Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

New tuberculosis vaccine provides better protection

Nele Festjens and Nico Callewaert of VIB and Ghent University have improved the efficacy of the vaccine for tuberculosis. The new vaccine affords - as already proven in mice - better protection against the disease. The development of a new tuberculosis vaccine is a priority in the fight against the disease which claims the lives of 1.7 million people each year. The current vaccine provides only partial protection.

19 Feb 2011

U.S. scientists assess progress of dengue vaccine at 3-day summit in Puerto Rico

During a meeting in Puerto Rico on Thursday to discuss recent progress towards fighting dengue, researchers voiced optimism over advances in the development of vaccines to prevent the spread of the virus, "which kills 25,000 people every year," Agence France-Presse reports. The three-day summit was hosted by the NIH, CDC and PAHO, according to the news service.

19 Feb 2011

USPTO issues two patents to VIRxSYS SMaRT RNA platform technology

VIRxSYS Corporation, a privately-held biotechnology company with proprietary RNA payload and lentiviral vector delivery platform technologies, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the Company two patents for its SMaRT RNA platform technology, capable of reprogramming or repairing genes to create, increase or change protein expression.

18 Feb 2011

Rotary club plans variety of awareness and fundraising activities to eradicate polio

What do Italy's Trevi Fountain, India's Charminar monument, and the New York Stock Exchange building have in common? Each of these iconic landmarks will provide a dramatic backdrop for an equally dramatic message: End Polio Now. Those three words – representing Rotary's pledge to rid the world of this crippling childhood disease -- will be projected onto each structure during the week surrounding Feb. 23, the humanitarian service organization's 106th anniversary.

18 Feb 2011

Report finds neglected diseases research funding up in 2009, funding for related non-profits down

"A rise in global funding for research into neglected diseases needs to be matched by a continued focus on delivering practical new ways to curb sickness in the developing world," according to the third annual report by the Global Funding of Innovation for Neglected Diseases released on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

18 Feb 2011

1000th clinical trial added to Cancer Research UK's patient information website

Cancer Research UK has added the 1000th clinical trial to its award winning patient information website, CancerHelp UK, on the 10th anniversary of the launch of its clinical trials database today.

17 Feb 2011

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

Metallic copper surfaces kill microbes on contact, decimating their populations, according to a paper in the February 2011 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. They do so literally in minutes, by causing massive membrane damage after about a minute's exposure, says the study's corresponding author, Gregor Grass of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. This is the first study to demonstrate this mechanism of bacteriocide.

17 Feb 2011

Researchers develop new pneumococcal vaccine through novel discovery approach

Pneumococcus accounts for as much as 11 percent of mortality in young children worldwide. While successful vaccines like Prevnar exist, they are expensive and only work against specific pneumococcal strains, with the risk of becoming less effective as new strains emerge.

17 Feb 2011

Deactivation of CRTC1 protein increases lifespan

Substantial evidence suggests that lifespan is increased if an organism restricts its daily calorie intake, a spartan regime that some say works by just making life seem longer. A team of scientists from the Salk Institute of Biological Studies has discovered a molecular switch flipped by hunger that could not only make longevity more appetizing but identify drug targets for patients with aging-related diseases such as type II diabetes or cancer.

17 Feb 2011

USAID Administrator discusses global health programs at NIH event

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah on Tuesday delivered a speech at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where he reaffirmed President Barack Obama's commitment to the 6-year $63 billion Global Health Initiative (GHI) and discussed the USAID's role in bolstering U.S. global health programs, CIDRAP News reports. During his speech, Shah emphasized the administration's focus on structuring global health programs to be more cost efficient.

17 Feb 2011

HHS unveils new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of immunization activities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled a new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of all aspects of federal vaccine and immunization activities. Its goal is to ensure that all Americans can access the preventive benefits of vaccines.

17 Feb 2011

Upcoming Bangladeshi mass cholera vaccine program might shed light on strategy effectiveness

TIME reports on an oral cholera vaccination program to kick off on Thursday in Bangladesh that researchers hope will determine how good of a "weapon" the mass vaccination strategy can be "against an old disease".

17 Feb 2011

New fully human monoclonal antibodies to battle Chikungunya

The Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), an institute of the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and VIVALIS, a French biopharmaceutical company, announced today the discovery of two new fully human monoclonal antibodies which could battle Chikungunya, a disease that currently has no available vaccine or specific treatment.

16 Feb 2011

Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Vical Incorporated announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,888,112 covering DNA vaccines for cytomegalovirus containing specific gene sequences and formulated with Vical's Vaxfectin adjuvant.

16 Feb 2011

Flu vaccine update

This new vaccine which could become available in the United States in the next few years, is made by growing the influenza virus in cultures of animal cells rather than in the chicken eggs that have been used for more than five decades. This shortens the process by six months. Using animal cells, which are grown in enclosed steel tanks, also reduces the risk of bacterial contamination, which has led to shortages of seasonal vaccines in some years. The study was reported in The Lancet this Tuesday.

16 Feb 2011

Bioniche presentation focuses on implementing E. coli cattle vaccine to reduce risk of human infection

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, gave a presentation about its E. coli O157 cattle vaccine at the First International One Health Congress in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

16 Feb 2011

Also in global health news: Gates Foundation global health head to step down; drug, medical supply shortages in Gaza; food security in N. Korea

Tachi Yamada, president of the global health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Monday announced he would step down in June after five years serving in the position, the Associated Press/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

16 Feb 2011

GAVI chair calls for greater reductions in vaccine prices for developing countries

On Monday, the same day the GAVI Alliance helped oversee the roll out of a routine pneumococcal vaccine in Kenya, GAVI chairman Dagfinn Hoybraten highlighted the need for greater reductions in vaccine prices in developing countries during an interview with Reuters, the news service reports. The piece examines the funding mechanism in place to finance the pneumococcal vaccines, known as Advance Market Commitment (AMC), as well as the budget shortfall facing the group (Kelland, 2/14).

16 Feb 2011

New report examines impact of Affordable Care Act on national immunization policy

A new report issued by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzes the impact of Affordable Care Act on national immunization policy. The report examines a wide range of reforms that are aimed at strengthening immunization policy and practice.

16 Feb 2011

The Lancet publishes Baxter's PREFLUCEL phase III trial results against seasonal influenza

Baxter International Inc. announced today results of a study published in this week's issue of The Lancet that demonstrate effectiveness and tolerability of Baxter's PREFLUCEL in protecting against seasonal influenza.

From Baxter International Inc. 15 Feb 2011

Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

New tuberculosis vaccine provides better protection

U.S. scientists assess progress of dengue vaccine at 3-day summit in Puerto Rico

USPTO issues two patents to VIRxSYS SMaRT RNA platform technology

Rotary club plans variety of awareness and fundraising activities to eradicate polio

Report finds neglected diseases research funding up in 2009, funding for related non-profits down

1000th clinical trial added to Cancer Research UK's patient information website

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

Researchers develop new pneumococcal vaccine through novel discovery approach

Deactivation of CRTC1 protein increases lifespan

USAID Administrator discusses global health programs at NIH event

HHS unveils new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of immunization activities

Upcoming Bangladeshi mass cholera vaccine program might shed light on strategy effectiveness

New fully human monoclonal antibodies to battle Chikungunya

Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Flu vaccine update

Bioniche presentation focuses on implementing E. coli cattle vaccine to reduce risk of human infection

Also in global health news: Gates Foundation global health head to step down; drug, medical supply shortages in Gaza; food security in N. Korea

GAVI chair calls for greater reductions in vaccine prices for developing countries

New report examines impact of Affordable Care Act on national immunization policy

The Lancet publishes Baxter's PREFLUCEL phase III trial results against seasonal influenza

Event guide: 3rd mRNA Process Development & Manufacturing Europe eBook

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

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Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Event guide: 3rd mRNA Process Development & Manufacturing Europe eBook

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Shaping the future of lab automation through AI and robotics

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