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New York Times reports on Cuba's role in Haiti's fight against cholera

One year after cholera was detected in Haiti, the New York Times reports on how, "[a]s the epidemic continues, the Cuban medical mission that played an important role in detecting it presses on in Haiti, winning accolades from donors and diplomats for staying on the front lines and undertaking a broader effort to remake this country's shattered health care system."

9 Nov 2011

Innovation needed to improve water delivery systems

With more than one billion people lacking access to clean and safe water, and waterborne diseases causing 7,000 child deaths every day worldwide, "it's more important than ever that we be willing to look at old problems and find innovative ways to solve them. The issues of water access, quantity and quality need to be addressed at the same time," Kevin McGovern and Quincy Jones, chair and honorary chair, respectively, of The Water Initiative (TWI), write in a Huffington Post opinion piece.

9 Nov 2011

First-ever phase 1 clinical trial of rectal HIV-prevention drug

A topically applied microbicide gel containing a potent anti-HIV drug has been found to significantly reduce infection when applied to rectal tissue that was subsequently exposed to HIV in the laboratory, according to a new study by the UCLA AIDS Institute.

9 Nov 2011

U.N. Foundation honors Exxon Mobil chairman with Global Leadership Award

Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, has been named the 2011 recipient of the Global Leadership Award by the United Nations Foundation.

9 Nov 2011

Interim data from Cytheris CYT107 Phase I/IIa combination study on HCV

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced that data from an interim analysis of its ECLIPSE 2 Phase I/IIa study indicate that treatment with four weeks of the Company's investigative immune-modulator, recombinant human Interleukin-7, added to peginterferon and ribavirin in genotype 1 and 4 treatment experienced patients defined as nonresponders to SOC, induces a broad immune response associated with HCV viral clearance in genotype 1 and 4 treatment experienced patients defined as nonresponders to SOC.

9 Nov 2011

GHTC interviews prominent Americans, leading U.S. health officials on why Americans should care about global health

In anticipation of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech on the HIV/AIDS pandemic at the NIH on Tuesday, GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog provides video footage of interviews conducted by the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) in which Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.); FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg; Amie Batson, deputy assistant administrator for global health at USAID; and actress Whoopi Goldberg respond to the question of why Americans should care about the global health.

9 Nov 2011

Encouraging interim results from daclatasvir Phase IIb study in genotype 1 and 4 HCV patients

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced interim results from a Phase IIb clinical trial (COMMAND-1) of 395 treatment-naïve, genotype 1 and 4 hepatitis C infected patients in which two doses of the investigational NS5A replication complex inhibitor daclatasvir (BMS-790052), in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin (alfa/RBV), achieved higher virologic response rates through Week 12 than the alfa/RBV control group, with comparable rates of adverse events.

9 Nov 2011

Global Fund delays closing date for round 11 applications, says disbursements may not be available until 2013

The Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria has delayed the closing date for applications for its next round of funding, reduced the estimated amount of money that will be available in that round, and potentially delayed the disbursement of the funds until 2013, PlusNews reports.

9 Nov 2011

Clinton expected to urge U.S., other countries to intensify HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in speech on Tuesday

In a speech to be delivered at the NIH, "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to call Tuesday for a new push by the U.S. and other countries to harness recent science to stem the HIV/AIDS pandemic," the Wall Street Journal reports.

9 Nov 2011

Powerful monitoring tool to track spread of seasonal flu

A powerful monitoring tool that will allow researchers to track the spread of seasonal flu launches today. This year the UK Flusurvey will, for the first time, join a European network of online surveys, gathering information on how the illness spreads across the continent and enabling comparison between the different countries.

9 Nov 2011

UC Santa Barbara's ImmuNet project focuses on targeted immunizations for infants, children

The University of California, Santa Barbara announced today that it will receive funding through Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that enables researchers worldwide to test unorthodox ideas that address persistent health and development challenges. Professors Elizabeth Belding and Amr El Abbadi in the Computer Science Department will pursue an innovative global health research project, titled "ImmuNet: Targeted Immunizations for Infants and Children".

8 Nov 2011

Two decades since Magic Johnson’s HIV announcement

It is 20 years since basket ball legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, now 52 years-old, retired from the Lakers basketball team while announcing his diagnosis of HIV, a virus that causes AIDS.

