Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Common allergens that may cause contact dermatitis

Itchy irritated skin can leave some people scratching their heads trying to determine the cause of this bothersome condition. What did they touch? Is it just dry skin gone awry? Are they allergic to something in their home or workplace? The answers to these questions could require not only a little detective work, but the help of a dermatologist who can diagnose and treat the most likely culprit - contact dermatitis.

5 Mar 2010

South West Liver Unit researchers receive grants for developing Hepatitis C vaccine

Researchers at the South West Liver Unit, based at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and supported by the Peninsula Medical School, are working to save more lives and improve the health of Hepatitis C sufferers around the world by developing a vaccine for the disease.

5 Mar 2010

Chikungunya: Experimental vaccine successfully tested in monkeys

Imagine a mosquito-borne virus that has already infected millions of people in recent outbreaks in South and Southeast Asia, the islands of the Indian Ocean, Africa and northern Italy. Although seldom fatal, it causes highly painful arthritis-like symptoms that can linger for months or even years. It's capable of adapting to spread through a mosquito species common in much of North America. And no vaccine or treatment exists to protect humans from its effects.

5 Mar 2010

Risk of MS increases by many folds following infection with EBV: Study

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

5 Mar 2010

Argos Therapeutics' AGS-004 immunotherapy for HIV demonstrates clinical and commercial potential

Argos Therapeutics today announced the publication of a manuscript in the February edition of Clinical Immunology, detailing positive immune response, safety and manufacturing data for its AGS-004 immunotherapy for HIV. AGS-004 is a product of the Company’s Arcelis™ technology, and is a personalized, RNA-loaded dendritic cell-based immunotherapy that is perfectly matched to each patient’s unique HIV viral burden. The manuscript details a clinical study in which AGS-004 was evaluated in type-1 HIV-infected adults who were being treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART).

5 Mar 2010

Isotechnika Pharma receives grant of $237,069 to support NICAM program

Isotechnika Pharma Inc. today announced that it has received funding approval from the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) for its Non-Immunosuppressive Cyclosporin Analog Molecules (NICAM) program.

5 Mar 2010

BioVex commences dosing in Phase 1 study of ImmunoVEX live attenuated genital herpes vaccine

BioVex Inc, a private biotechnology company developing new generation biologics for the treatment of cancer and prevention of infectious disease, announced today that the first subject had been dosed in the Phase 1 study of its live attenuated genital herpes vaccine, ImmunoVEXHSV2. The Phase 1 study is an open label ascending dose trial, assessing safety and immune response in healthy volunteers. The study is taking place in the UK at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and will involve up to 42 already identified subjects.

4 Mar 2010

Mosaic vaccines show promise in reducing HIV spread

Two teams of researchers-including Los Alamos National Laboratory theoretical biologists Bette Korber, Will Fischer, Sydeaka Watson, and James Szinger-have announced an HIV vaccination strategy that has been shown to expand the breadth and depth of immune responses in rhesus monkeys. Rhesus monkeys provide the best animal model currently available for testing HIV vaccines.

4 Mar 2010

Abbott enters into agreement with GSK to develop molecular diagnostic test for skin cancer treatment

Abbott announced today that it has entered into an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop a molecular diagnostic test intended for use as an aid in selecting patients who may benefit from a skin cancer treatment in development by GSK.

4 Mar 2010

Elsevier releases special issue to mark the 25th anniversary of antiretroviral drug development

Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, released a special issue of the journal Antiviral Research (www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01663542), marking the 25th anniversary of antiretroviral drug development.

4 Mar 2010

Cornell researchers find new protein that may help control mosquitoes from spreading diseases

Cornell researchers have found a protein that may lead to a new way to control mosquitoes that spread dengue fever, yellow fever and other diseases when they feed on humans: Prevent them from urinating as they feed on blood.

4 Mar 2010

Gene therapy for LCA clears another hurdle: Study

Gene therapy for a severe inherited blindness, which produced dramatic improvements last year in 12 children and young adults who received the treatment in a clinical trial, has cleared another hurdle. The same research team that conducted the human trial now reports that a study in animals has shown that a second injection of genes into the opposite, previously untreated eye is safe and effective, with no signs of interference from unwanted immune reactions following the earlier injection.

