Tuberculosis News and Research

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

Study confirms utility of Oxford Immunotec's T-SPOT.TB assay in identifying latent TB infection

The authors of a recent peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease confirmed the high specificity of the T-SPOT.TB assay.

26 Apr 2010

Research documents early warning signs resulting from global pullback on AIDS funding

Rationing Funds, Risking Lives: World Backtracks on HIV Treatment, the new report from the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, documents early warning signs resulting from the global pullback on AIDS commitment and funding: caps on the number of people enrolled in treatment programs, more frequent drug stock outs, and national AIDS budgets falling short.

26 Apr 2010

Enhancing residence time improves drug effectivity: Study

Studies led by Stony Brook University professor of chemistry Peter J. Tonge indicate that modifications that enhance the time a drug remains bound to its target, or residence time, may lead to better diagnostic and therapeutic agents.

26 Apr 2010

PMI releases 6-year malaria strategy

The U.S. government Thursday released a six-year strategy to address malaria globally, Reuters reports (Fox, 4/22). The plan was issued through the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) in conjunction with World Malaria Day, April 25, and is a "core component of President [Barack] Obama's Global Health Initiative," according to a USAID press release (4/22).

24 Apr 2010

QF-CMV test helps predict transplant recipients at increased risk of CMV disease after surgery

New international guidelines published in the journal Transplantation reinforce the use of a new type of blood test to assess cytomegalovirus (CMV) risk in solid organ transplant recipients (i.e. transplant recipients). This blood test, QuantiFERON®-CMV (QF-CMV), is the first commercially-available blood test to allow physicians to monitor a person's risk of CMV disease. Most commonly used in the transplant setting, QF-CMV may predict which transplant recipients are at increased risk of CMV disease after transplant surgery.

23 Apr 2010

First annual U.S.-African Union high level bilateral meetings start in Washington

Representatives of the African Union (AU) on Wednesday began meeting with members of the Obama administration in Washington, as part of the first Annual U.S.-African Union High Level Bilateral Meetings, United Press International reports (4/21).

23 Apr 2010

World's smallest and lightest microscope for telemedicine applications

Aydogan Ozcan, whose invention of a novel lensless imaging technology for use in telemedicine could radically transform global health care, has now taken his work a step further ― or tinier: The UCLA engineer has created a miniature microscope, the world's smallest and lightest for telemedicine applications.

23 Apr 2010

New USG strategy to combat malaria globally

In conjunction with World Malaria Day, and in accordance with the requirements of the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Lantos-Hyde), the U.S. Government, through the President's Malaria Initiative, today released a comprehensive strategy to combat malaria globally.

23 Apr 2010

Biomagnetics Diagnostics receives commitment for clinical validation testing in India for malaria, TB diagnosis

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, today announced it has received important commitments from two leading research laboratories in India for clinical validation testing for malaria and tuberculosis (TB) detection and diagnosis.

21 Apr 2010

Initial results of gallium-containing compound to treat serious infection presented at AACR 2010

Genta Incorporated today announced the presentation of initial results from the first human use of a gallium-containing compound to treat serious infection. In a patient with cystic fibrosis and a highly resistant lung infection, who has been treated over a 2-year period, high concentrations of gallium were achieved in sputum.

21 Apr 2010

Biomagnetics Diagnostics obtains handheld IOBS unit to detect pathogens

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, today announced it has received its first handheld integrated optical biosensor unit from Los Alamos National Security, LLC.

21 Apr 2010

Report details progress in fighting malaria in Africa, notes funding shortfall

Global funding for malaria reached $1.7 billion in 2009, a "ten-fold" increase since 2004, and the production of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) worldwide rose to 150 million last year, according to a report, released Monday, from UNICEF and the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership, which also highlighted the need for additional funding, Agence France-Presse reports (4/19).

21 Apr 2010

Enhancing drug residence time may help develop better diagnostic, therapeutic agents

Research conducted at the Stony Brook University Institute for Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery that enhances the time a drug remains bound to its target, or residence time, may prove to be an important step in developing better diagnostic and therapeutic agents based partly on longer drug residence time.

17 Apr 2010

Results of study comparing REMICADE to azathioprine for Crohn's disease published

Findings published today in The New England Journal of Medicine from a first-of-its-kind comparator trial evaluating the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha biologic treatment REMICADE (infliximab) in the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in patients who were naive to immunomodulator and biologic therapy, showed that a significantly greater proportion of patients receiving REMICADE achieved steroid-free remission and mucosal healing compared with patients receiving azathioprine.

16 Apr 2010

Newsweek examines tech startup's tools to fight malaria

Newsweek examines the work of Intellectual Ventures, a Seattle-based startup that is "trying to develop a computer model that could help eradicate malaria."

15 Apr 2010

Global maternal deaths decreased by more than 35% between 1980 and 2008, study finds

The number of maternal deaths around the world has decreased from more than 500,000 in 1980 to an estimated 342,900 in 2008, according to a Lancet study published online on Monday, the BBC reports.

15 Apr 2010

Drug boosting production of immune system protein worsens TB

An experimental drug that boosts production of the immune system protein interferon worsens tuberculosis (TB) in mice, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health. The drug acts indirectly by drawing certain immune cells, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) bacteria thrive, to the lungs. The findings may have potential implications for the care of people infected with TB, the authors note. The research is reported in the May 3 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation, now available online.

13 Apr 2010

San Diego Union-Tribune examines pharma's growing interest in neglected diseases

The San Diego Union-Tribune examines the pharmaceutical industry's growing interest in developing new treatments for what are known as "neglected diseases."

13 Apr 2010

Pregnancy-related deaths dropped by 35%: IHME study

The number of women dying from pregnancy-related causes has dropped by more than 35 percent in the past 30 years - from more than a half-million deaths annually in 1980 to about 343,000 in 2008, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and collaborators at the University of Queensland.

13 Apr 2010

Study finds overall increase in developing country domestic health spending, some countries have reduced health budgets as donor funding increases

Researchers on Friday released a study in the Lancet that found while "[m]ost countries in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East doubled their health budgets," countries in sub-Saharan Africa appear to have trimmed their health spending as donors have boosted their health aid, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

12 Apr 2010

Tuberculosis News and Research

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

Study confirms utility of Oxford Immunotec's T-SPOT.TB assay in identifying latent TB infection

Research documents early warning signs resulting from global pullback on AIDS funding

Enhancing residence time improves drug effectivity: Study

PMI releases 6-year malaria strategy

QF-CMV test helps predict transplant recipients at increased risk of CMV disease after surgery

First annual U.S.-African Union high level bilateral meetings start in Washington

World's smallest and lightest microscope for telemedicine applications

New USG strategy to combat malaria globally

Biomagnetics Diagnostics receives commitment for clinical validation testing in India for malaria, TB diagnosis

Initial results of gallium-containing compound to treat serious infection presented at AACR 2010

Biomagnetics Diagnostics obtains handheld IOBS unit to detect pathogens

Report details progress in fighting malaria in Africa, notes funding shortfall

Enhancing drug residence time may help develop better diagnostic, therapeutic agents

Results of study comparing REMICADE to azathioprine for Crohn's disease published

Newsweek examines tech startup's tools to fight malaria

Global maternal deaths decreased by more than 35% between 1980 and 2008, study finds

Drug boosting production of immune system protein worsens TB

San Diego Union-Tribune examines pharma's growing interest in neglected diseases

Pregnancy-related deaths dropped by 35%: IHME study

Study finds overall increase in developing country domestic health spending, some countries have reduced health budgets as donor funding increases

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Tuberculosis News and Research

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

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