8 Nov 2011

Private sector companies should contribute to GAVI Matching Fund

The GAVI Alliance has "announced a major new initiative aimed at engaging private sector leaders: the GAVI Matching Fund," through which "the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide a 100 percent match of contributions to GAVI from corporations and foundations as well as their customers, members and employees," Bill Roedy, former CEO of MTV Networks and a GAVI Alliance envoy, writes in a post on the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog.

8 Nov 2011

Commitment of USAID promises future R&D breakthroughs in global health

Since USAID launched 50 years ago, the agency "has had a rich history of supporting global health, including research and development (R&D)," Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) Director Kaitlin Christenson writes in the organization's "Breakthroughs" blog.

8 Nov 2011

Children's Hospital project to investigate effectiveness of BET antagonists against HIV

Terri Finkel, M.D., Ph.D., chief of Rheumatology at Children's Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, will pursue an innovative global health research project, titled "Use of a BET Antagonist to Control and Cure HIV Infection."

8 Nov 2011

Reform necessary to overcome challenges to polio eradication efforts in Pakistan

In this Huffington Post opinion piece, Sania Nishtar, founder of Heartfile and the recently launched Sania Nishtar Health Fund, writes that "after 23 years of commencing the World Health Organization-led Global Polio Eradication Initiative, billions of dollars in investment, mobilization of 20 million health workers and a population wide intervention in 125 countries, vaccinating more than two billion children, there are only four countries in the world which continue to harbor the disease," and Pakistan is "a living threat to the global goal of eradicating a disease for the second time from the face of this planet."

8 Nov 2011

GlobalPost reports on second round GHI country selections

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog reports on the addition of 21 countries to the original group of eight Global Health Initiative (GHI) countries in a second round of selections. The Obama administration has "review[ed] detailed plans from each on main strategies and goals," according to U.S. officials, the blog reports.

8 Nov 2011

St. Michael's project to develop vaccine that would eliminate latent HIV reservoirs

Dr. Mario Ostrowski, an infectious disease consultant, will pursue an innovative global health research project, titled A Human Endogenous Retrovirus Vaccine to Eliminate Latent HIV Reservoirs.

8 Nov 2011

Live virus used in polio vaccine can evolve and infect, warns TAU researcher

Health professionals and researchers across the globe believe they are on the verge of eradicating polio, a devastating virus which can lead to paralysis and death. Despite successful eradication in most countries, there are still four countries where the virus is considered endemic -- and many more in which the virus still lurks.

8 Nov 2011

Georgia Tech/CDC project focuses on microneedle patches for polio vaccination

Mark Prausnitz, Regents' professor in Georgia Tech's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will pursue an innovative global health research project focused on using microneedle patches for the low-cost administration of polio vaccine through the skin in collaboration with researchers Steve Oberste and Mark Pallansch of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

8 Nov 2011

Disease/Infection News

New York Times reports on Cuba's role in Haiti's fight against cholera

Innovation needed to improve water delivery systems

First-ever phase 1 clinical trial of rectal HIV-prevention drug

U.N. Foundation honors Exxon Mobil chairman with Global Leadership Award

Interim data from Cytheris CYT107 Phase I/IIa combination study on HCV

GHTC interviews prominent Americans, leading U.S. health officials on why Americans should care about global health

Encouraging interim results from daclatasvir Phase IIb study in genotype 1 and 4 HCV patients

Global Fund delays closing date for round 11 applications, says disbursements may not be available until 2013

Clinton expected to urge U.S., other countries to intensify HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in speech on Tuesday

Powerful monitoring tool to track spread of seasonal flu

UC Santa Barbara's ImmuNet project focuses on targeted immunizations for infants, children

Two decades since Magic Johnson’s HIV announcement

Private sector companies should contribute to GAVI Matching Fund

Commitment of USAID promises future R&D breakthroughs in global health

Children's Hospital project to investigate effectiveness of BET antagonists against HIV

Reform necessary to overcome challenges to polio eradication efforts in Pakistan

GlobalPost reports on second round GHI country selections

St. Michael's project to develop vaccine that would eliminate latent HIV reservoirs

Live virus used in polio vaccine can evolve and infect, warns TAU researcher

Georgia Tech/CDC project focuses on microneedle patches for polio vaccination

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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