Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

2 in 5 parents believe HPV vaccine is unnecessary

A rising percentage of parents say they won't have their teen daughters vaccinated to protect against the human papilloma virus, even though physicians are increasingly recommending adolescent vaccinations, a study by Mayo Clinic and others shows.

18 Mar 2013

Cytomegalovirus employs a novel trick to hide from immune detection

A virus that most people have probably never heard of, yet most of us carry, is the number 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects. One in 750 children are born with, or develop, permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage as a result of CMV (cytomegalovirus) infection in the womb.

17 Mar 2013

Study shows promising benefit of combination therapy in CRPC patients

Multi-peptide vaccination therapy combined with the low-dose steroid drug dexamethasone shows promise in treating chemotherapy-naive castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients.

16 Mar 2013

USAID's pursuit of evidence-based global health agenda

As part of the Global Health Research & Development blog series, E. Callie Raulfs-Wang, research adviser at USAID's Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact, writes in the agency's "IMPACTblog," "Whether testing the efficacy of an HIV vaccine or the marketing strategy of a new contraceptive technology, quality research, careful methodology and rigorous analysis are fundamental for acquiring evidence useful in decision-making."

16 Mar 2013

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

Seasonal epidemics of influenza result in nearly 36,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Current vaccines against the influenza virus elicit an antibody response specific for proteins on the outside of the virus, specifically the hemagglutinin protein.

15 Mar 2013

Examining GPEI Strategic Plan to end polio

Writing in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Apoorva Mallya, a program officer for the foundation's vaccine delivery team, highlights a recent Lancet editorial examining the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's six-year Strategic Plan to end polio.

15 Mar 2013

Completion rates for HPV vaccine series continue to remain low, say UTMB researchers

Completion rates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series across both genders continue to remain alarmingly low nearly seven years after its introduction, suggesting that better patient education and increased public vaccine financing programs are needed, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

15 Mar 2013

Varicella vaccine prevents hospital admission, saves lives

The widespread introduction of a chicken pox vaccine in Australia in 2006 has prevented thousands of children from being hospitalized with severe chicken pox and saved lives, according to new research.

14 Mar 2013

H1N1 flu vaccination associated with small excess risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, but benefits outweigh risks

A meta-analysis of safety data gathered during the 2009 H1N1 vaccination programme in the US has established that the vaccination was associated with a small excess risk – about 1.6 extra cases per one million people vaccinated – of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system which can result in temporary or more long-lasting paralysis and infrequently death. The authors conclude that the benefits of the 2009 H1N1 vaccination campaign greatly outweighed the risks.

14 Mar 2013

VOA examines implications of sequestration on U.S. military malaria vaccine research

VOA News examines the implications of sequestration on the U.S. military's infectious disease research, noting "officials say the mandatory budget cuts ... will affect further testing of a potentially cutting-edge malaria vaccine, soon to be published."

14 Mar 2013

GAVI, Islamic Development Bank partner to accelerate introduction of vaccines in member countries

The GAVI Alliance and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) "entered into a partnership Monday (March 11), with the goal to vaccinate at least 400 million children by 2020 in the bank's member countries," Devex reports, noting, "The alliance said it would need an estimated $7 billion to reach its target under the partnership" (3/12).

14 Mar 2013

Research finding aids efforts toward cytomegalovirus vaccine

A virus most people probably have never heard of, but that the majority of us carry, is the No. 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects in the U.S. today. Because of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during in utero development, 1 in 750 children are born with or develop permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage.

14 Mar 2013

Safe aspiration system for hazardous waste liquids in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories from INTEGRA

The VACUSAFE Laboratory Aspiration System from INTEGRA is designed to provide simple, reliable and safe aspiration of hazardous waste liquids in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories.

From INTEGRA Biosciences 14 Mar 2013

UCSF study on T-cell behavior sheds light on how vaccines work

The immune system's T cells, while coordinating responses to diseases and vaccines, act like honey bees sharing information about the best honey sources, according to a new study by scientists at UC San Francisco.

14 Mar 2013

Immune system B cells play crucial role in defence of pathogens

Immune system B cells play a crucial role in the defence of pathogens; when they detect such an intruder, they produce antibodies that help to combat the enemy.

13 Mar 2013

Researchers determine way to predict and protect against new strains of flu virus

Researchers have determined a way to predict and protect against new strains of the flu virus, in the hope of improving immunity against the disease.

13 Mar 2013

Recently employees from SCCA and Fred Hutch receive health care awards

Recently employees from both Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) were recognized with industry awards for being leading innovators in health care.

13 Mar 2013

Health law challenges leave some Democrats complaining -- in public, even

Some challenges associated with implementing the health law have some Democrats complaining about the law in public -- something once unthinkable.

13 Mar 2013

Japan provides $2.6M to UNICEF to aid Pakistan's polio eradication program

"The Government of Japan has extended a grant of 226 million Japanese Yen (approximately US$2.62 million) to Pakistan through UNICEF for supporting the polio eradication program in Pakistan," Agence France-Presse/Dawn.com reports.

13 Mar 2013

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement: an interview with Judit Rius, Médecins Sans Frontières

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade deal currently being negotiated between eleven countries of the Asia-Pacific region: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, United States, Singapore and Vietnam.

12 Mar 2013