Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Some strains of avian H7N9 influenza develop resistance to antiviral drugs

Some strains of the avian H7N9 influenza that emerged in China this year have developed resistance to the only antiviral drugs available to treat the infection, but testing for antiviral resistance can give misleading results, helping hasten the spread of resistant strains.

17 Jul 2013

Obama issues executive order to step up federal coordination of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS

President Barack Obama's executive order said a working group chaired by Office of National AIDS Policy Director Grant Colfax and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius would have 180 days to deliver its recommendations.

16 Jul 2013

Researchers identify genes that allow animal hepatitis E virus strains to infect humans

X.J. Meng, a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech and a virologist at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, has received a four-year, nearly $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to better understand the genetic elements that allow hepatitis E virus to transfer from animals to people.

16 Jul 2013

Researchers distinguish viral and bacterial infections in children with fever

In children with fever but no other symptoms of illness, it is difficult to know whether a child has a viral infection that will resolve on its own or a potentially serious bacterial infection that requires antibiotics.

16 Jul 2013

'Defanged' HIV used to deliver gene therapy

Researchers are having success using a "defanged" version of HIV to deliver gene therapy to children suffering from genetic diseases, a development that could improve other such care.

15 Jul 2013

UC Riverside study finds that married men are less likely to die of HIV/AIDS

At the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s men who were married were significantly less likely to die of HIV/AIDS than their divorced or otherwise single counterparts, according to a University of California, Riverside analysis of new mortality data for that era.

15 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 12, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including articles on data tracking of doctors and comparing the rollout of the Medicare Part D drug plans to implementation of the federal health law.

12 Jul 2013

Novel therapeutic approach prevents dengue virus replication by artificial microRNAs

Mosquito-borne dengue viruses cause an estimated 50 million cases of human dengue fever a year and are a significant public health threat worldwide. A novel therapeutic approach prevents dengue virus from reproducing in humans by targeting and silencing key regions of the dengue genome essential for viral replication.

12 Jul 2013

General DNA sequencing can reveal previously undetectable viruses

There are 170 established HPV types. Cancerous human papillomavirus (HPV) viruses are the main cause of cervical cancer, and are found in close to 100% of cervical tumors.

12 Jul 2013

Scientists evaluate past outbreaks and pandemic potential of H7 subtype influenza viruses

The emergence of a novel H7N9 avian influenza virus in humans in China has raised questions about its pandemic potential as well as that of related influenza viruses.

12 Jul 2013

Hydrogel method form synthetic scaffolds to support formation of blood vessels in engineered tissues

Next-generation hydrogels can form synthetic scaffolds to support the formation of replacement tissues and organs in the emerging area of regenerative medicine. Embedding peptides into the hydrogels stimulates the growth of essential microvascular networks to ensure a good blood supply.

12 Jul 2013

H7 influenza may spillover repeatedly into humans, say scientists

The H7N9 avian flu strain that emerged in China earlier this year has subsided for now, but it would be a mistake to be reassured by this apparent lull in infections. The virus has several highly unusual traits that paint a disquieting picture of a pathogen that may yet lead to a pandemic, according to lead scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

10 Jul 2013

UBC researchers develop vaccine to halt spread of West Nile Virus in birds

University of British Columbia researchers have developed a vaccine that may halt the spread of West Nile Virus among common and endangered bird species.

10 Jul 2013

McMaster University researchers identify three factors that influence pandemic influenza

Three waves of the deadliest influenza pandemic in history, known as the Spanish flu, hit England and Wales in 1918, just as World War 1 was coming to an end.

10 Jul 2013

Sorrento Therapeutics, BGN partner to develop therapeutic antibodies for Hepatitis C Virus

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and B.G. Negev Technologies and Applications Ltd., the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, have announced an option and license agreement to develop therapeutic products to treat Hepatitis C Virus.

10 Jul 2013

Age-old practice of annual screening exams for cervical cancer may be harmful than helpful

For decades, women between the ages of 21 and 69 were advised to get annual screening exams for cervical cancer. In 2009, however, accumulating scientific evidence led major guideline groups to agree on a new recommendation that women be screened less frequently: every three years rather than annually.

10 Jul 2013

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus currently unlikely to cause a pandemic, finds study

New estimates of the transmissibility of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in humans suggest that it does not yet have pandemic potential, according to research published in The Lancet.

9 Jul 2013

Young patient survives deadly virus with minimal neurological deficits

Rhode Island Hospital successfully treated a 21-year-old patient with severe neuroinvasive Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), minimizing neurological deficits and resulting in a very positive outcome. The findings from this treatment are published online in advance of print in the journal Neurocritical Care.

9 Jul 2013

Oklahoma Norman campus researchers receive OCAST grants for health research projects

Four University of Oklahoma Norman campus researchers were awarded OCAST grants for health research projects on subjects that range from the development of bone grafts using adult stem cells to the identification of genes to block parasite development in mosquitoes to new drug development pipelines to improvements in limb movement.

9 Jul 2013

ERC awards grants to boost research on vaccines

Vaccination has achieved huge success in controlling many devastating infectious diseases. However, there are still many such diseases, or 'pathogens', against which we cannot generate life-long protective immunity.

9 Jul 2013

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Some strains of avian H7N9 influenza develop resistance to antiviral drugs

Obama issues executive order to step up federal coordination of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS

Researchers identify genes that allow animal hepatitis E virus strains to infect humans

Researchers distinguish viral and bacterial infections in children with fever

'Defanged' HIV used to deliver gene therapy

UC Riverside study finds that married men are less likely to die of HIV/AIDS

First Edition: July 12, 2013

Novel therapeutic approach prevents dengue virus replication by artificial microRNAs

General DNA sequencing can reveal previously undetectable viruses

Scientists evaluate past outbreaks and pandemic potential of H7 subtype influenza viruses

Hydrogel method form synthetic scaffolds to support formation of blood vessels in engineered tissues

H7 influenza may spillover repeatedly into humans, say scientists

UBC researchers develop vaccine to halt spread of West Nile Virus in birds

McMaster University researchers identify three factors that influence pandemic influenza

Sorrento Therapeutics, BGN partner to develop therapeutic antibodies for Hepatitis C Virus

Age-old practice of annual screening exams for cervical cancer may be harmful than helpful

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus currently unlikely to cause a pandemic, finds study

Young patient survives deadly virus with minimal neurological deficits

Oklahoma Norman campus researchers receive OCAST grants for health research projects

ERC awards grants to boost research on vaccines

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