Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

One-shot vaccine passes key preclinical test in newborn monkey models

Newborns are highly vulnerable to infections and don't respond optimally to most vaccines because their young immune systems typically mount weak antibody responses.

24 Mar 2017

Researchers develop new way to assemble genome of an organism from scratch

A team spanning Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, Texas Children's Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has developed a new way to sequence genomes, which can assemble the genome of an organism, entirely from scratch, dramatically cheaper and faster.

24 Mar 2017

Majority of dengue virus infections appear to happen very close to home

The majority of dengue virus infections appear to happen very close to home and are transmitted from the same family of mosquitoes, suggests new research led by the University of Florida and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

24 Mar 2017

Researchers describe set of observable characteristics linked to congenital Zika syndrome

Even as the Zika virus becomes more prevalent — the Centers for Disease Control reports that the number of U.S. infants born with microcephaly and other birth defects is 20 times over the normal rate — researchers are still trying to fully pin down the identifying consequences of the viral infection.

24 Mar 2017

Researchers develop new flexible glass for microscopic medical devices

Brigham Young University researchers have developed new glass technology that could add a new level of flexibility to the microscopic world of medical devices.

24 Mar 2017

PSU research shows how viruses can undergo major mutations without losing ability to infect

Portland State University researchers have found that only about half the genes in a specific virus affecting single cell organisms is needed to infect a host. This means the virus can undergo major mutations without losing its ability to survive and infect.

23 Mar 2017

Statin drugs may offer treatment option for chronic liver disease

Statin drugs are widely used to manage high cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. But in a new review of more than 50 studies, researchers cite reductions in liver inflammation and improvements in other related factors as reasons why statins make good candidates for treating chronic liver disease.

23 Mar 2017

Penn researcher receives $16.3 million NIAID grant to develop long-sought-after HIV vaccine

Building on earlier work in designing chimeric human-simian immunodeficiency viruses (SHIVs) that serve as a model of HIV infection of humans, George M. Shaw, MD, PhD, a professor of Hematology/Oncology and Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received $16.3 million over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop a long-sought-after HIV vaccine.

22 Mar 2017

Review of research on wild primates underscores importance of super-spreaders in disease transmission

An extensive review of research on wild primate social networks and parasites underscores the importance of super-spreaders, or central individuals that play an outsized role in transmission of a pathogen.

21 Mar 2017

Treatment with interferon may ease symptoms of Ebola patients

A pilot study of a class of drugs used to treat hepatitis and some forms of multiple sclerosis has been shown for the first time to ease symptoms of Ebola patients, while also increasing their survival.

21 Mar 2017

Maternal infections during pregnancy may alter genes key to prenatal brain development

If a mother picks up an infection during pregnancy, her immune system will kick into action to clear the infection - but this self-defence mechanism may also have a small influence how her child's brain develops in the womb, in ways that are similar to how the brain develops in autism spectrum disorders.

21 Mar 2017

Sandia researchers develop smartphone-based device to rapidly detect mosquito-borne viruses

Add rapid, mobile testing for Zika and other viruses to the list of things that smartphone technology is making possible. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a smartphone-controlled, battery-operated diagnostic device that weighs under a pound, costs as little as $100 and can detect Zika, dengue and chikungunya within 30 minutes.

21 Mar 2017

Duke scientists use mathematical tools to track how microbial evolution unfolded

As the human species evolved over the last six million years, our resident microbes did the same, adapting to vastly different conditions on our skin and in our mouths, noses, genitalia and guts.

21 Mar 2017

Researchers estimate number of infants born in the U.S. with perinatal HIV infection

A new article published online by JAMA Pediatrics estimates there were 69 perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among infants born in the United States in 2013 (1.75 per 100,000 live births), down from an estimated 216 perinatal HIV infections among infants born in 2002 (5.37 per 100,000 live births).

20 Mar 2017

Study finds 18% increase in HIV treatment success rates

Researchers have been successful in increasing HIV treatment success rates by almost 18 percent.

20 Mar 2017

Resurgent outbreak of avian influenza underscores need for control efforts at animal source

A resurgent outbreak of a new strain of avian influenza that can be lethal for humans underscores the need for robust and rapid detection and response systems at animal source.

20 Mar 2017

Young researchers explore impact of prolonged Zika viremia in pregnant women, fetuses and infants

A Maryland woman traveled to the Dominican Republic early in her pregnancy, spending three weeks with family. She felt dizzy and tired and, at first, attributed the lethargy to jet lag.

16 Mar 2017

Canadian scientists join international battle against Zika virus

The spread of the Zika virus, which can cause devastating birth defects, has become a pressing public health issue in many countries. To this day, there is no vaccine to prevent and no medicine to treat Zika virus infections.

16 Mar 2017

Researchers awarded CIHR grant to investigate how Zika virus changes host cells during infection

For more than a year, Tom Hobman and his research team have devoted most of their waking hours to a headlong pursuit of knowledge about the Zika virus.

16 Mar 2017

Research shows how Ebola viral proteins packaged in exosomes affect immune cells

Cells infected by the deadly Ebola virus may release viral proteins such as VP40 packaged in exosomes, which, as new research indicates, can affect immune cells throughout the body impairing their ability to combat the infection and to seek out and destroy hidden virus.

16 Mar 2017

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

One-shot vaccine passes key preclinical test in newborn monkey models

Researchers develop new way to assemble genome of an organism from scratch

Majority of dengue virus infections appear to happen very close to home

Researchers describe set of observable characteristics linked to congenital Zika syndrome

Researchers develop new flexible glass for microscopic medical devices

PSU research shows how viruses can undergo major mutations without losing ability to infect

Statin drugs may offer treatment option for chronic liver disease

Penn researcher receives $16.3 million NIAID grant to develop long-sought-after HIV vaccine

Review of research on wild primates underscores importance of super-spreaders in disease transmission

Treatment with interferon may ease symptoms of Ebola patients

Maternal infections during pregnancy may alter genes key to prenatal brain development

Sandia researchers develop smartphone-based device to rapidly detect mosquito-borne viruses

Duke scientists use mathematical tools to track how microbial evolution unfolded

Researchers estimate number of infants born in the U.S. with perinatal HIV infection

Study finds 18% increase in HIV treatment success rates

Resurgent outbreak of avian influenza underscores need for control efforts at animal source

Young researchers explore impact of prolonged Zika viremia in pregnant women, fetuses and infants

Canadian scientists join international battle against Zika virus

Researchers awarded CIHR grant to investigate how Zika virus changes host cells during infection

Research shows how Ebola viral proteins packaged in exosomes affect immune cells

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