing virus-like nanoparticles, or microscopic, genetically engineered particles, is an effective treatment for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to researchers at Georgia State University.

4 Aug 2015

Researchers develop diagnostic test to detect enterovirus D68

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a diagnostic test to quickly detect enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), a respiratory virus that caused unusually severe illness in children last year. The outbreak caused infections at an unprecedented rate, with over 1,000 confirmed cases and 14 reported deaths nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

23 Jul 2015

Teen birth, mental illness increase hospitalization of children in Texas

From 2004 to 2010 in Texas, mental illness was the most common reason for the hospitalization of children ages 10-14 while pregnancy/birth was the most common reason for the hospitalization of adolescents ages 15-17, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School.

15 Jul 2015

Purdue University-led study could lead to better treatments for people infected with MERS virus

A Purdue University-led team of researchers studying the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, have found molecules that shut down the activity of an essential enzyme in the virus and could lead the way to better treatments for those infected.

23 Jun 2015

Planning for first clinical trial of MERS-CoV vaccine candidate now underway

Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have demonstrated, in a preclinical setting, the protective effect of a candidate vaccine directed against the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Planning for the first clinical trial is now underway.

22 Jun 2015

The Lancet publishes new Seminar on MERS

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has recently returned to the headlines as new cases have been exported to Korea and China. Experts are concerned that MERS cases continued to be detected in Saudi Arabia throughout the past year, and there appears to be little reduction in the number of cases since its first discovery three years ago. As the month of Ramadan approaches, with 1 million pilgrims expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia in June and July 2015, MERS remains a threat to global health security.

3 Jun 2015

Researchers make important breakthrough in identifying major drivers of excessive coughing

Cough treatments could change dramatically after the herpes virus helped researchers discover that the respiratory tract links to two different parts of the nervous system.

27 May 2015

GenVec reports net loss of $1.5 million for first quarter 2015

GenVec, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015. For the three months ended March 31, 2015, GenVec reported a net loss of $1.5 million, or $0.09 per share, on revenues of $0.4 million, compared with a net loss of $1.0 million, or $0.07 per share, on revenues of $2.1 million, for the same period in the prior year.

8 May 2015

Copley Scientific to showcase new accessories at RDD Europe 2015

Cascade impaction is used for all inhaled product testing but is a manually intensive process. Copley Scientific’s sample preparation tools help to alleviate bottlenecks, ensure that testing is consistent, reproducible and controlled, and also reduce the risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI)...

24 Apr 2015

Exposure to diesel exhaust may exacerbate respiratory diseases

Researchers in the UK have, for the first time, shown how exhaust pollution from diesel engines is able to affect nerves within the lung. Air pollution is a significant threat to health, they say, and identifying potential mechanisms linking exposure to diesel exhaust and the exacerbation of respiratory diseases may lead to treatments for those affected.

16 Mar 2015