Smallpox News and Research

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Smallpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the Orthopox virus family. It is one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity, with a mortality rate as high as 30%. In 1967, the World Health Organization embarked upon an intensified vaccination campaign to eliminate smallpox, which culminated in the successful eradication of the disease globally by 1980.

By the mid-1980s, there were only two known repositories of variola virus: the Institute of Virus Preparations in Russia, and the US CDC. The events in the US in September and October 2001 highlighted the risk that the variola virus might be used as an agent of bioterrorism. Governments around the world are taking precautionary measures to be ready to deal with a potential smallpox outbreak.

Urgent vaccine requirements for treating epidemic diseases voiced at ECI 2009

As a result of dominant media coverage of new epidemic threats such as swine influenza, other infection risks receive less public attention than they deserve. "We would like to bring to everybody's attention that the infectious diseases with the most severe consequences continue to be old acquaintances such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria and hepatitis C. About six million people worldwide die of these diseases every year," says Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009.

16 Sep 2009

Bavarian Nordic to deliver IMVAMUNE(R) vaccines

Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) announced today that it has signed a contract with the military of an undisclosed EU country for the delivery of a small order for IMVAMUNE(R). The vaccines will be delivered in 2009. The size and value of the contract is undisclosed.

16 Sep 2009

NIH provides Inviragen second major grant to develop a dengue vaccine

Inviragen has received a $600,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to partially support its continued efforts to develop a safe and effective dengue vaccine. The two-year grant will fund a collaborative effort led by Inviragen and involving scientists at the University of Wisconsin and Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The supported work will include additional optimization of Inviragen’s vaccine to generate more potent immune responses.

10 Sep 2009

Miracles of the immune system discussed at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology

"I think it will not surprise you if I say that the immune system is one of our most important organ systems. Its relevance is obvious if only for the fact that it has been reinvented several times throughout the evolution of life," says Professor Andreas Radbruch, President of the German Society of Immunology and Director of the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum, Berlin. He lectured about the miracle of our immune system at the Opening Press Conference of the 2nd European Congress of Immunology.

10 Sep 2009

Nanoemulsion-based adjuvant increases immunity and cross protection against influenza

NanoBio Corp. announced today that data from a large ferret study indicates that its intranasal, nanoemulsion-based adjuvant elicits robust immunity and cross protection against influenza using 1/15th of the standard antigen dose, without evidence of toxicity or tolerability concerns.

9 Sep 2009

Bavarian Nordic generates a revenue of DKK 33 million in the first half of 2009

In the first half of 2009 Bavarian Nordic generated revenue of DKK 33 million and recorded a loss before tax of DKK 188 million. As of 30 June 2009 the Group's net free liquidity was DKK 489 million.

28 Aug 2009

UT Southwestern awarded $763,000 as grant to expand studies of Peregrine's anti-PS antibodies

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) today announced that the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a two-year, $763,000 grant to Philip Thorpe, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for research expanding its studies of anti-phosphatidylserine (anti-PS) antibodies as potential treatments for viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) infections.

26 Aug 2009

Free webinar for business travel industry on swine flu pandemic

"Business as usual” won’t be this flu season, with the effects of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) pandemic expected to include quarantines, travel restrictions and school and office closings. Businesses that rely on travel need to make preparations now to mitigate the impact.

25 Aug 2009

Bavarian Nordic begins negotiations with U.S. to secure a contract to develop a freeze-dried version of smallpox vaccine

Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) announced today that the US authorities have initiated negotiations for a new contract to develop a freeze-dried version of the IMVAMUNE(R) smallpox vaccine.

25 Aug 2009

NIAID funds Nanotherapeutic for developing an inhaled version of the injectable antiviral drug

Nanotherapeutics, Inc., today announced that it has been awarded a $30.9 Million, 5-year contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop an inhaled version of the injectable antiviral drug, cidofovir, for non-invasive, post-exposure prophylaxis and treatment of the Category A bioterrorism agent smallpox (Variola major).

25 Aug 2009

Response Biomedical announces Q2 2009 financials

Response Biomedical Corporation (TSX:RBM) (OTCBB:RPBIF) reported that clinical products revenue for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2009 increased 373% and 208% to $1,805,308 and $3,548,014, respectively, compared to $381,615 and $1,150,760 for the same periods in 2008.

13 Aug 2009

Automated network could predict disease outbreaks that originate in animals

The AP/San Francisco Chronicle examines Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers' efforts to create an automated network to monitor animals in an effort to predict disease outbreaks because two out of every three human diseases "originated in animals."

6 Aug 2009

Evidence of Malaria origins, could lead to vaccine development

"Malaria may have jumped to humans from chimpanzees much as AIDS did, U.S. researchers reported on Monday in a [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] study they hope could help in developing a vaccine against the infection," Reuters reports.

4 Aug 2009

Malaria vaccine in the pipeline

Australian scientists have developed the first genetically-engineered malaria vaccine and the vaccine will be trialled in humans early next year.

29 Jul 2009

World's first genetically-modified strain of malaria parasite

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have created a weakened strain of the malaria parasite that will be used as a live vaccine against the disease. The vaccine, developed in collaboration with researchers from the US, Japan and Canada, will be trialled in humans from early next year.

28 Jul 2009

Promising antimicrobial agent kills viruses, stimulates immune system

A promising antimicrobial agent already known to kill bacteria can also kill viruses and stimulate the innate immune system, according to researchers at National Jewish Health.

4 Jun 2009

Researchers unlock mystery of potentially fatal reaction to smallpox vaccine

Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have pinpointed the cellular defect that increases the likelihood, among eczema sufferers, of developing eczema vaccinatum, a severe and potentially fatal reaction to the smallpox vaccine.

25 May 2009

Researchers screen the smallpox proteome

University of Florida researchers have learned more about how smallpox conducts its deadly business - discoveries that may reveal as much about the human immune system as they do about one of the world's most feared pathogens.

12 May 2009

Trial of unique malaria vaccine candidate to begin

In a move that highlights the strength of public-private collaboration in tackling international health challenges, the Maryland-based company Sanaria Inc., with support from the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial - the first tests in adult volunteers - of its unique malaria vaccine candidate. Unlike other malaria vaccine candidates, Sanaria's approach deploys a weakened form of the whole malaria parasite harvested from irradiated mosquitoes instead of small portions of the parasite.

23 Apr 2009

NanoBio starts clinical trial for adjuvanted intranasal flu vaccine

NanoBio has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the Phase 1 clinical study of NB-1008, a seasonal influenza vaccine administered via a nasal dropper.

20 Apr 2009