Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

New light on many biological differences between individual breast cancers

New findings presented at Europe's leading breast cancer translational research conference this year shed new light on the many biological differences between individual breast cancers.

4 May 2012

One of the controversial avian flu studies published in full finally

After endless debates and controversies on whether two studies that demonstrated how bird flu, also known as avian H5N1 influenza, or avian flu, should be published, one of them has appeared in the latest issue of the journal Nature in its entirety. The two studies aimed for publication in journals Nature and Science show how the bird flu virus could become transmissible from mammal-to-mammal; as humans are mammals, the same would apply to humans.

4 May 2012

Reuters profiles GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley

Reuters profiles GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley, recounting his childhood and early career, providing a brief history of GAVI since its inception in 2000, and discussing Berkley's goals and vision for the alliance.

4 May 2012

Chagas disease especially harmful for expectant mothers; New, better treatments needed

"Chagas disease -- a parasitic infection transmitted through an insect commonly known as the 'kissing bug' -- is one of the most common infections among pregnant women in the Western Hemisphere," Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

4 May 2012

GenVec receives NIAID’s Phase I SBIR grant to support RSV vaccine program

GenVec, Inc. announced today that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the Company's Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine program.

4 May 2012

Emergent BioSolutions first quarter total revenues increase to $50.3M

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

4 May 2012

Europe becoming 'hotspot' for emerging infections, study suggests

"Europe is becoming a 'hotspot' for emerging infections as those typically confined to tropical climates are making their way north, according to research that links climate change to the global spread of disease," the Financial Times reports.

3 May 2012

Flu paper publication amidst threats of bioterrorism raises need for better rules of censorship

According to the editor of the scientific journal Nature, Dr Philip Campbell current procedures to assess and censor medical research potentially of use to terrorists need to be improved. He was speaking about the recent controversy regarding the bird flu virus H5N1 study. The study was initially stopped from publication fearing risk of bioterrorism. He was speaking to BBC News.

2 May 2012

New global strategy to reduce measles deaths and congenital rubella syndrome

Today, the partners leading efforts to control measles announce a new global strategy aimed at reducing measles deaths and congenital rubella syndrome to zero.

2 May 2012

Inovio's SynCon vaccine for cervical dysplasias and cancers granted U.S. patent

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 8,168,769, covering Inovio's SynCon vaccine for cervical dysplasias and cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

2 May 2012

Sanofi Pasteur announces new quadrivalent influenza vaccine Phase III pediatric data

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today new Phase III data for its investigational quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) in children 6 months through 8 years of age.

2 May 2012

Idera to present data from IMO-8400 preclinical studies on SLE, psoriasis at AAI meeting

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it will be presenting data from preclinical studies of its Toll-like receptor (TLR) inhibitor, IMO-8400, in models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and psoriasis, which suggest that IMO-8400 may be useful for the treatment of both indications.

2 May 2012

Some public health advocates disagree with Indian government's decision to roll out pentavalent vaccines, IPS reports

"Ignoring widespread concern over the safety, efficacy and cost of pentavalent vaccines" -- which provide protection against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) -- "India's central health ministry has, this month, approved inclusion of the prophylactic cocktail in the universal immunization program in seven of its provinces," Inter Press Service reports.

30 Apr 2012

U.S. government is largest funder of global health R&D, report shows

"The U.S. government is the largest funder of global health research and development [R&D] in the world, spending $12.7 billion over the past 10 years," according to a report (.pdf) released on Friday by the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) and Policy Cures, United Press International reports.

30 Apr 2012

Airborne drones could provide innovative method of delivering food, medicines

In a Foreign Policy opinion piece, former U.S. Ambassador Jack Chow, who served as a special representative for HIV/AIDS under former Secretary of State Colin Powell and currently is a professor at Carnegie Mellon's Heinz College of Public Policy, examines the challenges of delivering humanitarian aid and how "[t]he technological versatility of airborne drones, the flying robots that are already transforming warfare, ... has the potential to revolutionize how humanitarian aid is delivered worldwide."

30 Apr 2012

Mount Sinai experts to share skin cancer prevention tips on May 7

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with one in five Americans developing it over the course of their lives. It's also one of the most preventable types of cancers. Since May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and Melanoma Monday is May 7, Mount Sinai experts are sharing tips on prevention and insight on the new FDA labeling requirements on sunscreen.

30 Apr 2012

Five U.S. federal agencies provide significant contributions each year to global health R&D

A new report that the United States government is the largest funder of global health research and development (R&D) in the world, investing $12.7 billion over the past 10 years in the creation of new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other products for neglected diseases of the developing world. That funding, according to the report, helped lead to the development of more than half of the 45 new health products in the last decade that have been used to save lives around the world.

30 Apr 2012

Researchers use Moffitt's Total Cancer Care to create designer lymph nodes

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center are in the first phase of creating "designer lymph nodes." Designer lymph nodes are built with specialized gene-modified cells that are injected into patients and produce a pre-planned immunologic response for cancer patients locally and then throughout their bodies. The researchers are examining a cancer vaccine "boosting" effect of the manufactured lymph nodes in patients with advanced melanoma.

30 Apr 2012

Cellon introduces PharmaTainer sterile single-use containers

Cellon, specializing in providing products and services to the vaccine production and bioprocessing industries, announced today the launch of PharmaTainer sterile single-use containers for storage, freezing, and manipulation of biological solutions.

30 Apr 2012

World must extend access to life-saving vaccines to all children

"For too long, there has been an unwritten rule that it can take 15 years or more before children in the poorest nations benefit from new life-saving vaccines in use in rich countries," Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance, writes in this post in the Independent's "Notebook" blog.

27 Apr 2012