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Melbourne researcher wins Sornchai Looareesuwan Medal for research on malaria

Melbourne researcher Professor Alan Cowman has won the Sornchai Looareesuwan Medal 2014 for his significant contributions to understanding how the malaria parasite causes disease and for his search for potential malaria vaccines.

4 Dec 2014

Massage therapy: A natural way to strengthen the immune system this flu season

As seasons change our bodies become more susceptible to cold and flu. Massage therapy is a natural way to strengthen the immune system at this vulnerable time, especially if it is already weakened by stress, fatigue or poor nutrition.

4 Dec 2014

Scientists undertake multiple strategies to tame Ebola virus

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has pushed the decades-long search for a treatment to a frenetic pace. Somewhere in the virus' deceptively simple structure is a key to taming it. To find that key, scientists are undertaking multiple strategies, some of which are being fast-tracked for human testing, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

4 Dec 2014

Scientists uncover potential ammunition in fight against malaria

Scientists have released details of a raft of new chemicals with potent anti-malarial properties which could open the way to new drugs to fight the disease.

4 Dec 2014

Study reports effective treatment approach to inhibit herpes virus infection

A multi-institutional study reports an effective treatment approach to inhibit and keep latent viruses like herpes simplex from reactivating and causing disease. The work, whose lead author is the late James Hill, PhD, LSU Health New Orleans Professor and Director of Pharmacology and Infectious Disease at the LSU Eye Center, is published in the December 3, 2014, issue of Science Translational Medicine.

4 Dec 2014

Garmatex, Diagnomics partner to develop healthcare products to prevent hospital-acquired infections

Garmatex Technologies, Inc., a leading inventor of performance fabric and apparel solution-focused technologies, has signed a Letter of Intent ("LOI") for a five year term with Diagnomics Inc., a biotech company that provides next-generation healthcare solutions from personal genomics.

3 Dec 2014

Joint therapy to counter HIV and HCV increases chance of success

A Spanish researcher has collaborated on a mathematical analysis, recently published in the journal 'Science Translational Medicine', which concludes that joint therapy to counter HIV in patients who also have hepatitis C increases the chance of success in the fight against both infections. Between eight and nine million people worldwide simultaneously suffer from AIDS and hepatitis C.

3 Dec 2014

IDT, Ubiquitome to develop hand-held, battery-powered Freedom4 Real-Time RT-PCR Ebola Virus Assay

Integrated DNA Technologies, and Ubiquitome today announced a partnership to develop the Ubiquitome Freedom4 Real-Time RT-PCR Ebola Virus Assay for easy use in the field. This rapid test is designed to be run on Ubiquitome’s hand-held, battery powered real-time PCR device, the Freedom4.

From Integrated DNA Technologies 3 Dec 2014

Scientists reveal how bacterial nanodrills enter into our cells to kill them

A team of scientists has revealed how certain harmful bacteria drill into our cells to kill them. Their study shows how bacterial 'nanodrills' assemble themselves on the outer surfaces of our cells, and includes the first movie of how they then punch holes in the cells' outer membranes.

3 Dec 2014

UCLA researchers devise plan to reduce HIV transmission in Africa

While Ebola has attracted much of the world's attention recently, a severe HIV epidemic rages on around the world and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Globally, more than 34 million people are infected with HIV; in sub-Saharan Africa alone, 3 million new infections occur annually.

3 Dec 2014

Ceres to develop new method for detecting the presence of Ebola virus in saliva

Ceres Nanosciences Inc. today announced the commencement of a development program, funded by the Gates Foundation, to use Ceres' Nanotrap particle technology to develop a new method of detecting the presence of the Ebola virus in saliva.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers create synthetic surface to control adhesion of E. coli bacteria

A research team from Kiel University and Goethe University Frankfurt has jointly created a synthetic surface on which the adhesion of E. coli bacteria can be controlled. The layer, which is only approximately four nanometres thick, imitates the saccharide coating (glycocalyx) of cells onto which the bacteria adhere such as during an infection. This docking process can be switched on and off using light.

3 Dec 2014

Monash University, 60P Australia partner to develop Fenretinide drug for dengue fever

Monash University and 60P Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of 60° Pharmaceuticals LLC, have announced today an exclusive partnering deal, with 60P obtaining rights to develop the drug Fenretinide for dengue fever.

2 Dec 2014

EU-designed forecasting model developed to predict spread of Ebola

Forecasters predicting the spread of Ebola are using one of the most sophisticated modeling systems in the world - the result of an EU research project.

2 Dec 2014

InnaVirVax receives DSMB recommendation to pursue VAC-3S Phase 2 study in HIV

InnaVirVax, a biopharmaceutical company specialized in research and development on therapeutic and diagnostic solutions for diseases linked to immune dysregulation, today announces the recommendation of its independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) to pursue the Phase 2 study (IPROTECT1) of VAC-3S according to the planned protocol.

2 Dec 2014

HIV's ability to cause AIDS is declining, finds new research

The rapid evolution of HIV, which has allowed the virus to develop resistance to patients' natural immunity, is at the same time slowing the virus's ability to cause AIDS, according to new research funded by the Wellcome Trust.

2 Dec 2014

New cellPACK software can help explore human cells in more detail

Researchers can now explore viruses, bacteria and components of the human body in more detail than ever before with software developed at The Scripps Research Institute.

2 Dec 2014

(RED) raises money for ‘Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’

As the world reaches a tipping point in the AIDS fight, (RED) and its iconic partners Apple, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company and Starbucks marked World AIDS Day 2014 by rallying millions of people around the AIDS fight, and raising money for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

2 Dec 2014

Restrooms are no more healthy, unhealthy than your home

Microbial succession in a sterilized restroom begins with bacteria from the gut and the vagina, and is followed shortly by microbes from the skin. Restrooms are dominated by a stable community structure of skin and outdoor associated bacteria, with few pathogenic bacteria making them similar to other built environments such as your home.

2 Dec 2014

Researchers develop low-cost, electricity-free device for detecting DNA of infectious pathogens

Diagnosing HIV and other infectious diseases presents unique challenges in remote locations that lack electric power, refrigeration, and appropriately trained health care staff. To address these issues, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a low-cost, electricity-free device capable of detecting the DNA of infectious pathogens, including HIV-1.

2 Dec 2014