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.

Scientists take one step forward by finding how antibody neutralizes Zika infection

As Zika spreads throughout the world, the call for rapid development of therapeutics to treat Zika rings loud and clear.

24 Nov 2016

New postnatal mouse model closely mimics fetal brain abnormalities caused by Zika infection

A team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Georgia has developed a new mouse model that closely mimics fetal brain abnormalities caused by the Zika virus in humans.

22 Nov 2016

Researchers create new Zika replicon system to find ways to combat virus

New research from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, in collaboration with Southwest University in Chongqing, China and the University of Leuven in Belgium, have developed a way to replicate the basic structure of the Zika virus, stripping it of the genes that make the virus infectious.

18 Nov 2016

New mouse model by FDA's scientists provides platform for improving understanding of Zika virus pathology

A new mouse model developed by scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may help in exploring the potential activity of Zika virus vaccines and therapeutics.

17 Nov 2016

New research shows how synthetic DNA vaccine approach protects against Zika virus infection

As the global spread of the Zika virus continues, efforts are underway to halt the disease's transmission.

10 Nov 2016

Researchers discover antibody that can protect fetus from Zika virus in pregnant mice

The most devastating consequence of Zika virus infection is the development of microcephaly, or an abnormally small head, in babies who were infected in utero.

7 Nov 2016

Scientists develop new molecular method for detecting parasite in ham that causes toxoplasmosis

Scientists from the universities of Granada and Valencia have developed a new molecular method for determining the presence of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, in samples of ham.

7 Nov 2016

Researchers identify potential new treatment for brain cancer by targeting genes linked to microcephaly

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have identified a potential new treatment for brain cancer by learning from a rare condition that can cause microcephaly.

1 Nov 2016

Dengue vaccinations could increase incidence of Zika virus, research finds

Vaccinating against dengue fever could increase outbreaks of Zika, suggests new research out of York University and Xi'an Jiaotong University in China.

31 Oct 2016

Adult brain cells may be vulnerable to Zika infection, new study suggests

Concerns over the Zika virus have focused on pregnant women due to mounting evidence that it causes brain abnormalities in developing fetuses. However, new research in mice from scientists at The Rockefeller University and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology suggests that certain adult brain cells may be vulnerable to infection as well.

24 Oct 2016

Neurodevelopmental chick model may help study microcephaly effects of Zika virus

A newly published study from researchers working in collaboration with the Regenerative Bioscience Center at the University of Georgia demonstrates fetal death and brain damage in early chick embryos similar to microcephaly--a rare birth defect linked to the Zika virus, now alarming health experts worldwide.

20 Oct 2016

Wyss Institute wins 'Best of What's New' award for paper-based rapid Zika test

A rapid Zika test, developed by an international, multi-institutional team of researchers led by synthetic biologist James Collins, Ph.D., at Harvard University's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, has today been named a 2016 "Best of What's New" awards winner by Popular Science magazine in the Health category.

20 Oct 2016

TSRI scientists elucidate how Zika virus attacks the brains of newborns

In a study that could one day help eliminate the tragic birth defects caused by Zika virus, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated how the virus attacks the brains of newborns, information that could accelerate the development of treatments.

17 Oct 2016

New evolutionary analysis provides insights into how Zika virus spreads between populations

In a study published in Pathogens and Global Health, researchers have modelled the evolutionary development and diversity of the Zika virus to better understand how infection spreads between populations and how the virus reacts with the immune system.

13 Oct 2016

Study provides new insights into Zika's rapid infection and risk for transmission

Though first documented 70 years ago, the Zika virus was poorly understood when it burst onto the scene in the Americas in 2015.

7 Oct 2016

Researcher investigates ethics of maternal immunization

Vaccination during pregnancy can protect women, foetuses and newborn children against infectious diseases - especially in developing countries. Maternal immunisation however also raises ethical questions.

6 Oct 2016

Two Zika vaccine candidates protect newborn mice against neurological damage

Two vaccines against Zika virus developed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have successfully conveyed immunity from female mice to pups conceived weeks after the mother's vaccination.

4 Oct 2016

Zika-related travel recommendations extended to Southeast Asia

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week highlighted the risk of Zika infection in eleven Southeastern Asian countries and recommended that pregnant women avoid them wherever possible.

30 Sep 2016

First case-control study examines link between microcephaly and in utero Zika virus infection

The relation between Zika virus and microcephaly is widely assumed to be causal because of strong evidence of an association. However, evidence so far comes from case reports, case series, modelling studies, and preliminary reports from cohort studies – none of which have included appropriate control groups.

21 Sep 2016

Research may help explain mechanism by which Zika virus breaches placental barrier

New research reveals that in pregnant women, Zika virus infection damages certain cells that affect placental formation and function. Furthermore, herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) infection augments placental sensitivity to Zika virus by enhancing the expression of receptors that allow Zika virus to enter cells.

15 Sep 2016