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BAC, Octapharma enter licence agreement for G-CSF CaptureSelect custom affinity ligand

BAC BV, the leading provider of antibody-based affinity purification technology, today announced that it has entered into a licence agreement with Octapharma (Lachen, Switzerland), an independent, global provider of human proteins for life-threatening diseases.

17 Aug 2010

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls.

17 Aug 2010

Also in Global Health News: Hunger in Guatemala; Flooding worsens Niger's food crisis; 'New Delhi' gene name concerns

"The efforts of public agencies, non-governmental organisations, private entities and international agencies have become indispensable in addressing the food crisis" in Guatemala, however "activists believe a greater public effort is necessary," Inter Press Service reports. The article examines efforts by various agencies working in Guatemala including the Rural Development Programme for Las Verapaces (PRODEVER), and Accion Contra el Hambre, a local anti-hunger organization.

16 Aug 2010

Liverpool scientists create new drug for malaria

As part of the -1.5 million project, researchers are now testing the drug to determine how the treatment could progress to clinical trials. The drug is made from simple organic molecules and will be cheaper to mass produce compared to existing therapies.

16 Aug 2010

Alverix and BD partner to develop point of care infectious disease diagnostic assay systems

As consumers begin to take greater ownership of their own healthcare, there is a growing demand for accessibility to diagnostic testing. Alverix, Inc. and BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) are on the cutting edge of this trend and today announced an agreement to produce assay systems at the point-of-care (POC) that will improve infectious disease diagnoses.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 16 Aug 2010

NanoViricides' anti-Herpes drug candidates demonstrate significant efficacy in cell culture studies

NanoViricides, Inc., reports that its anti-Herpes drug candidates demonstrated significant efficacy in the recently completed cell culture studies. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Ken Rosenthal at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

16 Aug 2010

Georgetown researcher recommends more publication on chronic sinusitis

Facial pain. Nasal congestion. Postnasal drip. Fatigue. These are hallmark signs of chronic sinusitis, a swelling of tissue in the nasal and sinus cavity. The illness strikes millions of Americans each year and is one of the top five reasons patients visit their primary care doctor. Treating sinusitis is difficult in part because it's often not known if the cause is viral or bacterial. Unfortunately little information on the subject is available to internists says a new study by a Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) internist.

16 Aug 2010

Green Cross receives KFDA approval to manufacture, market i.v. peramivir: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that its partner, Green Cross Corporation has received marketing and manufacturing approval from KFDA for intravenous peramivir to treat patients with influenza A & B viruses, including pandemic H1N1 and avian influenza. Green Cross Corp. intends to launch peramivir under the commercial name PeramiFlu in South Korea.

16 Aug 2010

Opinions: PEPFAR funding; Aid in Africa; Obama, human rights

Following a recent letter by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) to President Barack Obama that "expressed concern about the future of" PEPFAR "as details of the Obama administration's Global Health Initiative emerge," a Courier-Journal editorial looks at how the "U.S. made a commitment to be a major player in the worldwide fight against AIDS" and details how "arguably the most successful program implemented by President Bush" has made huge strides in broadening HIV treatment access and preventing mother-to-child-transmission in the developing world.

16 Aug 2010

Mathematical model projects potential impact of current tools fighting malaria in Africa

Current tools for combating malaria, such as artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and increasing coverage of long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) insecticide-treated bednets (ITN) "could dramatically reduce the burden of malignant malaria on parts of Africa if a comprehensive, sustained intervention programme were in place," according to a study published this week in PLoS Medicine, CORDIS News reports.

16 Aug 2010

Nearly 1100 foodborne outbreaks reported nationally in 2007: CDC analysis

A total of 1,097 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in 2007 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a CDC analysis. State investigators reported 21,244 illnesses and 18 deaths as a result of these outbreaks. The report also provides the most recent data on how many illnesses were linked to specific types of foods.

13 Aug 2010

Activists, care providers, patients protest against Senator Nelson's silence on AIDS drug program

While Florida continues to add up to 300 people each month to its waiting list for its AIDS Drug Assistance Program, scores of AIDS activists, care providers and patients will gather at a protest and press briefing hosted by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Friday, August 13th at 12:00 Noon outside the Tampa offices of United States Senator Bill Nelson (D, FL).

13 Aug 2010

National organization releases “Lessons from the Frontlines” report on H1N1

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and the National Specialty Society of Community Medicine (NSSCM) today released Lessons from the Frontlines, a collaborative report on H1N1 describing the physician experience on the frontlines of the pandemic.

