Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers find gene signature profile for metastasis

A common signature of tiny, specific pieces of non-coding genetic material known as microRNAs (miRNAs) may be directly involved in the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

2 Jun 2008

New Imperial College centre to tackle respiratory infections

Think that colds and flu are easy to catch, hard to avoid and impossible to treat? That nobody ever dies of a cold? That's all wrong, say the medics and scientists at a new research centre which launches today (Monday 2 June).

1 Jun 2008

Self-assembled viruses

Viruses are true experts at importing genetic material into the cells of an infected organism. This trait is now being exploited for gene therapy, in which genes are brought into the cells of a patient to treat genetic diseases or genetic defects. Korean researchers have now made an artificial virus. As described in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they have been able to use it to transport both genes and drugs into the interior of cancer cells.

30 May 2008

Case involving HIV-positive man, saliva illustrates 'long way to go' in efforts to reduce stigma

"In the AIDS field, we often talk about how things were 20 years ago when widespread fear prevailed and knowledge of the virus was minimal," John Samuels -- administrative director of AIDS services at Beth Israel Medical Center -- writes in a New York Times letter to the editor written in response to a recent case involving an HIV-positive man who received a 35-year jail sentence for spitting into the mouth and eye of a Dallas police officer.

28 May 2008

University of Pennsylvania researcher to launch drug trial in Chinese province among IDUs

David Metzger, director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues plan to launch a trial in China among injection drug users to determine if a drug that reduces the craving for heroin also can reduce the spread of HIV through the sharing of contaminated needles, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

28 May 2008

Risk factors for spread of HIV in Afghanistan high, Health Ministry says

Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is relatively low in Afghanistan, the country's Ministry of Public Health recently said that the potential risk factors for the spread of the virus are high, Reuters reports.

28 May 2008

Why do Finnish children have type 1 diabetes and allergic symptoms approximately five times more often than children in Russian Karelia?

High living standards and the life style connected to them seem to promote the development of autoimmune diseases and allergic symptoms. This has lead to the assumption that the immune system begins to overreact to the organism's own structures or to exogenous non-infectious proteins, i.e. allergens, when it does not have to work hard enough to protect the individual from infections.

28 May 2008

New generation of insect repellents in the pipeline

The next generation of insect repellents could be in the pipeline with research from the U.S. suggesting seven possibilities.

27 May 2008

Warning about the danger of yet another bird flu virus

Scientists in the United States have identified a second H strain of bird flu that could cause a pandemic, they say the H5N1 strain of bird flu currently circulating the globe is not the only cause for concern.

27 May 2008

New treatments for viral and other diseases by blocking genes

The elusive goal of developing effective treatments for viral diseases such as AIDS and influenza has been brought closer by dramatic progress in the ability to interfere with viral genetic machinery. The stage was set for a coordinated European effort to accelerate research and stimulate development of new treatments against viral diseases at a recent research conference organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF).

26 May 2008

Intracellular antibody mops up mutant protein in Huntington's disease model

Scientists have created a tool for mopping up the clumps of mutant protein that drive neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease. Emory University researchers engineered a virus to make an intracellular antibody or "intrabody" against huntingtin, the protein whose mutant forms poison the brain cells of people with Huntington's.

26 May 2008

Miami Herald examines spread of HIV among IDUs in Florida

The Miami Herald on Thursday examined the spread of HIV among injection drug users in Florida. According to the Herald, needle-exchange programs are banned in the state, so some health workers distribute sterilization equipment in an effort to curb the spread of HIV and other bloodborne diseases.

25 May 2008

Scientists image a single HIV particle being born

A mapmaker and a mathematician may seem like an unlikely duo, but together they worked out a way to measure longitude - and kept millions of sailors from getting lost at sea. Now, another unlikely duo, a virologist and a biophysicist at Rockefeller University, is making history of its own.

25 May 2008

Concern over mystery of Bangladeshi baby with bird flu

A case of bird flu in a young child in Bangladesh has raised concern. According to the Bangladeshi health authorities a 16-month-old boy has been confirmed as the country's first human case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

25 May 2008

Link between HPV and cervical cancer

Scientists in the United States have carried out a review of research to determine the link between persistent HPV (human papillomavirus) infection and cervical cancer.

25 May 2008

The emerging role of infection in Alzheimer’s

A number of chronic diseases are in fact caused by one or more infectious agents. For example, stomach ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, chronic lung disease in newborns and chronic asthma in adults are both caused by Mycoplasmas and Chlamydia pneumonia, while some other pathogens have been associated with atherosclerosis. The realization that pathogens can produce slowly progressive chronic diseases has opened new lines of research into Alzheimer's disease.

25 May 2008

Scientists back the use of maize as an efficient 'factory' for protein-based pharmaceutical products

Scientists from the Universidad de Lleida (University of Lleida) have published a study confirming that maize seeds are an effective and sure platform within molecular agriculture to alleviate diseases. Over the next few years AIDS could be one of the first diseases to benefit from these results, although regulations for this technology are being developed at the same time as research is being undertaken.

25 May 2008

HIV patients suffer more from osteoporosis

Following the introduction of HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy), the survival and quality of life for people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) have increased in the resource-rich countries. However, with this improved prognosis an increase in long term negative disorders has been observed, namely osteoporosis (the gradual loss of bone mass).

25 May 2008

$50 billion needed for global AIDS control

As Congress considers the renewal of PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the successful US global AIDS program, over the coming weeks, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) President Michael Weinstein offers the following commentary regarding what is needed in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

25 May 2008

STARS AGAINST AIDS exhibit in Moscow aims to raise awareness, reduce HIV/AIDS-related stigma

A photography exhibit featuring 25 well-known women from Russia and Ukraine that aims to raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with HIV/AIDS opened Thursday in Moscow, the Moscow Times reports.

22 May 2008