Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Newly identified protein could prove promising new drug target for AIDS

Researchers have identified a protein that causes loss of function in immune cells combatting HIV. The scientists report in a paper appearing online Dec. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that the protein, Sprouty-2, is a promising target for future HIV drug development, since disabling it could help restore the cells' ability to combat the virus that causes AIDS.

2 Dec 2013

Visterra secures exclusive patent license for promising dengue virus antibodies from MIT

Visterra, Inc., a developer of novel antibody therapeutics to prevent and treat major infectious diseases, today announced that it has secured an exclusive patent license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to a family of early-stage monoclonal antibodies that target dengue virus. These antibodies were developed by MIT in the laboratory of Dr. Ram Sasisekharan, a founder of Visterra, using novel protein engineering approaches. Visterra will apply its proprietary network analysis technology to develop a human monoclonal antibody product candidate capable of broadly neutralizing all four dengue virus serotypes.

2 Dec 2013

Visterra gets $8.1M in proceeds from upsized and final closing of Series A financing round

Visterra, Inc., a developer of novel therapeutics to prevent and treat major infectious diseases, today announced that it has received $8.1 million in proceeds from an upsized and final closing of its Series A financing round. The company also announced that it has deepened its executive management team by appointing two industry veterans to newly created roles, which follows the recent appointment of Brian Pereira, M.D. as President and Chief Executive Officer of Visterra this past summer.

2 Dec 2013

Medical Research Council should do more in the development of gold standard for clinical trial design

More should be done to celebrate the role of one of Britain’s leading institutions, the Medical Research Council, in the development of the gold standard for clinical trial design. Sir Iain Chalmers, writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, questions the apparent reluctance of the MRC to take credit for its ground-breaking work in the design and management of randomised multicentre controlled clinical trials in the 1950s.

28 Nov 2013

New NIH guidelines for managing opportunistic infections in children with HIV

Sharon Nachman, MD, a pediatric HIV and infectious diseases specialist at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, is a co-author of new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-issued guidelines for the prevention, treatment and management of opportunistic infections in HIV-exposed and HIV-infected children. The 2013 guidelines shed light on the most effective way to treat dangerous and deadly infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis that can strike immunosuppressed pediatric HIV patients.

27 Nov 2013

Health insurance coverage does not increase risky behavior

People with health insurance are more likely to use preventive services such as flu shots and health screenings to reduce their risk of serious illness, but they are no more likely than people without health insurance to engage in risky health behaviors such as smoking or gaining weight, researchers at UC Davis and University of Rochester have found.

27 Nov 2013

H1N1 virus killed more people globally than originally believed, confirms study

A research team consisting of more than 60 collaborators in 26 countries has estimated the global death toll from the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 virus to be 10 times higher than the World Health Organization's count, which was based on laboratory-confirmed cases of this flu. The study, which appears online in PLOS Medicine, suggests that the pandemic virus caused up to 203,000 respiratory deaths around the world.

27 Nov 2013

People with cancer are at increased risk of severe complications from virus

It is often noted that very young people and the elderly are most at-risk for experiencing flu-related complications, and one expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham says people with weakened immune systems due to diseases like cancer are also at an increased risk of severe complications from the virus.

26 Nov 2013

Pediatrician analyzes management of the 2009 influenza A crisis

With autumn just around the corner and a new flu strain lying in wait for us, the presentation of a study analysing the management of the 2009 influenza A crisis could not, if anything, be better timed.

26 Nov 2013

Researchers show for first time how influenza A viruses infect respiratory cells

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown for the first time how influenza A viruses snip through a protective mucus net to both infect respiratory cells and later cut their way out to infect other cells.

25 Nov 2013

Researchers identify immune cell protein that sets off body's initial response against viral infection

A Massachusetts General Hospital-led research team has identified an immune cell protein that is critical to setting off the body's initial response against viral infection. The report that will be published in an upcoming issue of Nature Immunology and is receiving early online release describes finding that a protein called GEF-H1 is essential to the ability of macrophages - major contributors to the innate immune system - to respond to viral infections like influenza.

25 Nov 2013

New NPS Direct article reveals that vaccinations fight against antibiotic resistance

During Antibiotic Awareness Week (18-24 November) NPS MedicineWise is urging health professionals to use vaccinations as one important way to limit Australia’s use of antibiotics.

22 Nov 2013

New NPS Direct article reveals that vaccinations fight against antibiotic resistance

During Antibiotic Awareness Week (18-24 November) NPS MedicineWise is urging health professionals to use vaccinations as one important way to limit Australia’s use of antibiotics.

22 Nov 2013

DNA vaccine demonstrates potential to prevent and treat deadly MERS coronavirus

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that preclinical testing of a DNA synthetic vaccine for the virulent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) induced robust and durable immune responses, demonstrating the potential for a SynCon DNA vaccine to prevent and treat this deadly virus.

20 Nov 2013

U-M researchers collaborate with MDCH to evaluate statewide influenza vaccination reminder campaign

A new University of Michigan study found that the state immunization registry - the public health database that tracks vaccinations- can be an effective tool to encourage influenza vaccinations during a pandemic.

19 Nov 2013

ORC to develop paper-based sensors to detect biomarkers in cancer patients

Pioneering research by the Optoelectronics Research Centre that could transform the care of cancer patients or people with infections in their own homes has received a significant grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

19 Nov 2013

Two health care providers argue about making flu vaccination mandatory for health care workers

Should flu vaccines be mandatory for health care workers? That's the question raised this week in the British Medical Journal to two health care providers, including Penn Medicine's Amy J. Behrman, MD, in a "Head to Head" piece that argues both sides of the debate.

15 Nov 2013

Scientists identify genetic signature of respiratory syncytial virus

Scientists have identified the genetic signature of respiratory syncytial virus, the leading cause of infant hospitalizations around the world. The work is a key step toward a better understanding of the immune response to RSV, which will aid the development of a vaccine and a tool that could allow physicians to determine the severity of the infection when symptoms first develop. The study, from a team at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, was published this week in PLOS Medicine.

15 Nov 2013

HIVMA's updated HIV care guidelines show doctors should focus on common health conditions

The HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America has updated its HIV care guidelines to reflect the fact that people with HIV are now living normal life spans, and their physicians need to focus on preventive care, including screening for high cholesterol, diabetes and osteoporosis.

15 Nov 2013

Diagnosing influenza with rapid tests leads to more efficient care

When patients in the emergency department (ED) are diagnosed with influenza by means of a rapid test, they get fewer unnecessary antibiotics, are prescribed antiviral medications more frequently, and have fewer additional lab tests compared to patients diagnosed with influenza without testing, according to a new study. Published online in the Journal of the Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Society, the findings suggest that diagnosing influenza with a rapid diagnostic test leads to more appropriate, specific, and efficient care.

14 Nov 2013

Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Newly identified protein could prove promising new drug target for AIDS

Visterra secures exclusive patent license for promising dengue virus antibodies from MIT

Visterra gets $8.1M in proceeds from upsized and final closing of Series A financing round

Medical Research Council should do more in the development of gold standard for clinical trial design

New NIH guidelines for managing opportunistic infections in children with HIV

Health insurance coverage does not increase risky behavior

H1N1 virus killed more people globally than originally believed, confirms study

People with cancer are at increased risk of severe complications from virus

Pediatrician analyzes management of the 2009 influenza A crisis

Researchers show for first time how influenza A viruses infect respiratory cells

Researchers identify immune cell protein that sets off body's initial response against viral infection

New NPS Direct article reveals that vaccinations fight against antibiotic resistance

New NPS Direct article reveals that vaccinations fight against antibiotic resistance

DNA vaccine demonstrates potential to prevent and treat deadly MERS coronavirus

U-M researchers collaborate with MDCH to evaluate statewide influenza vaccination reminder campaign

ORC to develop paper-based sensors to detect biomarkers in cancer patients

Two health care providers argue about making flu vaccination mandatory for health care workers

Scientists identify genetic signature of respiratory syncytial virus

HIVMA's updated HIV care guidelines show doctors should focus on common health conditions

Diagnosing influenza with rapid tests leads to more efficient care

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Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

From street to lab: Advancing controlled substance testing with handheld Raman and FTIR

Reimagining light scattering for biotherapeutics

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