13 Aug 2010

Mount Sinai receives grant from NIH to continue research on food allergy

Mount Sinai School of Medicine today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has renewed its funding of the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), providing an additional $29.9 million toward genetic research and the prevention and treatment of food allergy. Mount Sinai is the primary research site for CoFAR, leading seven other institutions around the country.

13 Aug 2010

Combination of fungi, insecticides can combat malaria mosquitoes: Research

A combination of fungal spores and chemical insecticides are an effective way of combating insecticide-resistant malaria mosquitoes. Researchers at Wageningen UR and from Benin, West Africa, have shown that fungi and insecticides reinforce each other´s efficacy, and that the effect of using a combination of both is greater than the sum of using the two methods separately. Their article in the August edition of PLoS One (Public Library of Science) claims that biological and chemical methods of fighting malaria can and should be used together.

13 Aug 2010

Floods: U.N. issues $459.7M appeal for Pakistan, China concerned about disease outbreaks after mudslides

The U.N. appealed for $459.7 million on Wednesday "to aid flood victims in Pakistan as the magnitude of the disaster widened, with about one-fifth of the country submerged and the annual monsoon season still potent," the New York Times reports (MacFarquhar, 8/11).

13 Aug 2010

A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network, Institut M-rieux and bioM-rieux partner in TB research

An investment of S$3 million is being pumped into tuberculosis (TB) research by A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), bioindustrial group Institut M-rieux and its in vitro diagnostics company bioM-rieux. The project, which involves setting up a joint laboratory in Biopolis, Singapore aims to investigate and identify novel biomarkers that could allow early identification of individuals at risk of TB disease development and disease reactivation. This could lead to better diagnosis and treatment for the highly contagious disease.

13 Aug 2010

Severe inflammatory response to initial UTI causes bladder damage: Research

The immune system may open the door to recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) by overdoing its response to an initial infection, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.Researchers showed in mice that severe inflammatory responses to an initial UTI cause bladder damage and allow infection to persist longer. After one to two weeks of infection, the bladder wall undergoes additional changes that leave mice more vulnerable to later infection. Suppressing the immune system during initial infection decreases these vulnerabilities, they report Aug. 12 in PLoS Pathogens.

13 Aug 2010

Exposure to immune proteins during pregnancy increases risk for schizophrenia in offspring

Infections like the flu are common occurrences during pregnancy, and research has shown that children born to mothers who suffered from flu, viruses and other infections during pregnancy have about a 1.5 to 7 times increased risk for schizophrenia. A new study out of Temple University examines what's behind that link.

13 Aug 2010

HIV infected injection drug users likely to have kidney disease: Study

Poor kidney function is common among injection drug users, particularly those with HIV, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest that clinicians should monitor the kidney function of HIV-infected injection drug users and consider them candidates for medical treatments to protect their kidneys when appropriate.

13 Aug 2010

Disease/Infection News

BAC, Octapharma enter licence agreement for G-CSF CaptureSelect custom affinity ligand

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

Also in Global Health News: Hunger in Guatemala; Flooding worsens Niger's food crisis; 'New Delhi' gene name concerns

Liverpool scientists create new drug for malaria

Alverix and BD partner to develop point of care infectious disease diagnostic assay systems

NanoViricides' anti-Herpes drug candidates demonstrate significant efficacy in cell culture studies

Georgetown researcher recommends more publication on chronic sinusitis

Green Cross receives KFDA approval to manufacture, market i.v. peramivir: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Opinions: PEPFAR funding; Aid in Africa; Obama, human rights

Mathematical model projects potential impact of current tools fighting malaria in Africa

Nearly 1100 foodborne outbreaks reported nationally in 2007: CDC analysis

Activists, care providers, patients protest against Senator Nelson's silence on AIDS drug program

National organization releases “Lessons from the Frontlines” report on H1N1

Mount Sinai receives grant from NIH to continue research on food allergy

Combination of fungi, insecticides can combat malaria mosquitoes: Research

Floods: U.N. issues $459.7M appeal for Pakistan, China concerned about disease outbreaks after mudslides

A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network, Institut M-rieux and bioM-rieux partner in TB research

Severe inflammatory response to initial UTI causes bladder damage: Research

Exposure to immune proteins during pregnancy increases risk for schizophrenia in offspring

HIV infected injection drug users likely to have kidney disease: Study

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