Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Depressed and suicidal individuals linked to low levels of stress hormone cortisol

Depressed and suicidal individuals have low levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood and saliva. They also have substances in their spinal fluid that suggest there is increased inflammation in the brain. These findings could help to develop new methods for diagnosing and treating suicidal patients.

29 Nov 2010

Medicago, Genopole expand collaboration

Medicago Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced an extension to its partnering agreement of July 2009 with Genopole®. Medicago and Genopole® will also work towards the creation a laboratory for research on vaccine and antibody targets of interest for France in terms of public health and biodefense.

26 Nov 2010

New findings provide insight into brain development

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified key components of a signaling pathway that controls the departure of neurons from the brain niche where they form and allows these cells to start migrating to their final destination. Defects in this system affect the architecture of the brain and are associated with epilepsy, mental retardation and perhaps malignant brain tumors.

25 Nov 2010

CIHI study finds impact of H1N1 pandemic on Canadian hospitals

While the H1N1 global pandemic may not have resulted in as many severe cases as originally predicted, a new study released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows that more than 15,000 Canadians were admitted to hospital for H1N1 in Canada between April and December 2009.

24 Nov 2010

Study examines nosocomial outbreak of influenza in Hong Kong hospitals

Direct contact and droplets are the primary ways influenza spreads. Under certain conditions, however, aerosol transmission is possible. In a study published in the current issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, available online, the authors examined such an outbreak in their own hospital in Hong Kong.

23 Nov 2010

Pennsylvania's first reported flu-related death of 2010-11 flu season

The Department of Health today confirmed a 45-year-old man from Lehigh County as Pennsylvania's first reported flu-related death of the 2010-11 flu season.

23 Nov 2010

Is the decade long flirtation with vaccines over?

In light of increasing competition, saturation of key vaccine sectors and a lack of innovative late-stage vaccine candidates, maintaining the strong growth of the last decade will be a major challenge for the vaccines industry suggests independent market analyst, Datamonitor.

22 Nov 2010

Vical to present results of Vaxfectin adjuvant at Conference in Hungary

Vical Incorporated today announced that the company is presenting an overview of results for its patented Vaxfectin adjuvant at the Modern Veterinary Vaccines & Adjuvants conference.

20 Nov 2010

Quercetin in Gene-Eden may be beneficial against flu virus: Research

Recently, researchers discovered that quercetin, a key ingredient in the natural antiviral supplement Gene-Eden, may be beneficial against the flu virus.

20 Nov 2010

Doctors provide tips to protect children from seasonal flu

Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center want to make sure children are protected from influenza this flu season. The flu is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs caused by a variety of strains of influenza viruses. While the flu typically causes mild symptoms, it can be severe enough to cause hospitalization or even death. Flu most commonly occurs in the winter and early spring.

20 Nov 2010

CDC data: Adults remain unvaccinated against preventable infectious illnesses

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that adults remain largely unvaccinated against preventable infectious illnesses.

18 Nov 2010

Scientists solve structure of key protein from Lassa virus

Scientists at Emory University and the University of St. Andrews have solved the structure of a key protein from Lassa virus, which is endemic to West Africa and can cause a deadly hemorrhagic fever.

18 Nov 2010

Inovio achieves positive results in Phase I PENNVAX-B study for HIV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has achieved high vaccine-induced response rates and strong magnitude of immune responses in its Phase I clinical study of PENNVAX-B, a DNA vaccine for the prevention of HIV infection.

18 Nov 2010

Nanotrope assay receives U.S. patent for diagnosing influenza and viral infections

Nanotrope, Inc. announced today that it has been issued United States patent #7,829,272 covering its ground-breaking diagnostic test for influenza and other viral infections.

17 Nov 2010

St. Jude organizes tobacco cessation program for cancer survivors who smoke

Cancer survivors who smoke and need help quitting can receive help through a tobacco cessation program organized by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

17 Nov 2010

Vical enters agreement with GenomIdea to develop DNA vaccine for pandemic influenza

Vical Incorporated today announced that the company has entered into an evaluation and supply agreement with GenomIdea Inc., a subsidiary of AnGes MG, Inc., for the development of a DNA vaccine for livestock against pandemic influenza.

17 Nov 2010

NIH awards $10 million to advance technology for painless influenza vaccine delivery patch

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $10 million to the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University and PATH, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization, to advance a technology for the painless, self-administration of flu vaccine using patches containing tiny microneedles that dissolve into the skin.

17 Nov 2010

Swissmedic approves use of plasma components treated with Cerus' INTERCEPT Blood System

Cerus Corporation announced today that the Swiss regulatory body, Swissmedic, has approved the use of plasma components treated with Cerus' INTERCEPT Blood System.

17 Nov 2010

New mathematical method predicts dominant strain of influenza virus

Rice University scientists have found a way to predict rapidly whether a new strain of the influenza virus should be included in the annual seasonal flu vaccine. While it sometimes takes new flu strains up to three years to become dominant worldwide, the new method can predict whether they will become dominant as little as two weeks after the sequence first appears in the GenBank database, the National Institutes of Health's collection of all publicly available DNA sequences.

16 Nov 2010

NanoViricides' optimized FluCide drug candidates reduce viral load in H1N1 influenza virus study

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its optimized FluCide™ drug candidates achieved dramatic reduction in viral load within the lungs of animals infected with a lethal dose of H1N1 influenza virus.

15 Nov 2010