Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

U-M's epilepsy surgery could successfully treat patients with seizures

John Ligerakis was told he had to learn to live with seizures that had made it challenging for him to work or drive a car. A young professional just starting his career, Ligerakis was devastated about what his future might bring.

17 Aug 2011

FDA clears Inhibikase IkT-001 Phase II trial to treat JCV infection in multiple sclerosis patients

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc., an emerging leader in infectious disease, announced today that it has received FDA clearance to commence a Phase II proof-of-concept trial for its lead compound IkT-001. IkT-001, a host-directed kinase inhibitor, is intended to clear JC polyomavirus (JCV) infection, the causative agent of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML).

17 Aug 2011

Study finds broadest immune response from LAIV nasal spray vaccines for children

Children younger than 3 years old receive the same protective antibody response from the recommended two doses of licensed seasonal influenza vaccines regardless of whether the two doses are injected by needle, inhaled through a nasal spray or provided through one dose of each in any order, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

17 Aug 2011

PlusNews examines challenges to Burundi's PMTCT program

"A shortage of health facilities and health workers, frequent drug shortages and a weak government policy mean HIV-positive pregnant women in Burundi often give birth without taking any precautions to prevent transmission of the virus to their children," PlusNews reports.

16 Aug 2011

Gene therapy cocktail can treat inherited diseases with 'misfolded' proteins

In a kind of molecular gymnastics, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have devised a gene therapy cocktail that has the potential to treat some inherited diseases associated with "misfolded" proteins.

16 Aug 2011

Researchers identify oncoprotein that allows MCV virus to trigger Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) have identified the oncoprotein that allows a common and usually harmless virus to transform healthy cells into a rare but deadly skin cancer called Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

16 Aug 2011

Tel Aviv University scientists work to determine how H1N1 becomes pandemic

The last century has seen two major pandemics caused by the H1N1 virus - the Spanish Flu in 1918 and 2009's Swine Flu scare, which had thousands travelling with surgical masks and clamoring for vaccination. But scientists did not know what distinguished the Swine Flu from ordinary influenza in pigs or seasonal outbreaks in humans, giving it the power to travel extensively and infect large populations.

16 Aug 2011

New ‘cure-all’ antiviral method discovered

In a new development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, then kill those cells to terminate the infection.

15 Aug 2011

Kineta's next generation antiviral program receives $2.8 million NIH SBIR grant

Kineta, Inc. announced today its next generation antiviral program has received a 2.8 million dollar grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Awarded under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the prestigious phase two grant will provide on-going support for Kineta's work on a new class of antiviral drugs targeting an array of global, deadly viruses.

12 Aug 2011

Plant scientists reveal genetic mechanism that enables viral organisms to cause diseases

CSIRO plant scientists have shed light on a problem that has puzzled researchers since the first virus was discovered in 1892 - how exactly do they cause disease? In a major breakthrough that helps us better understand how viruses cause diseases in plants - and potentially in animals and humans - Dr Ming-Bo Wang and Neil Smith of CSIRO Plant Industry have revealed a genetic mechanism that enables viral organisms to infect hosts and cause diseases.

12 Aug 2011

WHO declares end to global swine flu pandemic

"The World Health Organization is declaring an end to the global swine flu pandemic," the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports.

12 Aug 2011

New technique can help develop HIV vaccines

Researchers have traced in detail how certain powerful HIV neutralizing antibodies evolve, a finding that generates vital clues to guide the design of a preventive HIV vaccine, according to a study appearing in Science Express this week.

12 Aug 2011

Ecological research on disease prevention and human biome

Public awareness about the role and interaction of microbes is essential for promoting human and environmental health, say scientists presenting research at the Ecological Society of America's (ESA) 96th Annual Meeting from August 7-12, 2011.

12 Aug 2011

PBS NewsHour examines use of Twitter to track disease spread

PBS NewsHour's blog "The Rundown" examines "a recent slate of independent studies" that assert "Twitter can accurately track the spread of a virus or disease - and do it much faster than traditional surveillance methods."

12 Aug 2011

DYCAST software predicts spread of mosquito-borne West Nile virus in California counties

A computerized epidemiological model of the spread of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus in 17 counties of California in 2005 successfully predicted where 81.6 percent of human cases of the disease would arise and defined high-risk areas where the risk of infection turned out to be 39 times higher than in low-risk areas, according to newly published research.

12 Aug 2011

New model for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

By isolating cells from patients' spinal tissue within a few days after death, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a new model of the paralyzing disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

12 Aug 2011

Aeras, OETC announce initiation of new TB vaccine Phase IIb trial in patients with HIV

Aeras and the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium (OETC) announce today the start of a Phase IIb proof-of-concept efficacy trial of a new investigational tuberculosis (TB) vaccine that involves people living with the human immunodeficiency virus.

11 Aug 2011

Once daily HIV ‘combo’ drug approved in U.S.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its approval to a once daily HIV treatment that combines Gilead Sciences Inc.'s drug Truvada with Johnson & Johnson's drug Edurant, Gilead said Wednesday.

11 Aug 2011

Winner Medical third quarter net sales increase 34% to $41.5 million

Winner Medical Group Inc., a leading manufacturer of medical dressings, medical disposables and non-woven fabric made from 100% natural PurCotton products in China, today reported consolidated financial results for the third quarter ended June 30, 2011.

10 Aug 2011

The graying of HIV and AIDS

At 57, Bill Nissley he still leads an active life - traveling, teaching tennis to budding young players, conversing in five languages with whomever he can find. But Nissley is growing older, and that in itself is astounding. The Santa Monica resident has coexisted with human immunodeficiency virus since testing positive in 1987, which led to him contracting acquired immune deficiency syndrome in 1998.

10 Aug 2011

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

U-M's epilepsy surgery could successfully treat patients with seizures

FDA clears Inhibikase IkT-001 Phase II trial to treat JCV infection in multiple sclerosis patients

Study finds broadest immune response from LAIV nasal spray vaccines for children

PlusNews examines challenges to Burundi's PMTCT program

Gene therapy cocktail can treat inherited diseases with 'misfolded' proteins

Researchers identify oncoprotein that allows MCV virus to trigger Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Tel Aviv University scientists work to determine how H1N1 becomes pandemic

New ‘cure-all’ antiviral method discovered

Kineta's next generation antiviral program receives $2.8 million NIH SBIR grant

Plant scientists reveal genetic mechanism that enables viral organisms to cause diseases

WHO declares end to global swine flu pandemic

New technique can help develop HIV vaccines

Ecological research on disease prevention and human biome

PBS NewsHour examines use of Twitter to track disease spread

DYCAST software predicts spread of mosquito-borne West Nile virus in California counties

New model for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Aeras, OETC announce initiation of new TB vaccine Phase IIb trial in patients with HIV

Once daily HIV ‘combo’ drug approved in U.S.

Winner Medical third quarter net sales increase 34% to $41.5 million

The graying of HIV and AIDS

Microplate-based assays in virology research eBook eBook

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting