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New policy report on multi-drug resistant tuberculosis

Leading politicians, officials, researchers and civil society organisations convened in Brussels at the launch of European Voice’s multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB) policy report in the lead up to World TB day, to discuss the rising incidence of MDR-TB, the need for more effective treatments, new vaccines and better diagnostics and what needs to done at a European level to tackle this preventable disease.

28 Mar 2014

CDC identifies six new cases of people with Heartland virus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with health officials in Missouri and Tennessee have identified six new cases of people sick with Heartland virus: five in Missouri and one in Tennessee. The new cases, discovered in 2012 and 2013, are described today in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

28 Mar 2014

New biomarker test accurately estimates mortality risk in patients with septicemia

Septic shock is a severe systemic infection and major cause of death for the old and young alike. Unfortunately, researchers say testing new drug regimens to stop the infection is confounded because clinical trials include patients who are either too sick to be saved by experimental therapies or not sick enough to warrant the treatments.

27 Mar 2014

Experimental vaccine for HSV-2 infection reduces rate of viral shedding at 6 months

Updated Phase 1/2a results with GEN-003, a vaccine candidate under development by Genocea Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNCA) for the treatment of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, showed the experimental vaccine to generate highly significant reductions in both the number of clinical lesion days and rate of viral shedding at six months after the final vaccine dose.

27 Mar 2014

Johns Hopkins researchers identify protein that regulates the body's immune response to CMV

Infectious disease specialists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have identified a protein that regulates the body's immune response to cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common pathogen that causes lifelong infections and can lead to devastating illness in newborns and those with weakened immune systems.

27 Mar 2014

Men having sex with men use Internet to find sexual partners who do not identify as gay

Online sexual hook-ups present a unique opportunity to explore many factors of decision-making that inform sexual health. A study conducted by Eric Schrimshaw, PhD, at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Martin J. Downing, Jr., PhD, of the National Development and Research Institutes, found evidence that men having sex with men use the Internet to find sexual partners who do not identify as gay, either to fulfill a fantasy or because it allows anonymous sexual encounters without discovery.

26 Mar 2014

Emergence of community-acquired infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria on the rise

The emergence of community-acquired infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTI), due to strains resistant to common antibiotics are on the rise, according to Rhode Island Hospital researchers. The study is published online in the journal Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.

26 Mar 2014

Study lays groundwork for PET imaging studies on human Menkes disease

Scientists at the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies have used PET imaging to visualize the distribution in the body of copper, which is deregulated in Menkes disease, a genetic disorder, using a mouse model. This study lays the groundwork for PET imaging studies on human Menkes disease patients to identify new therapy options.

26 Mar 2014

Low dose injections of artificial properdin provides protection against septic diseases in mice

Breakthrough MRC-funded study from University of Leicester shows low dose injections of artificial properdin provides substantial protection against septic diseases in mice

26 Mar 2014

HIV and Hepatitis C vaccines now closer to reality

Plans for a new type of DNA vaccine to protect against the deadly HIV and Hepatitis C viruses have taken an important step forward, with University of Adelaide researchers applying for a patent based on groundbreaking new research.

26 Mar 2014

SLU researchers awarded NIH grants to search for a drug to cure hepatitis B

Two grants from the National Institutes of Health will allow Saint Louis University researchers to build on breakthroughs in understanding the hepatitis B virus and begin the search for a drug to cure - not just halt - the illness.

26 Mar 2014

TG2 protein is a key mediator in Porphyromonas gingivalis infection, study finds

Scientists at Forsyth, along with a colleague from Northwestern University, have discovered that the protein, Transgultaminase 2 (TG2), is a key component in the process of gum disease. TG2 is widely distributed inside and outside of human cells. The scientists found that blocking some associations of TG2 prevents the bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG) from adhering to cells. This insight may one day help lead to novel therapies to prevent gum disease caused by PG.

