Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe in PREVAIL clinical trial in Liberia

Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe based on evaluation in more than 600 people in Liberia who participated in the first stage of the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL) Phase 2/3 clinical trial, according to interim findings from an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board review.

30 Mar 2015

NYUCD receives NIH grant to develop POC test to detect HIV antibodies and viral RNA

New York University College of Dentistry has received a sub-award in the amount of $335,000 from a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Institutes of Health to complete the development of a fully automated self-confirming assay that can simultaneously detect HIV/AIDS antibodies and viral RNA from the AIDS virus in a single specimen.

29 Mar 2015

Promising clinical trial results for ebola vaccines

Interim findings from a clinical trial (PREVAIL) in which two experimental Ebola vaccines were given to more than 600 people in Liberia indicate that the vaccines are safe for use in humans. Based on these positive results, the vaccines may continue into the next stage of clinical evaluation; a phase 3 trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

27 Mar 2015

New Ebola vaccine shows promise in first phase 1 clinical trial

Results from the first phase 1 trial of an Ebola vaccine based on the current (2014) strain of the virus are today published in The Lancet. Until now, all tested Ebola virus vaccines have been based on the virus strain from the Zaire outbreak in 1976. The results suggest that the new vaccine is safe, and provokes an immune response in recipients, although further long-term testing will be needed to establish whether it can protect against the Ebola virus.

27 Mar 2015

Guinean Government initiates first efficacy trial of Ebola vaccine in Basse-Guinée

The Guinean Government with the World Health Organization initiated the very first efficacy trial of an Ebola vaccine this week in an affected community of the Basse-Guinée, one of the areas where most Ebola cases are found in the country.

27 Mar 2015

Study: HBV exposure increases immune system maturation of infants

A Singapore led study has shown that Hepatitis B Virus Infection (HBV) exposure increases the immune system maturation of infants, which may give a better survival advantage to counteract bacterial infection during early life. These findings radically modify the way that HBV vertical infection of neonates (mother-to-child) is portrayed, and present a paradigm shift in the approach to treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B.

26 Mar 2015

Personalized gene therapy to fight against cancer

The fight to treat cancer and eradicate tumors will likely benefit from a new set of treatments if early development phases continue to show promise, according to Kalorama Information. The healthcare market research publisher stated that gene therapies that are able to deliver genetic material to a specific cell population or tumor that will result in the destruction of the tumor.

25 Mar 2015

CMV-based vaccine provides long-lasting protective immunity against Ebola virus

A cytomegalovirus (CMV)-based vaccine provides long-lasting protective immunity against Ebola virus, and has potential for development as a disseminating vaccine strategy to prevent ebolavirus infection of wild African ape populations.

25 Mar 2015

Norovirus vaccine may be available in the future

A multivalent candidate vaccine elicits broad antibody responses to a range of norovirus strains, including strains not included in the vaccine or previously encountered by participants, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine.

25 Mar 2015

Duke researchers develop new model to study why some HPV infections go away and others progress

For people infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV), the likelihood of clearing the infection and avoiding HPV-related cancer may depend less on the body's disease-fighting arsenal than has been generally assumed.

25 Mar 2015

Cepheid's Xpert Ebola diagnostic test granted FDA Emergency Use Authorization

Cepheid today announced it has received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for Xpert Ebola, a molecular diagnostic test for Ebola Zaire Virus that delivers results in less than two hours.

25 Mar 2015

Funding helps researchers to kiss MS goodbye

Murdoch University researchers have received funding to investigate the link between the Epstein-Barr virus infection, more commonly known as glandular fever or the ‘kissing disease’, and the debilitating disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

24 Mar 2015

Newly discovered bodily process may explain fetal brain bleeds

A newly discovered bodily process in mice may explain why some human fetuses who have different antigens than their mothers suffer life-threatening brain bleeds, according to a new study.

24 Mar 2015

Scientists identify key molecules that trigger immune system to fight tularemia

Research led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has identified key molecules that trigger the immune system to launch an attack on the bacterium that causes tularemia.

24 Mar 2015

Funding helps researchers to kiss Multiple Sclerosis (MS) goodbye

24 Mar 2015

Insect-borne diseases increase with warmer climate

Insects, such as mosquitoes and ticks, are responsible for transmitting a range of diseases, such as malaria, chikungunya, dengue fever, and West Nile virus. The risk of contracting such illnesses is generally only considered when booking an exotic holiday. However, experts from the Emergency Response Department at Public Health England have warned that climate change could allow such vector-borne diseases to emerge closer to home.

23 Mar 2015

Study reveals functional heterogeneity of CD4 T cells in immune systems

Utilizing a novel transgenic mouse model, Edward Usherwood, PhD of Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center and collaborators found that CD4 T cells divide into two different populations that each has a different job. One type performs antiviral functions, and the other survives life in the host.

23 Mar 2015

Globavir, BioManguinhos partner to jointly evaluate PanGlob RT-PCR Dengue diagnostic assay

Globavir Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company developing diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to treat infectious diseases, has announced a partnership with BioManguinhos, a division of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, for a joint evaluation of Globavir's PanGlob RT-PCR Dengue diagnostic assay.

23 Mar 2015

Pathogen may cause high levels of virulence in closely-related hosts

When viruses such as influenza and Ebola jump from one species to another, their ability to cause harm can change dramatically, but research from the University of Cambridge shows that it may be possible to predict the virus's virulence by looking at how deadly it is in closely-related species.

23 Mar 2015

Climate change could accelerate emergence of vector-borne diseases in UK

Climate change could accelerate the emergence of vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, and West Nile virus in the UK, warn leading public health experts Dr Jolyon Medlock and Professor Steve Leach from the Emergency Response Department at Public Health England, writing in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

23 Mar 2015