Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Microparticles show potential to deliver DNA-based vaccines and gene therapies in pill form

A microscopic corn-and-shrimp cocktail could eventually make DNA-based vaccinations and cancer-treating gene therapies an easier pill to swallow, according to new research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

12 Apr 2017

TSRI scientists find new way to make cell population resistant to HIV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a way to tether HIV-fighting antibodies to immune cells, creating a cell population resistant to the virus.

11 Apr 2017

Guidelines for disposal of liquid waste from Ebola patients could put sewer workers at risk

Research from Drexel University and the University of Pittsburgh suggests that guidelines for safe disposal of liquid waste from patients being treated for the Ebola virus might not go far enough to protect water treatment workers from being exposed.

11 Apr 2017

Scientists solve structure of protein crucial to reproduction and spread of Zika virus

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne infectious disease linked to certain birth defects in infants in South and Central America and the United States.

11 Apr 2017

New transgenic mouse could help monitor potential dangers of emerging influenza viruses

Researchers in Germany have developed a transgenic mouse that could help scientists identify new influenza virus strains with the potential to cause a global pandemic.

10 Apr 2017

Scientists shed light on evolutionary arms race between CMV and immune system

Imaging CoE scientists have solved a 40-year old mystery and shed light on an evolutionary arms race played out between cytomegalovirus (CMV) and the immune system.

10 Apr 2017

Viral trigger may underlie development of celiac disease

Reovirus, which commonly infects humans without causing any symptoms, may trigger an immune response to gluten that causes celiac disease, report US researchers.

10 Apr 2017

Microbiologists accurately predict evolution of HIV surface proteins using financial math models

What do particle diffusion in liquids and stock price prediction have to do with building a better HIV vaccine? According to University of Iowa microbiologist Hillel Haim, you can apply concepts from the first two to predict the evolution of HIV surface proteins, information that can then be used to design better vaccines.

7 Apr 2017

Immunologists discover how rescue proteins delay ‘executioner’ machinery that kills damaged cells

A research team led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital immunologists has discovered how a set of proteins delays the "executioner" machinery that kills damaged or infected cells in a process called necroptosis.

7 Apr 2017

FDA grants approval for two drugs to treat hepatitis C virus in children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved supplemental applications for Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) in children ages 12 to 17. Harvoni and Sovaldi were previously approved to treat HCV in adults.

7 Apr 2017

Two in every five people in the US carry Human Papilloma Virus

Latest estimates of the prevalence of the human papilloma virus (HPV) in the US were published this month. Among the adult population, genital HPV was identified in 45% of men and 40% of women. The prevalence of oral HPV was 11.5% among men and 3.3% among women.

7 Apr 2017

Infection with reovirus could be key initiating event for developing celiac disease, study suggests

Infection with reovirus, a common but otherwise harmless virus, can trigger the immune system response to gluten that leads to celiac disease, according to new research from the University of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

6 Apr 2017

Health officials increase prevention efforts to address serious threats of Zika virus

State and territorial health officials are redoubling prevention efforts to address the serious public health threats associated with Zika virus and to protect the health of mothers and babies.

6 Apr 2017

Researchers use modified AAV as ‘Trojan Horse’ for delivering genes to restore congenital deafness

There are more than 300 genetic defects that have been found to prevent the hair cells in the human inner ear, the sensory cells of the ear as it were, from working properly.

6 Apr 2017

Antibody treatment protects non-human primates against deadly Marburg and Ravn viruses

An antibody treatment successfully protected nonhuman primates against the deadly Marburg and Ravn viruses even when given five days after becoming infected, according to the latest findings of a collaborative team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., and Vanderbilt University. The findings are now available in Science Translational Medicine.

6 Apr 2017

Novel point-of-care testing strategy can speed up treatment for respiratory illnesses

Doctors and researchers in Southampton have developed a novel way of using a swab test which can rapidly diagnose flu and other viral infections in patients with severe respiratory conditions - resulting in shorter courses of antibiotics and less time in hospital.

5 Apr 2017

Experimental treatment cures Marburg and Ravn virus infection in animals

Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that an experimental treatment cured 100 percent of guinea pigs and rhesus monkeys in late stages of infection with lethal levels of Marburg and Ravn viruses, relatives of the Ebola virus.

5 Apr 2017

Researchers achieve new step towards treatment of myotubular myopathy using gene therapy

A team of researchers in France, led by Dr. Ana Buj-Bello (Genethon/Inserm) and teams at the University of Washington and Harvard Medical School in the United States, achieved a new step towards the treatment of myotubular myopathy by gene therapy.

5 Apr 2017

Zika-related birth defects reported by 1 in 10 US based pregnant women infected by the virus in 2016

The new Vital Signs report, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has reported that of 250 pregnant women confirmed with Zika infection in 2016, approximately 1 in 10 of them had a fetus or infant with virus-related birth defects. Thisreport is the first of its kind, to present an analysis from a sample of US women with a definite case of Zika infection during pregnancy.

5 Apr 2017

Number of HIV-positive cancer patients in the U.S. projected to decrease through 2030

As the population of people living with HIV in the United States ages, the burden of cancer for these patients is expected to shift away from cancers linked to AIDS and toward malignancies that affect the general population, according to a new study led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher.

5 Apr 2017

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Microparticles show potential to deliver DNA-based vaccines and gene therapies in pill form

TSRI scientists find new way to make cell population resistant to HIV

Guidelines for disposal of liquid waste from Ebola patients could put sewer workers at risk

Scientists solve structure of protein crucial to reproduction and spread of Zika virus

New transgenic mouse could help monitor potential dangers of emerging influenza viruses

Scientists shed light on evolutionary arms race between CMV and immune system

Viral trigger may underlie development of celiac disease

Microbiologists accurately predict evolution of HIV surface proteins using financial math models

Immunologists discover how rescue proteins delay ‘executioner’ machinery that kills damaged cells

FDA grants approval for two drugs to treat hepatitis C virus in children

Two in every five people in the US carry Human Papilloma Virus

Infection with reovirus could be key initiating event for developing celiac disease, study suggests

Health officials increase prevention efforts to address serious threats of Zika virus

Researchers use modified AAV as ‘Trojan Horse’ for delivering genes to restore congenital deafness

Antibody treatment protects non-human primates against deadly Marburg and Ravn viruses

Novel point-of-care testing strategy can speed up treatment for respiratory illnesses

Experimental treatment cures Marburg and Ravn virus infection in animals

Researchers achieve new step towards treatment of myotubular myopathy using gene therapy

Zika-related birth defects reported by 1 in 10 US based pregnant women infected by the virus in 2016

Number of HIV-positive cancer patients in the U.S. projected to decrease through 2030

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