Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Gene PNPLA3 offers potential therapeutic target in chronic hepatitis C liver damage

New research confirms that a variant on the patatin-like phospholipase-3 (PNPLA3) gene increases risk of steatosis and fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). The PNPLA3 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs 738409 may represent an important genetic predictor and potential therapeutic target in chronic HCV liver damage.

29 Jun 2011

Prototype small molecule drugs could suppress hepatitis C

Targeted multi-drug treatments for hepatitis C patients that could stop the virus in its tracks have come a step closer, thanks to researchers at the University of Leeds, UK.

29 Jun 2011

Combination therapies inhibiting P7 could prevent spread of HCV

British researchers have identified specific resistance mutations for two classes of p7 inhibitor, which may explain their lack of effectiveness in clinical trials combined with current standard of care.

29 Jun 2011

Researchers discover herpes virus-associated disease in monkeys

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a naturally occurring disease in monkeys that is very much like multiple sclerosis in humans - a discovery that could have a major impact on efforts to understand the cause of multiple sclerosis.

29 Jun 2011

454 Life Sciences launches new GS FLX+ System for high-throughput sequencing

454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, announced today the launch and immediate availability of the new GS FLX+ System, an instrument capable of generating extra-long sequencing reads up to 1,000 by in length.

28 Jun 2011

Tibotec, Gilead Sciences enter license agreement for new combination product of PREZISTA and cobicistat

Tibotec Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc., for the development and commercialization of a new once-daily single tablet fixed-dose antiretroviral combination product containing Tibotec's protease inhibitor PREZISTA® (darunavir) and Gilead's cobicistat, an investigational pharmacoenhancing or "boosting" agent.

28 Jun 2011

Australian Nobel Prize winner closer to delivering vaccines in food after positive first study in humans

The Australian scientist who won a Nobel Prize for identifying a cancer-causing stomach bacterium, today said a clinical trial had shown that some strains of the bacteria (Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori) were safe and well tolerated in humans.

27 Jun 2011

HIV drug linked to accelerated and early aging

New research published this Sunday reveals that a class of generic AIDS drugs often used to treat HIV in Africa and other poor regions can cause premature aging and lead to age-related illnesses such as heart disease and dementia.

27 Jun 2011

Researchers identify how sooty mangabeys survive SIV infection

Sooty mangabeys, a type of African monkey, have intrigued scientists for years because they can survive infection by SIV, a relative of HIV, and not succumb to AIDS.

27 Jun 2011

New 3D herpes infection model brings hope

Herpes infections on the lips, in the eyes or on the nose are painful, long-lasting and unpleasant. A new 3D herpes infection model brings hope: active ingredients and new treatments can be reliably tested with this model. Animal tests could soon be a thing of the past.

27 Jun 2011

In vivo genome editing restores hemostasis in mouse model of blood clotting disorder

Using an innovative gene therapy technique called genome editing that hones in on the precise location of mutated DNA, scientists have treated the blood clotting disorder hemophilia in mice.

27 Jun 2011

Promising results from MGH's BCG Phase I trial on type I diabetes

Promising results of the Phase I clinical trial of the generic drug BCG to treat advanced type I diabetes were announced today at the American Diabetes Association scientific sessions in San Diego.

27 Jun 2011

Researchers develop new way to search for RNA drug targets

By accounting for the floppy, fickle nature of RNA, researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Irvine have developed a new way to search for drugs that target this important molecule. Their work appears in the June 26 issue of Nature Chemical Biology.

27 Jun 2011

FDA approves second anti-HIV drug from Rutgers-Janssen collaboration

Two decades after Rutgers scientists began working with Paul Janssen, a legendary drug developer and founder of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutica, to create new and potent drugs to fight AIDS, the FDA has approved the second anti-HIV drug that came from this collaboration.

24 Jun 2011

Researchers identify novel viral sensor complex

Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival.

24 Jun 2011

ITG researchers uncover unexpected sex between two different parasites

What we anxiously fear in the influenza virus - a cross between two strains, resulting in a new variant we have no resistance against - has occurred in another pathogen, the Leishmania parasite. This was uncovered by researchers of the Institute of Tropical Medicine.

24 Jun 2011

AMT receives CHMP opinion on Glybera Marketing Authorisation Application

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, today announced that it has received an opinion on its Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) for Glybera as a potential therapy for Lipoprotein Lipase Deficiency.

24 Jun 2011

PNAS publishes Roche manuscript on generation of human bispecific IgG antibodies

The Roche manuscript: "Immunoglobulin Domain Crossover as a Generic Approach for the Production of Bispecific IgG Antibodies" has been published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

23 Jun 2011

Incivek-combination therapy increases chances of HCV patients achieving viral cure

The drug Incivek, when given in combination with two other medications, can dramatically increase the chances of people chronically infected with untreated genotype 1 hepatitis C virus achieving a viral cure. That's the finding of a study published in the June 23rd issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

23 Jun 2011

Telaprevir drug shows promise in curing hepatitis C infection

The drug telaprevir (Incivek) provides a dramatic improvement in the treatment of the most common form of hepatitis C infection, says an international team of investigators led by Dr. Ira M. Jacobson of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

23 Jun 2011

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Gene PNPLA3 offers potential therapeutic target in chronic hepatitis C liver damage

Prototype small molecule drugs could suppress hepatitis C

Combination therapies inhibiting P7 could prevent spread of HCV

Researchers discover herpes virus-associated disease in monkeys

454 Life Sciences launches new GS FLX+ System for high-throughput sequencing

Tibotec, Gilead Sciences enter license agreement for new combination product of PREZISTA and cobicistat

Australian Nobel Prize winner closer to delivering vaccines in food after positive first study in humans

HIV drug linked to accelerated and early aging

Researchers identify how sooty mangabeys survive SIV infection

New 3D herpes infection model brings hope

In vivo genome editing restores hemostasis in mouse model of blood clotting disorder

Promising results from MGH's BCG Phase I trial on type I diabetes

Researchers develop new way to search for RNA drug targets

FDA approves second anti-HIV drug from Rutgers-Janssen collaboration

Researchers identify novel viral sensor complex

ITG researchers uncover unexpected sex between two different parasites

AMT receives CHMP opinion on Glybera Marketing Authorisation Application

PNAS publishes Roche manuscript on generation of human bispecific IgG antibodies

Incivek-combination therapy increases chances of HCV patients achieving viral cure

Telaprevir drug shows promise in curing hepatitis C infection

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