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'Micro-ear' to screen for malaria, sleeping sickness

A team of researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford, and the UK's National Institute of Medical Research at Mill Hill, are developing a 'micro-ear' which may help develop medicines and screening for diseases such as malaria and sleeping sickness in Africa. The project is in two parts, explains Professor Jon Cooper, a bio-engineer at University of Glasgow.

14 Jun 2010

Human Genome Sciences receives FDA feedback for ZALBIN BLA

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced that it has received preliminary written feedback from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the Company's Biologics License Application (BLA) seeking approval in the United States to market 900-mcg ZALBIN™ (albinterferon alfa-2b, known in Europe as JOULFERON®) dosed every two weeks for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. FDA has expressed concerns regarding the risk benefit assessment of ZALBIN dosed at 900-mcg every two weeks.

14 Jun 2010

Monoclonal antibodies induce long-lasting, protective antiviral immune response

Monoclonal antibodies are the largest class of biotherapeutic drugs. When administered to infected organisms to blunt the propagation of pathogenic viruses, they may also induce a long-lasting and protective antiviral immune response similar to that achieved by vaccination. These results obtained in mice by the "Oncogenèse et Immunothérapie" group at the Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (CNRS/Universités Montpellier 1 and 2), have been published on 10 June in PLoS Pathogens.

14 Jun 2010

ARCA receives approval to commence enrollment of first therapeutic trial using HIV vaccine candidate

News on the progress of a new trial may give new hope to patients with HIV who are dependent on anti-HIV drugs. The AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta has received approval to begin enrollment of the first therapeutic trial ever conducted using a promising HIV vaccine candidate from Atlanta-based, GeoVax Inc, a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines.

14 Jun 2010

NIH researchers' findings about malaria parasites in bloodstream could lead to development of new drugs

NIH researchers have "identified two previously unknown steps in the spread of the malaria parasite in the bloodstream" and found a way to interfere with one stage of the process, which could lead to the development of new malaria drugs, United Press International reports (6/10). The study was published online in Current Biology, according to an NIH press release (6/10).

14 Jun 2010

FRC praises decision of federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability

Family Research Council praised today's decision by the federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability to reject any change in current blood donation rules. Current policy provides that men who have had sex with men at any time since 1977 are permanently "deferred" from acting as blood donors, because of the high rates of HIV infection in that population. The panel, which offers non-binding advice to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, voted 9-6 on Friday afternoon against recommending any immediate change in the policy.

14 Jun 2010

Effective antimicrobial products can reduce hospital-acquired infections

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that more than two million people in the United States are affected annually by hospital-acquired infections. Meanwhile, a report released in April by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that this problem, which is worsening, requires urgent attention.

14 Jun 2010

CNVs increases patients' susceptibility to severe sepsis

Genetic makeup has been identified as a key factor leading to the development of sepsis, a systemic inflammatory reaction that occurs during infection. Sepsis is considered severe when associated with organ dysfunction.

14 Jun 2010

Researchers transform yellow fever vaccine to fend off mosquito borne parasites that cause malaria

There is no vaccine for malaria, which sickens almost a quarter of a billion people each year and kills a child every 30 seconds. That could be changing: researchers at The Rockefeller University have genetically transformed the yellow fever vaccine to prime the immune system to fend off the mosquito borne parasites that cause the disease.

14 Jun 2010

Genetic variation can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment: Scientists

A small genetic change can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment, paving the way to personalised therapy for this difficult to treat disease, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Sunday 13 June). Dr. Zoltan Kutalik, from the Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, will tell delegates that individuals with this change, in a gene encoding for the antiviral cytokine (cell-signalling molecule) interferon lamda, reacts less well to treatment.

14 Jun 2010

TIME series examines global health

As part of a special package about global health, TIME magazine visits what is known as "the most malarial town on earth" - Apac, Uganda - and examines global malaria control and efforts to eradicate the disease.

14 Jun 2010

Capitol Hill briefing addresses neglected tropical diseases

At a Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) briefing, held in conjunction with the Congressional Malaria and NTD Caucus in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, "U.S. researchers, pharmaceutical companies and government officials [said] they are making progress in an effort to curb [NTDs], but that they need more money and outside help," VOA News.

14 Jun 2010

ACIP's new immunization guidelines for upcoming year

Summer is all about barbeques and lazy days at the pool. It's also a good time to start thinking about preparing for flu season, and the vaccinations you or your child may need for the upcoming year, says Carrie Maffeo, a professor of pharmacy at Butler University, who specializes in immunizations.

14 Jun 2010

Global Programme seeks to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis by 2020

Representatives from more than 50 countries attended the Sixth Meeting of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) in Seoul last week, to review the progress of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (Global Programme), which seeks to eliminate the disease by 2020.

14 Jun 2010

Anti-infectives could circumvent the problem of antibiotic resistance

For a successful infection, bacteria must outwit the immune system of the host. To this aim, they deliver so-called virulence factors through a transport channel located in the bacterial membrane.

14 Jun 2010

Customs Organization to sign declaration against counterfeit drugs

The World Customs Organization will sign a declaration to fight the $200-billion-a-year counterfeit drug industry, Reuters reports.

14 Jun 2010

AIDS/LifeCycle event raises $10M to support HIV/AIDS services

More than 2,400 participants in AIDS/LifeCycle arrived at the Veterans Center in Los Angeles today after traveling 545 miles from San Francisco over the past seven days in the world's largest annual HIV/AIDS fundraising event. In its ninth year, the event raised $10 million to support the services of San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center that prevent new HIV infections and care for those living with HIV/AIDS.

14 Jun 2010

BIOTECanada congratulates CPHA on 100 years of leadership in public health

As a community partner of the Canadian Public Health Association, BIOTECanada, on behalf of Canada's biotechnology industry, congratulates the CPHA on 100 years of leadership in public health.

11 Jun 2010

Community-based model of DOT improves HIV patient survival: Researchers

When applied to HIV care, the community-based model of directly observed therapy has no effect on virologic outcomes, but significantly improves patient survival. This is according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in collaboration with colleagues at University of Cape Town, South Africa, who conducted the first randomized controlled trial of patient-nominated treatment-supporters providing partial DOT in resource-limited settings.

11 Jun 2010

Ambulatory Surgery Center industry responds to infection control concerns raised in JAMA

As leading organizations representing the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) industry, we wish to address concerns raised in this month's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) highlighting data from a 2008 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pilot study. The industry underscores its strong commitment to patient safety and its nationwide efforts to provide high-quality, patient-centered care at a low cost to the health care system.

11 Jun 2010