Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

First Edition: July 1, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about sleep deprived medical residents, decisions by Medicare officials on covering two expensive drugs and states struggling with budget cuts.

1 Jul 2011

Using American diplomacy to fight NTDs

In a PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases editorial, Peter Hotez of the Sabin Vaccine Institute outlines the diplomatic benefits of fighting NTDs in developing countries. He discusses why the State Department and USAID should be involved and outlines how they could work to expand NTD control.

1 Jul 2011

New book explores extraordinary progress against cancer

A new book looking at the extraordinary progress being made to fight cancer titled Why Millions Survive Cancer has been written by Dr Lauren Pecorino, Principal Lecturer in Cancer Biology at the University of Greenwich.

1 Jul 2011

Study identifies key virus-sensing mechanism necessary for successful immune response against HIV

Although our body's defense mechanisms are usually capable of detecting and destroying many types of pathogens, some viruses are able to evade the immune system and make us sick. In particular, "retroviruses," such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are notorious for eluding host immune defenses and causing disease.

1 Jul 2011

Positive final results from Medicago's H5N1 Avian Influenza VLP vaccine Phase II trial

Medicago Inc. a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and competitive vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today reported positive final results from a Phase II human clinical trial with its H5N1 Avian Influenza VLP vaccine candidate.

30 Jun 2011

Global malaria R&D funding has received sustained growth, report says

"Annual funding for research and development (R&D) in the fight against malaria has quadrupled over 16 years, generating the strongest pipeline of potential treatments in history, according to a report on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

30 Jun 2011

Recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines hold promise against infectious diseases

A powerful new class of therapeutics, known as recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines (RASV), holds great potential in the fight against fatal diseases including hepatitis B, tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever, AIDS and pneumonia.

30 Jun 2011

STSI joins JAX consortium to develop targeted cancer therapies

The Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) of San Diego, Calif., has joined a national consortium of research institutions headed by The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) that is building a library of primary human tumors with the goal of developing highly targeted cancer therapies.

30 Jun 2011

Vaccines may be given in food in the near future

Soon children could be vaccinated with bacteria mixed in milk and people in the developing world given unprecedented access to immunisations under a scheme proposed by an Australian Nobel laureate, Barry Marshall.

29 Jun 2011

Queensland authorities try to contain Hendra virus outbreak

The Queensland authorities have stepped up their efforts to contain an outbreak of the deadly Hendra virus on a farm near Beaudesert, south of Brisbane.

29 Jun 2011

Amorfix fiscal 2011 net loss decreases to $3,330,437

Amorfix Life Sciences, a product development company focused on diagnostics and therapeutics for misfolded protein diseases, today announced its operational and financial results for the year ended March 31, 2011, as well as financial results for the fourth quarter.

29 Jun 2011

GAO reports on government response to H1N1 pandemic

GAO on Monday published two reports on the government's response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

29 Jun 2011

Researchers discover herpes virus-associated disease in monkeys

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a naturally occurring disease in monkeys that is very much like multiple sclerosis in humans - a discovery that could have a major impact on efforts to understand the cause of multiple sclerosis.

29 Jun 2011

New concepts for how evolutionary change occurs

At a recent Kavli Futures Symposium, 19 experts from a diverse range of fields discussed the promise of using the lab to understand and exploit the evolution of organisms -- progress that may one day lead to new vaccines or other biotechnology products.

29 Jun 2011

Roundup: UMass students complain about insurance plan; Indiana stops paying for children's vaccines; Suit filed to stop Arizona Medicaid cuts

Student leaders at the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus say changes in the students' health insurance plan will unfairly hit hardest on women, low-income students, and those with mental illnesses.

29 Jun 2011

bioMD changes name to Allied Healthcare Group

bioMD Limited (ASX: BOD) today announced a change of corporate name to reflect the merger with Allied Medical Ltd earlier this month. The new Company will be called Allied Healthcare Group Ltd and trade under the ASX code AHZ.

28 Jun 2011

Tibotec, Gilead Sciences enter license agreement for new combination product of PREZISTA and cobicistat

Tibotec Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc., for the development and commercialization of a new once-daily single tablet fixed-dose antiretroviral combination product containing Tibotec's protease inhibitor PREZISTA® (darunavir) and Gilead's cobicistat, an investigational pharmacoenhancing or "boosting" agent.

28 Jun 2011

Merck, UPS extend logistics and distribution agreement

UPS and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the companies have significantly broadened their existing distribution and logistics agreement to include aspects of Merck's global supply chain around the world.

28 Jun 2011

TrialNet presents Diamyd Phase II study results on type 1 diabetes at ADA 2011

The American research consortium Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet presented their results of a Phase II study with the antigen-based diabetes therapy Diamyd yesterday, June 27, at the American Diabetes Association 71st Scientific Sessions (ADA) in San Diego, California, USA, after the closing of the stock market.

28 Jun 2011

Microbix renegotiates key terms of Hunan influenza vaccine joint venture

Microbix Biosystems Inc., a biotechnology company commercializing novel technologies for influenza vaccine manufacturing and biological products announced today that it is renegotiating key terms of the original joint venture agreement with their Joint Venture partner Hunan Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

28 Jun 2011