Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Bacterial infections may contribute to far more cancers than previously thought, shows study

The Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced today the discovery that DnaK, a protein of the bacterium mycoplasma, interferes with the mycoplasma-infected cell's ability to respond to and repair DNA damage, a known origin of cancer.

5 Dec 2018

Study provides new understanding of rotavirus infections in newborns

Using a multidisciplinary approach, an international team of researchers from several institutions, including Baylor College of Medicine, reveals that complex interactions between sugars and the microbiome in human milk influence neonatal rotavirus infection.

28 Nov 2018

MERS virus that causes harmless cold in camels can be fatal for humans

What causes only a harmless cold in camels can be fatal for humans: an infection with the MERS virus. Since its discovery in 2012, the virus was detected in approximately 2,000 patients and 36 percent of them have not survived the severe lung disease known as MERS.

22 Nov 2018

Researchers develop model that predicts transmissibility of viral zoonoses

Researchers have developed a model that predicts which of the viruses that can jump from animals to people can also be transmitted from person to person--and are therefore possible sources of human diseases.

20 Nov 2018

Reducing cellular proliferation could help deplete HIV reservoir and lead to a functional cure

A majority of the HIV-infected cells that persist in HIV-infected individuals even during suppressive antiretroviral therapy originated from cellular proliferation, not viral replication, according to new research published in Nature Communications.

17 Nov 2018

UT Southwestern scientists selected to receive 2019 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards

Two UT Southwestern faculty members have been selected to receive 2019 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.

15 Nov 2018

Researchers discover possible path forward in preventing cancers tied to two viruses

Researchers from the University of Minnesota, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the University of Toronto have discovered a possible path forward in preventing the development of cancers tied to two viruses, including the virus that causes infectious mononucleosis--more commonly known as mono or the "kissing disease"--that infects millions of people around the globe each year.

12 Nov 2018

PPM1D gene confers a survival advantage to stem cells after chemotherapy

Chemotherapy has been associated with increased risk of leukemia years after the treatment, but what leads to that association is not clear.

2 Nov 2018

Monkeys infected with Zika virus points to a sylvatic transmission cycle

Zika virus has been detected in dead monkeys found in Brazil near São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, and Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

30 Oct 2018

Research reveals high stability of hepatitis B viruses

At room temperature, hepatitis B viruses (HBV) remain contagious for several weeks and they are even able to withstand temperatures of four degrees centigrade over the span of nine months.

30 Oct 2018

New method increases virus production in cells to generate more vectors for gene transfer

Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University have established a method to increase the released lentiviral particles produced by host cells, which will aid the use of the vectors for introducing foreign genes into cells

29 Oct 2018

Influenza virus can evolve resistance to experimental antiviral drug

The influenza virus can evolve resistance to an anti-flu drug currently in development for use in pandemics but only if there are multiple genetic mutations, a study has found.

25 Oct 2018

New vaccine strategy shows promise to protect chickens against serious respiratory disease

A new vaccine strategy could offer protection to millions of chickens threatened by a serious respiratory disease, research shows.

23 Oct 2018

Advanced breast cancer patients can benefit from immunotherapy-chemotherapy combination

Patients with an aggressive form of advanced breast cancer can benefit from immunotherapy when used in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment, according to the results of a large international Phase III clinical trial published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and led by a researcher at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

23 Oct 2018

New research projects aim to stop spread of African swine fever and prevent outbreak in the U.S.

African swine fever virus threatens to devastate the swine industry and is positioned to spread throughout Asia. The virus has spread throughout the Caucuses region of Eastern Europe and was reported in China in August. It recently was detected in wild boar in Belgium.

10 Oct 2018

Two-pronged approach represents potential strategy for targeting latent reservoir of HIV

With more than 35 million people worldwide living with the virus and nearly 2 million new cases each year, the human immunodeficiency virus remains a major global epidemic.

4 Oct 2018

Broadly neutralizing antibodies offer a new approach to treating HIV infection

A new generation of broadly neutralizing antibodies provides a novel approach to treating HIV infection.

28 Sep 2018

Scientist intends to fight pathogenic bacteria with viruses

Dr. Li Deng of Helmholtz Zentrum München has been awarded a Starting Grant of the European Research Council. The scientist intends to tackle antimicrobial resistance by fighting bacteria with their natural enemies - the viruses. The grant is endowed with nearly 1.5 million euros for five years.

21 Sep 2018

Studies explore biological mechanisms that may explain HIV post-treatment controllers

Most HIV patients need to take daily anti-retroviral therapy - if they suspend treatment, HIV will rebound within 3-4 weeks.

14 Sep 2018

Discovery provides new hope for anti-HIV vaccine

Researchers have discovered that the RNA genome of the HIV virus can influence the immune response generated, and thus influence human survival.

10 Sep 2018