Disease/Infection News

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IP-K and Sanofi form new HBV research collaboration

One of the most common and serious infectious diseases, Hepatitis B, is to be targeted in a new collaborative venture between the internationally-renowned translational research institute, Institut Pasteur Korea (IP-K), and the Korean arm of the leading global healthcare company, Sanofi-Aventis Korea. The goal is to develop and validate a high throughput assay to screen IP-K's chemical libraries for novel compounds that can be developed as new drugs.

3 Nov 2011

Final results from Medivir's TMC435 phase IIb study on genotype-1 hepatitis C

Medivir AB, a research-based speciality pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, today announces final results from the ASPIRE study.

3 Nov 2011

New, poison-free approach to malaria control

With a new, poison-free approach to malaria control, researchers in the Solarmal project have expressed not only the hope to eliminate malaria in Africa at local level, but also to provide the local population with a source of sustainable energy. Research into this combined approach was facilitated due to a donation to Wageningen University Fund by the COmON foundation.

2 Nov 2011

Advocates push for integration of HIV/TB funding, programming in Kenya

This post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports on a presentation at the Union World Conference on Lung Health in France on Saturday by Evelyne Kibuchi, a senior tuberculosis (TB) advocacy officer at the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO), writing, "HIV stakeholders have been slow to embrace and adopt TB interventions, Kibuchi said, and resources for co-infection activities are modest.

2 Nov 2011

Zanzibar's Islamic leaders use Qur'an to shift attitudes about sex, contraception, HIV/AIDS

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" examines how religious leaders on the island of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, are using the Qur'an to shift attitudes about the issues of sex, contraception, and HIV/AIDS in an effort to reduce HIV infection, improve maternal health and curb rapid population growth. "Their aim is to shift deep-rooted views in their devout Islamic society that contraception is a sin," according to the blog.

2 Nov 2011

Study finds multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in 48% of infected patient rooms

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) was found in the environment of 48 percent of the rooms of patients colonized or infected with the pathogen, according to a new study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

2 Nov 2011

Elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better

With cold and flu season almost here, the next time you're sick, think twice before taking something for your fever. That's because scientists have found more evidence that elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better.

2 Nov 2011

Science Speaks reports results of Zambia-South Africa TB and AIDS Reduction program study

This post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports the results of a Zambia-South Africa TB and AIDS Reduction (ZAMSTAR) program study, released Monday, which "demonstrate that household counseling -- defined as the unpacking of concerns about TB and HIV within households and facilitating prompt diagnosis and treatment -- significantly reduced tuberculosis (TB) prevalence."

2 Nov 2011

Exclusion of family planning, HIV prevention from Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership is 'counter-intuitive'

In this Huffington Post opinion piece, Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, examines the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership, which was launched last month by PEPFAR in conjunction with the George W. Bush Institute, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and UNAIDS with the aim of "integrating cervical and breast cancer education, screening, and treatment with HIV services."

2 Nov 2011

Innovative mobile-technology strategy to prevent HIV/AIDS in Uganda

1 million people in Uganda live with HIV/AIDS, where long distances and expensive travel costs significantly limit access to treatment. By employing an innovative mobile-technology strategy, Dr. Femida Gwadry-Sridhar, Director of I-THINK Research at Lawson Health Research Institute, hopes to provide a much-needed solution.

2 Nov 2011

First study to show how H. pylori toxin can spur apoptosis

Researchers report they have figured out how the cancer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori attacks a cell's energy infrastructure, sparking a series of events in the cell that ultimately lead it to self-destruct.

2 Nov 2011

Lack of resources, leadership hindering male circumcision campaign in Uganda, PlusNews reports

"Ugandan men have been seeking medical male circumcision in droves since the government launched a national policy in 2010, but the health system is not equipped to handle the caseload, slowing down the potential HIV prevention benefits of the campaign," PlusNews reports.

2 Nov 2011

New protein microarray technology could eradicate malaria

A new research technology is revealing how humans develop immunity to malaria, and could assist programs aimed at eradicating this parasitic disease.

2 Nov 2011

GSK, Alnylam collaborate to apply VaxiRNA technology for influenza vaccine production

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today it has formed a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) focused on Alnylam's VaxiRNATM technology for certain GSK vaccine products, including influenza. VaxiRNA is a new RNAi technology for the enhanced production of viruses used in the manufacture of vaccine products. GSK, a leading vaccine manufacturer, is the first company to form a collaboration accessing this new platform.

2 Nov 2011

GM mosquitoes show promise in tackling insect-borne diseases, study shows; some concerned over possible unintended consequences

"Genetically modified mosquitoes could prove effective in tackling dengue fever and other insect-borne diseases," according to the results of a study by a U.K.-based scientific team published in the journal Nature Biotechnology on Sunday, BBC News reports.

2 Nov 2011

ProPhase Labs introduces new Cold-EEZE Oral Spray

ProPhase Labs, makers of Cold-EEZE, a leader in over-the-counter (OTC) homeopathic cold remedies, continues to pioneer the category as they launch their first-ever Cold-EEZE Oral Spray. The new Oral Spray is formulated with zinc gluconate, the same effective active ingredient found in the best-selling, clinically proven and #1 pharmacist recommended Cold-EEZE lozenges.

1 Nov 2011

Countries need vigilance, informed media coverage to achieve polio eradication

In this SciDev.Net editorial, T.V. Padma, regional coordinator for South Asia for the news service, recaps findings from the latest report of the Independent Monitoring Board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), released last week, and writes, "Polio control in developing countries has received massive international support and funding, including free supplies of vaccines. Yet transmission of the virus remains. Clearly, there are problems other than funds."

1 Nov 2011

Pharmasset initiates PSI-7977 Phase 3 program for HCV

Pharmasset, Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 3 program with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) nucleotide analog, PSI-7977. This pivotal program will evaluate a 12-week, all-oral, interferon-free regimen of PSI-7977 and ribavirin in patients with HCV, independent of viral genotype or their ability to take interferon therapy.

1 Nov 2011

USAID has technical capacity to lead GHI if given authority

In a post in the Center for Global Development's "Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog," Nandini Oomman, director of the HIV/AIDS Monitor at the center, and Rachel Silverman, a research assistant at the center, examine the question of Global Health Initiative (GHI) leadership, citing the State Department's Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), released last December, which states that "USAID would assume leadership of the GHI by September 2012, contingent upon fulfilling a set of 10 benchmarks to demonstrate its capacity."

1 Nov 2011

PlusNews interviews Stop TB Director Mario Raviglione

At the recent International Lung Health Conference in Lille, France, IRIN/PlusNews spoke with Stop TB Director Mario Raviglione about the threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), its treatment and "the precarious TB funding gap," the news service writes.

1 Nov 2011