Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

HCV medications' side effects can now be replicated and observed in Petri dishes and test tubes

The adverse side effects of certain hepatitis C medications can now be replicated and observed in Petri dishes and test tubes, thanks to a research team led by Craig Cameron, the Paul Berg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State University.

17 Nov 2012

Vaccinating families could protect young babies against RSV infection

Research by the University of Warwick indicates that vaccinating families could protect young babies against a common winter virus which can be fatal for infants under six months.

16 Nov 2012

GigaScience announces publication of whole-genome sequencing and analysis of Wuzhishan Pig

The international open-access journal GigaScience announces the publication of the whole-genome sequencing and analysis of the Wuzhishan Pig, an extensively inbred, miniature pig, which can serve as an excellent model for human medical research.

16 Nov 2012

Number of polio cases worldwide reaches record low, but experts say challenges remain

"The number of polio cases worldwide reached a record low in 2012, giving experts confidence that the disease can finally be eradicated, according to presentations made at" the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in Atlanta on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports (11/13).

15 Nov 2012

Flu virus suppresses body's ability to defend against bacteria

When infected with influenza, the body becomes an easy target for bacteria. The flu virus alters the host's immune system and compromises its capacity to effectively fight off bacterial infections. Now, a team of immunologists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and cooperation partners has discovered that an immune system molecule called TLR7 is partly to blame. The molecule recognizes the viral genome - and then signals scavenger cells of the immune system to ingest fewer bacteria.

15 Nov 2012

Viruses to treat metastatic cancers

There exists a "type" of cancer that is common yet rarely discussed—metastatic cancer, or cancer that has spread from the part of the body where it originated (the primary tumor) to another (such as lungs, bones or liver). Although much research is being done to combat primary tumors, there still exists a crucial need to find a treatment that can be effective against metastatic cancer, or "mets." Could a virus be the answer that finally beats the mets?

15 Nov 2012

Potential diagnostic method to identify subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

For the first time, researchers have landed on a potential diagnostic method to identify at least a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a complex disorder with no known definitive cause or cure.

15 Nov 2012

Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses must be designated as emerging diagnoses

The Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses are commonly referred to as emerging diseases, but leading scientists say these life-threatening viruses have been around for centuries.

15 Nov 2012

NPR, GlobalPost examine polio in Nigeria

NPR's "Shots" blog reports on an update about the polio situation in Nigeria, published Thursday in the CDC's latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), writing, "Despite beefed-up efforts to vaccinate kids and a flood of new resources, ... there have been twice as many polio cases as last year, and a few communities, where kids chronically miss vaccines, are serving as 'sanctuaries' for the poliovirus, giving it a place to replicate and survive."

14 Nov 2012

Ligand Pharmaceuticals announces data from LG-7501 preclinical studies on HCV

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced that data from preclinical studies evaluating LG-7501 were featured in a poster presentation today at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston.

14 Nov 2012

Weight-based ribavirin undertreats African–American HCV patients

African–Americans with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infections have lower ribavirin plasma exposures than Caucasian Americans when treated with weight-based ribavirin plus peginterferon.

12 Nov 2012

Close contact at school led to mumps outbreak in Orthodox Jewish communities

A 2009 outbreak of mumps in the USA that primarily affected Orthodox Jewish teenage boys may have been perpetuated by close schooling conditions, say the authors of a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

9 Nov 2012

New intervention strategies needed to reach HIV-infected youth at birth

As youth infected at birth with HIV reach adolescence and young adulthood, a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases underscores the need to promote healthy behaviors as some of these young people become sexually active.

9 Nov 2012

Pevion launches Defensomes platform for broad spectrum immune enhancement

Pevion Biotech AG today announced the launch of a new program called Defensomes, a platform for broad spectrum immune enhancement via mechanisms of innate immunity. The proprietary technology is derived from a vaccine platform with a solid safety track record comprising more than 80 million doses applied to humans to date. Defensomes offer opportunities for a wide range of prophylactic and therapeutic indications, where boosting of the body's own natural defense is beneficial.

8 Nov 2012

HPV testing and cervical screening: an interview with Dr Rosa Legood

Human papillomavirus is a virus that is transmitted through sexual contact. In most cases the virus is transient and causes no harm, however in some cases it can go on to cause pre-cancer lesions and cervical cancer.

7 Nov 2012

Texas Biomed develops rapid, less expensive route to screen suitable tests for bioterror threats

Texas Biomedical Research Institute scientists in San Antonio have developed a faster, less expensive route to screen suitable tests for bioterror threats and accelerate the application of countermeasures.

7 Nov 2012

Alpha-herpesvirus axon-to-cell spread involves limited virion transmission

New research suggests that just one or two individual herpes virus particles attack a skin cell in the first stage of an outbreak, resulting in a bottleneck in which the infection may be vulnerable to medical treatment.

7 Nov 2012

WHO survey shows low knowledge level, acceptance of polio vaccine among Pashtun Pakistanis

"Polio will never be eradicated in Pakistan until a way is found to persuade poor Pashtuns to embrace the vaccine, according to a study released by the World Health Organization" in its November bulletin, the New York Times reports.

7 Nov 2012

SCYNEXIS announces results from SCY-635 Phase 2a study on HCV

SCYNEXIS, Inc. today announced that the results of a Phase 2a study of lead candidate SCY-635 for the treatment of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) will be the subject of an oral presentation at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), taking place from November 9-13 in Boston, Massachusetts.

7 Nov 2012

Gene silencing technology used to fight RSV and influenza

New hope has arrived for the fight against two deadly viral infections, RSV and influenza, as Griffith researchers prepare to develop a cutting-edge approach to treatment delivery.

6 Nov 2012

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

HCV medications' side effects can now be replicated and observed in Petri dishes and test tubes

Vaccinating families could protect young babies against RSV infection

GigaScience announces publication of whole-genome sequencing and analysis of Wuzhishan Pig

Number of polio cases worldwide reaches record low, but experts say challenges remain

Flu virus suppresses body's ability to defend against bacteria

Viruses to treat metastatic cancers

Potential diagnostic method to identify subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses must be designated as emerging diagnoses

NPR, GlobalPost examine polio in Nigeria

Ligand Pharmaceuticals announces data from LG-7501 preclinical studies on HCV

Weight-based ribavirin undertreats African–American HCV patients

Close contact at school led to mumps outbreak in Orthodox Jewish communities

New intervention strategies needed to reach HIV-infected youth at birth

Pevion launches Defensomes platform for broad spectrum immune enhancement

HPV testing and cervical screening: an interview with Dr Rosa Legood

Texas Biomed develops rapid, less expensive route to screen suitable tests for bioterror threats

Alpha-herpesvirus axon-to-cell spread involves limited virion transmission

WHO survey shows low knowledge level, acceptance of polio vaccine among Pashtun Pakistanis

SCYNEXIS announces results from SCY-635 Phase 2a study on HCV

Gene silencing technology used to fight RSV and influenza

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

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