26 Mar 2014

Researchers develop mathematical model that provides insights about molecular mechanisms behind virus assembly

Mathematicians at the University of York have joined forces with experimentalists at the University of Leeds to take an important step in discovering how viruses make new copies of themselves during an infection.

25 Mar 2014

Researchers discover novel population of neutrophils that exhibit enhanced microbial killing activity

Case Western Reserve University researchers have discovered a novel population of neutrophils, which are the body's infection control workhorses. These cells have an enhanced microbial killing ability and are thereby better able to control infection.

25 Mar 2014

Research findings underscore importance of mice as reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens

People living in northern and central parts of the U.S. are more likely to contract Lyme disease and other tick-borne ailments when white-footed mice are abundant. Mice are effective at transferring disease-causing pathogens to feeding ticks. And, according to an in-press paper in the journal Ecology, these "super hosts" appear indifferent to larval tick infestations.

25 Mar 2014

Study suggests that self-administration of influenza vaccine may be feasible with microneedle patch

There are many reasons some people may not get a flu shot, but would they be more likely to do so if there was a simple device that could be mailed directly to them, was easy enough to use by themselves, and provided at least the same level of protection as a traditional flu shot without the pain of a needle jab? A recent NIBIB-funded study, published online February 2014 in the journal Vaccine, suggests the answer is yes.

25 Mar 2014

Low dose injections of artificial properdin provide protection against septic diseases

Researchers at the University of Leicester have produced an artificial version of a naturally occurring protein, properdin, which has been found to successfully combat bacterial pneumonia and meningitis when tested in mice.

25 Mar 2014

Researchers use retro approach to produce new drugs

This alternative approach to creating artificial organic molecules, called bioretrosynthesis, was first proposed four years ago by Brian Bachmann, associate professor of chemistry at Vanderbilt University. Now Bachmann and a team of collaborators report that they have succeeded in using the method to produce the HIV drug didanosine.

25 Mar 2014

Treatment with natalizumab in patients with MS appears linked with JC virus infection

Treatment with natalizumab in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) appears linked with JC virus (JCV) infection, which can lead to a rare and often fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) that destroys the myelin that protects nerve cells.

25 Mar 2014

IDRI awarded grant extension of $3.4M for identifying new leads and drug targets for tuberculosis

IDRI's drug discovery efforts continue to grow with a recently awarded grant extension of $3.4 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The additional funding was awarded to Tanya Parish, Ph.D., IDRI's Vice President of Drug Discovery, and supplements an earlier grant awarded in 2010, for a total of $7.8 million.

25 Mar 2014

Disease/Infection News

New policy report on multi-drug resistant tuberculosis

CDC identifies six new cases of people with Heartland virus

New biomarker test accurately estimates mortality risk in patients with septicemia

Experimental vaccine for HSV-2 infection reduces rate of viral shedding at 6 months

Johns Hopkins researchers identify protein that regulates the body's immune response to CMV

Men having sex with men use Internet to find sexual partners who do not identify as gay

Emergence of community-acquired infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria on the rise

Study lays groundwork for PET imaging studies on human Menkes disease

Low dose injections of artificial properdin provides protection against septic diseases in mice

HIV and Hepatitis C vaccines now closer to reality

SLU researchers awarded NIH grants to search for a drug to cure hepatitis B

TG2 protein is a key mediator in Porphyromonas gingivalis infection, study finds

Researchers develop mathematical model that provides insights about molecular mechanisms behind virus assembly

Researchers discover novel population of neutrophils that exhibit enhanced microbial killing activity

Research findings underscore importance of mice as reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens

Study suggests that self-administration of influenza vaccine may be feasible with microneedle patch

Low dose injections of artificial properdin provide protection against septic diseases

Researchers use retro approach to produce new drugs

Treatment with natalizumab in patients with MS appears linked with JC virus infection

IDRI awarded grant extension of $3.4M for identifying new leads and drug targets for tuberculosis

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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