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Stop malaria by taking precautions before travelling to endemic zones

More than half of UK malaria cases are seen in people visiting friends and relatives in West Africa and India. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there were 243 million cases of malaria in 2008 and almost a million deaths worldwide.

28 Apr 2011

IL28B gene plays a key role in spontaneous HCV clearance in infants

New research shows that high maternal viral load and co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus are the only risk factors associated with vertical transmission of the hepatitis C virus.

28 Apr 2011

Seattle BioMed study to identify biomarkers for malaria vaccine design

In the first study of its type in the malaria field, Seattle BioMed has been awarded an $8.9 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to identify biomarkers that will allow malaria vaccine design based on robust predictors of protective immunity.

28 Apr 2011

NIH awards UH with $361,000 grant for chikungunya vaccine study

It is spread to humans by mosquito bites, causing arthritic symptoms so severe that some victims can't even walk. While rarely fatal, the effects of the chikungunya virus can last up to a year.

28 Apr 2011

Low-cost colorimetric sensing array identifies bacterial infections

Bacterial infections really stink. And that could be the key to a fast diagnosis.

28 Apr 2011

FDA Advisory Committee recommends approval of Merck's VICTRELIS for chronic HCV genotype 1 infection

Merck announced today that the Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously that the available data support approval of Merck's investigational medicine VICTRELIS™ (boceprevir) for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection in combination with current standard therapy.

28 Apr 2011

Rwanda launches Africa's first nationwide cervical cancer vaccination, detection program

Rwandan First Lady Jeannette Kagame on Tuesday, in collaboration with two companies, launched a national cervical cancer vaccination and screening program, the first of its kind in Africa, the New Times reports.

27 Apr 2011

MSF letter criticizes Johnson & Johnson for not joining Medicines Patent Pool

Medecins Sans Frontieres recently sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson criticizing the pharmaceutical company for "refusing to make patents on three HIV drugs available to a program that would reduce the cost of the medicines in developing countries," the Star-Ledger reports.

27 Apr 2011

Biomagnetics accepts Los Alamos National Labs' optical biosensor for disease diagnosis

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, cholera and malaria detection, and other innovative technologies, today announced it has accepted delivery of the world's first integrated optical biosensor for disease diagnosis.

27 Apr 2011

EPO grants patent to Microbix' VIRUSMAX vaccine enhancement technology

Microbix Biosystems Inc., a biotechnology company commercializing novel technologies to enhance vaccine production yields, and other innovative biologics, announced today that the European Patent Office recently granted patent protection for the company's proprietary VIRUSMAX technology, which is designed to increase influenza vaccine yields and has demonstrated an average yield increase of at least two-fold over current vaccine production methods.

27 Apr 2011

World could meet U.N. goal of almost ending malaria deaths by 2015, U.N. special envoy for malaria says

International efforts to fight malaria are "on track" to almost end malaria-related deaths by 2015, Ray Chambers, the U.N. secretary-general's special envoy for malaria, said on Monday, the Associated Press reports.

27 Apr 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim initiates enrollment in BI 201335 Phase 3 clinical trial for chronic HCV

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that enrollment has commenced at North American sites in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial program for BI 201335, the Company's investigational, oral protease inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

27 Apr 2011

Researchers develop protein-based inhibitor that can treat HPV

Human papillomavirus causes cervical cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death for women, and is a common cause of anogenital and some head and neck cancers.

27 Apr 2011

IQ Therapeutics completes dosing in IQNLF Phase I trial for anthrax

IQ Therapeutics has completed the dosing of antibody IQNLF in a Phase I clinical trial. A total of 36 healthy volunteers participated in the randomized, placebo controlled, double blind, single dose-escalating study, intended to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of IQNLF.

27 Apr 2011

New study sheds light on evolution of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus in Japan

Analysis of mutations of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus by researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC) has revealed major genetic differences between the virus in its early phase of infection in Japan and in its peak phase. While yielding valuable clues on the genetic origins of drug resistance, the findings also pave the way toward the development of new diagnostic kits for detecting and preventing the spread of global pandemic diseases.

26 Apr 2011

New malaria initiative

According to the UN chief envoy for malaria a $5 billion campaign has saved several hundred thousand lives in recent years, keeping international efforts on track to virtually end deaths from the mosquito-borne disease by 2015. The UN reveals that about 780,000 people, mostly babies and toddlers in sub-Saharan Africa, now die from malaria annually, down from nearly 1 million in 2008.

26 Apr 2011

New angle in cause of tuberculosis discovered - scientists hopeful for new therapy

In a new study published Monday, researchers from the US have isolated the enzyme that allows tuberculosis to destroy lung tissue. This discovery could speed the search for treatments.

26 Apr 2011

Durata attains global rights for dalbavancin to treat abSSSI

Durata Therapeutics today announced the Company has attained worldwide rights for the development and commercialization of Durata's lead product, dalbavancin, a long-acting, intravenous (IV) lipoglycopeptide for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (abSSSI). In December 2010, Durata acquired from RaQualia Pharma commercialization rights for dalbavancin in Japan.

26 Apr 2011

FDA grants Cepheid marketing clearance for Xpert Flu diagnostic test

Cepheid today announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to market Xpert® Flu. The diagnostic test, which runs on Cepheid's GeneXpert® System, simultaneously detects and differentiates Influenza A, Influenza B, and the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in about one hour.

26 Apr 2011

PolyMedix defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds show antimicrobial efficacy against anthrax

PolyMedix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat patients with acute infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced today that several of its defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds have shown antimicrobial efficacy in an animal model against the bacteria that causes anthrax.

26 Apr 2011

Disease/Infection News

Stop malaria by taking precautions before travelling to endemic zones

IL28B gene plays a key role in spontaneous HCV clearance in infants

Seattle BioMed study to identify biomarkers for malaria vaccine design

NIH awards UH with $361,000 grant for chikungunya vaccine study

Low-cost colorimetric sensing array identifies bacterial infections

FDA Advisory Committee recommends approval of Merck's VICTRELIS for chronic HCV genotype 1 infection

Rwanda launches Africa's first nationwide cervical cancer vaccination, detection program

MSF letter criticizes Johnson & Johnson for not joining Medicines Patent Pool

Biomagnetics accepts Los Alamos National Labs' optical biosensor for disease diagnosis

EPO grants patent to Microbix' VIRUSMAX vaccine enhancement technology

World could meet U.N. goal of almost ending malaria deaths by 2015, U.N. special envoy for malaria says

Boehringer Ingelheim initiates enrollment in BI 201335 Phase 3 clinical trial for chronic HCV

Researchers develop protein-based inhibitor that can treat HPV

IQ Therapeutics completes dosing in IQNLF Phase I trial for anthrax

New study sheds light on evolution of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus in Japan

New malaria initiative

New angle in cause of tuberculosis discovered - scientists hopeful for new therapy

Durata attains global rights for dalbavancin to treat abSSSI

FDA grants Cepheid marketing clearance for Xpert Flu diagnostic test

PolyMedix defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds show antimicrobial efficacy against anthrax

Unlocking drug amorphization: Continuous, solvent-free twin screw granulation

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

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