4 Mar 2010

Belatacept drug can prevent graft rejection in kidney transplant recipients

The experimental drug belatacept can prevent graft rejection in kidney transplant recipients while better preserving kidney function when compared with standard immunosuppressive drugs, data from two international phase III clinical trials show.

4 Mar 2010

Study indicates ocular shingles may increase stroke risk

Having a shingles infection that affects the eyes may increase the risk of stroke, according to new research published in the March 3, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Mar 2010

Vaccine researchers at HZI find c-di-IMP molecule, more effective than known adjuvants

The adjuvants present in vaccines have a bad reputation. For most people, they are only unnecessary compounds within a medicinal product. This is a misunderstanding since adjuvants have a critical impact on the success of a vaccination. In the best case scenario, one single vaccination shot would be now sufficient for conferring life-long protection.

3 Mar 2010

Genetic Immunity to present data on DermaVir for HIV/AIDS at DNA Vaccines 2010

Genetic Immunity, a US/Hungarian biopharmaceutical company developing nanomedicine vaccines, will present data at this week’s DNA Vaccines 2010 in New Orleans, LA concerning the formulation and topical administration of the DermaVir therapeutic vaccine for HIV/AIDS. DNA Vaccine 2010 invites leading scientists to report on the latest research in the progressive field of DNA or Genetic Vaccines.

3 Mar 2010

Merck announces updated late-stage pipeline following its recent merger with Schering-Plough

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced its updated, newly integrated, late-stage pipeline following its recent merger with Schering-Plough. The new pipeline features a broad and diversified portfolio of investigational medicines and vaccines, including more than 20 candidates in Phase III or under regulatory review, and more than 20 candidates in Phase II of development.

3 Mar 2010

Enanta Pharmaceuticals nominates EDP-239 lead development candidate from NS5A HCV inhibitor program

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the nomination of lead development candidate, EDP-239, from its NS5A hepatitis C virus (HCV) inhibitor program. EDP-239 has demonstrated picomolar potency against multiple genotypes of the virus and a preclinical pharmacokinetic profile amenable to once-a-day dosing.

3 Mar 2010

Ichor, Profectus announce agreement for clinical development of DNA vaccine programs

Ichor Medical Systems (Ichor) and Profectus Biosciences (Profectus) announced today that they have entered into a long-term development, license, and supply Agreement providing Profectus with commercial access to Ichor’s TriGrid™ Delivery System (TriGrid™) for the clinical development of its DNA vaccine programs, with an option for Ichor to co-develop.

3 Mar 2010

HIV, NCDs impact achievement of MDGs, study says

Unequal progress in achieving U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for tuberculosis and child mortality in low-income countries is related to the countries' burdens of HIV and non-communicable diseases (NCD), according to a study published Tuesday in the journal PLoS Medicine, Reuters reports (Kelland, 3/2).

3 Mar 2010

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Common allergens that may cause contact dermatitis

South West Liver Unit researchers receive grants for developing Hepatitis C vaccine

Chikungunya: Experimental vaccine successfully tested in monkeys

Risk of MS increases by many folds following infection with EBV: Study

Argos Therapeutics' AGS-004 immunotherapy for HIV demonstrates clinical and commercial potential

Isotechnika Pharma receives grant of $237,069 to support NICAM program

BioVex commences dosing in Phase 1 study of ImmunoVEX live attenuated genital herpes vaccine

Mosaic vaccines show promise in reducing HIV spread

Abbott enters into agreement with GSK to develop molecular diagnostic test for skin cancer treatment

Elsevier releases special issue to mark the 25th anniversary of antiretroviral drug development

Cornell researchers find new protein that may help control mosquitoes from spreading diseases

Gene therapy for LCA clears another hurdle: Study

Belatacept drug can prevent graft rejection in kidney transplant recipients

Study indicates ocular shingles may increase stroke risk

Vaccine researchers at HZI find c-di-IMP molecule, more effective than known adjuvants

Genetic Immunity to present data on DermaVir for HIV/AIDS at DNA Vaccines 2010

Merck announces updated late-stage pipeline following its recent merger with Schering-Plough

Enanta Pharmaceuticals nominates EDP-239 lead development candidate from NS5A HCV inhibitor program

Ichor, Profectus announce agreement for clinical development of DNA vaccine programs

HIV, NCDs impact achievement of MDGs, study says

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