Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers use quick screening method to identify, test promising anti-Ebola drugs

A quick screening method has been used for the first time in a standard open laboratory to identify and test promising anti-Ebola drugs. This approach increases the possibility of finding new therapies faster.

12 Jan 2016

New gene editing technique could hinder retinal degeneration in rats with inherited blindness

A new technique that has the potential to treat inherited diseases by removing genetic defects has been shown for the first time to hinder retinal degeneration in rats with a type of inherited blindness, according to a Cedars-Sinai study.

11 Jan 2016

Ebola health-care workers develop guidelines for treating children during future outbreaks

When the Ebola virus outbreak erupted in West Africa in 2014, children infected with the virus -- particularly those under age 5 -- faced overwhelming challenges. Not only was there a high death rate among young children infected with the disease, they often were isolated from their families, leaving them feeling distressed and without the intensive care they needed.

8 Jan 2016

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

The conclusion drawn from a recent study that insertion of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) into human DNA causes mutations leading to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was resoundingly rejected by leading researchers in the fields of gene therapy and molecular genetics.

7 Jan 2016

Discovery may pave way for more effective treatments for pandemics, seasonal flu

Scientists at Imperial College London have discovered how flu viruses 'hijack' cell machinery when they infect the body. The findings, published in the journal Nature, may pave the way for more effective antiviral treatments for pandemics and for seasonal flu, which infects over 800 million people worldwide every year.

7 Jan 2016

Scientists demonstrate workings of CCL2 mechanism that stimulates nerve regeneration

The peripheral nervous system is a vast network of nerves that exists primarily outside of brain and spinal cord and connects to the far reaches of the body. The very expanse of peripheral nerves makes them highly vulnerable to injuries such as blunt-force blows, cuts, and leg and arm fractures, as well as diseases that attack peripheral nerves such as diabetes, Charcot-Marie-Tooth, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

6 Jan 2016

Scripps biologist describes major advancement in flu vaccine research

Every fall, millions of people roll up their sleeves to get a flu shot. Up to 20 percent of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with flu complications each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While seasonal vaccines provide some protection, they are not always effective because the strains of influenza virus in the vaccine may not be well matched to the flu viruses circulating that year. So researchers are searching for a way to develop a more universal vaccine that would be effective against any variety of influenza.

5 Jan 2016

Study reveals promising mechanism for attacking Ebola virus

In late December, nearly two years after the epidemic began, the World Health Organization has declared the African country of Guinea to be free of Ebola virus infections. But, the race to find a cure and therapies to combat the disease are forging ahead as officials warn that inattention could lead to another epidemic.

5 Jan 2016

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

Minor variants of flu strains, which are not typically targeted in vaccines, carry a bigger viral punch than previously realized, a team of scientists has found. Its research, which examined samples from the 2009 flu pandemic in Hong Kong, shows that these minor strains are transmitted along with the major strains and can replicate and elude immunizations.

5 Jan 2016

UT Southwestern scientists use new gene-editing technique to prevent progression of DMD in young mice

Using a new gene-editing technique, a team of scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center stopped progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in young mice.

4 Jan 2016

Researchers successfully use CRISPR to treat adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers have used CRISPR to treat an adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This marks the first time that CRISPR has successfully treated a genetic disease inside a fully developed living mammal with a strategy that has the potential to be translated to human therapy.

4 Jan 2016

Study reports generation of new vaccine strains that appear effective against polio virus

While the goal of polio virus eradication is in sight, there are concerns about post-eradication manufacturing and stockpiling vaccine stores containing live virus that could escape and repopulate the environment. A study published on December 31st in PLOS Pathogens reports the generation of new vaccine strains that appear both effective and unable to cause disease after accidental or intended release.

4 Jan 2016

New study describes STING protein's role in potential suppression of colorectal cancer

A new study published today by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reports on a key finding about the immune system's response to tumor development following studies on colorectal cancer.

4 Jan 2016

Asthma in childhood may increase risk of shingles

Nearly 1 million incidences of herpes zoster, which is also known as shingles, occur every year in the U.S., with an estimated one-third of all adults affected by age 80. Despite its prevalence, particularly between ages 50 and 59, it is still unclear why some individuals will develop shingles, and others will not.

29 Dec 2015

Ebola virus and bats waging molecular battle for survival

Ebola virus and bats have been waging a molecular battle for survival that may have started at least 25 million years ago, according to a study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder) and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) that published online today in the journal eLife.

24 Dec 2015

Simplified mathematical model to study spread of dengue fever in urban areas

Mathematics is often implemented in healthcare and medical research. From health management to the bio-pharmaceutical fields, math modeling can be used to predict the spread of diseases, how to prevent epidemics and so much more.

24 Dec 2015

Single VRC01 antibody infusion could suppress HIV level in people not taking ART

A single infusion of a powerful antibody called VRC01 can suppress the level of HIV in the blood of infected people who are not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), scientists at the National Institutes of Health report in a paper published today.

24 Dec 2015

Hepatitis C virus linked to increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease

The hepatitis C virus may be associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the December 23, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Dec 2015

Immunogeneticist helps monitor immune responses in VRC01 phase 1 trial in HIV-infected individuals

Janardan Pandey, Ph.D., an immunogeneticist specializing in immunoglobulin GM genes at the Medical University of South Carolina, helped monitor for immune responses that could limit the effectiveness of the broadly neutralizing antibody VRC01 in a phase 1 trial of that antibody in HIV-infected individuals led by a team at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

24 Dec 2015

Study reveals factors that bolster altruistic behavioral intentions during Ebola outbreak

When the Ebola epidemic broke out in 2014, many people responded with fear and loathing, calling for travelers from West Africa to be quarantined, including health workers returning from Ebola-affected areas.

23 Dec 2015

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers use quick screening method to identify, test promising anti-Ebola drugs

New gene editing technique could hinder retinal degeneration in rats with inherited blindness

Ebola health-care workers develop guidelines for treating children during future outbreaks

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

Discovery may pave way for more effective treatments for pandemics, seasonal flu

Scientists demonstrate workings of CCL2 mechanism that stimulates nerve regeneration

Scripps biologist describes major advancement in flu vaccine research

Study reveals promising mechanism for attacking Ebola virus

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

UT Southwestern scientists use new gene-editing technique to prevent progression of DMD in young mice

Researchers successfully use CRISPR to treat adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Study reports generation of new vaccine strains that appear effective against polio virus

New study describes STING protein's role in potential suppression of colorectal cancer

Asthma in childhood may increase risk of shingles

Ebola virus and bats waging molecular battle for survival

Simplified mathematical model to study spread of dengue fever in urban areas

Single VRC01 antibody infusion could suppress HIV level in people not taking ART

Hepatitis C virus linked to increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease

Immunogeneticist helps monitor immune responses in VRC01 phase 1 trial in HIV-infected individuals

Study reveals factors that bolster altruistic behavioral intentions during Ebola outbreak

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