Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Experimental therapy has over 90% remission rate for advanced leukemia patients

Twenty-seven of 29 patients with an advanced type of leukemia that had proved resistant to multiple other forms of therapy went into remission after their T cells (disease-fighting immune cells) were genetically engineered to fight their cancers.

28 Apr 2016

ZOTEN nanoparticles can help develop natural immunity against genital herpes

An effective vaccine against the virus that causes genital herpes has evaded researchers for decades. But now, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago working with scientists from Germany have shown that zinc-oxide nanoparticles shaped like jacks can prevent the virus from entering cells, and help natural immunity to develop.

28 Apr 2016

More neurological resources needed to manage Zika virus infections

WFN Zika-Info-Service: World Federation of Neurology establishes Work Group on Zika virus to support international efforts - Lack of neurological resources in countries most concerned by the virus.

28 Apr 2016

Study shows tropics, subtropics exhibit complex patterns of seasonal flu activity

Whilst countries in the tropics and subtropics exhibit diverse patterns of seasonal flu activity, they can be grouped into eight geographical zones to optimise vaccine formulation and delivery timing, according to a study published April 27, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Siddhivinayak Hirve from the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, and colleagues.

28 Apr 2016

Scientists show how HIV enters female reproductive tract

Finding the vulnerable points where HIV enters the female reproductive tract is like searching for needles in a haystack. But Northwestern Medicine scientists have solved that challenge by creating a glowing map of the very first cells to be infected with a HIV-like virus.

28 Apr 2016

Research highlights global economic burden of norovirus

While norovirus is often linked in the news to outbreaks on cruise ships, the highly contagious stomach bug sickens nearly 700 million around the world every year and results in roughly $4.2 billion in health care costs and $60.3 billion in societal costs annually, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

27 Apr 2016

WHO reminds Angola travellers to receive yellow fever vaccination

As efforts to bring an outbreak of yellow fever in Angola under control continue, the World Health Organization is reminding all travellers to the country that they are required to receive the yellow fever vaccination and to have a valid certificate of vaccination to prove that they are protected from the disease and to prevent its further spread.

27 Apr 2016

First-ever vaccine to combat Leishmaniasis under development

As scientists scramble to get a Zika virus vaccine into human trials by the end of the summer, a team of researchers is working on the first-ever vaccine to prevent another insect-borne disease - Leishmaniasis - from gaining a similar foothold in the Americas.

27 Apr 2016

Administering flu vaccinations in the morning could induce greater antibody responses

New research from the University of Birmingham has shown that flu vaccinations are more effective when administered in the morning.

26 Apr 2016

Study highlights potential emergence of new swine flu strains

The wide diversity of flu in pigs across multiple continents, mostly introduced from humans, highlights the significant potential of new swine flu strains emerging, according to a study to be published in eLife.

26 Apr 2016

Criminology theory to combat counterfeit, sub-standard medicines

Around the world, especially in developing nations, counterfeit medicines are a real problem. Until now, in many countries there hasn't been a standard protocol to conduct investigations and pursue prosecution.

26 Apr 2016

Scientists discover Hobit, Blimp1 genes that fight disease-causing pathogens

Melbourne researchers have uncovered the genes responsible for the way the body fights infection at the point of 'invasion' - whether it's the skin, liver, lungs or the gut.

25 Apr 2016

Experts focus on scientific complexities of individual and population health at iCOMOS 2016

How do we balance the needs for individualized health care with the public health programs serving communities - especially in the context of environmental pollution and climate change? Given a fixed set of resources, maximizing the potential of both is challenging, indeed.

22 Apr 2016

Naturally-occurring molecule can cause immune cells to go into hyperactive state

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital report that a fatty chemical naturally found in damaged tissues can induce an unexpected kind of immune response, causing immune cells to go into a "hyperactive" state that is highly effective at rallying infection-fighting T-cells. The findings, published online by Science on April 21, could enhance vaccines and make them much more effective.

22 Apr 2016

Infected mice can be better models for human diseases

Vaccines and therapeutics developed using mice often don't work as expected in humans. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis points to the near-sterile surroundings of laboratory mice as a key reason.

21 Apr 2016

WHO outlines steps to close immunization gap across countries during World Immunization Week 2016

During World Immunization Week 2016, held 24-30 April, the World Health Organization highlights recent gains in immunization coverage, and outlines further steps countries can take to “Close the Immunization Gap” and meet global vaccination targets by 2020.

21 Apr 2016

Angola' health officials extend vaccination campaign for yellow fever to Huambo and Benguela provinces

As Angola grapples with its worst yellow fever outbreak in decades, the Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization and partners have extended the vaccination campaign beyond the capital Luanda into Huambo and Benguela – 2 of the other 5 provinces reporting local transmission.

21 Apr 2016

New mouse model to aid in development of antiviral compounds, vaccines against Zika virus

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine have developed one of the first mouse models for the study of Zika virus. The model will allow researchers to better understand how the virus causes disease and aid in the development of antiviral compounds and vaccines.

20 Apr 2016

Two Ebola vaccine candidates show promise in clinical trial

An immunization regimen using two Ebola vaccine candidates was safe and well-tolerated and induced an immune response in healthy adult volunteers in a Phase 1 clinical trial.

20 Apr 2016

New study suggests re-evaluation of long-held method to predict effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine

The long-held approach to predicting seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness may need to be revisited, new research suggests. Currently, seasonal flu vaccines are designed to induce high levels of protective antibodies against hemagglutinin (HA), a protein found on the surface of the influenza virus that enables the virus to enter a human cell and initiate infection.

20 Apr 2016