Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Gen-Probe submits 510(k) application to FDA for APTIMA Trichomonas vaginalis assay on TIGRIS system

Gen-Probe Incorporated announced today that the Company has submitted a 510(k) application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its APTIMA® Trichomonas vaginalis assay on the fully automated TIGRIS® system.

5 Oct 2010

Maternal influenza vaccination prevents flu in infants

Babies whose mothers who receive influenza vaccines while pregnant appear less likely to be infected with flu or hospitalized for respiratory illnesses in their first six months of life, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the February 2011 print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Oct 2010

CPS recommends all Canadian babies should be vaccinated against rotavirus

All Canadian babies should be vaccinated against rotavirus, according to a new statement by the Canadian Paediatric Society. The CPS is also calling for public funding of the vaccine, which is not currently covered by provincial or territorial health plans.

5 Oct 2010

Merck's boceprevir Phase III studies for HCV to be presented at 61st AASLD

Merck today announced that final results from two pivotal Phase III studies of boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented in oral plenary sessions at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which is taking place from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in Boston. Results for boceprevir in response-guided therapy strategies, which evaluated treatment durations shorter than current standard therapy, will be presented during the meeting.

4 Oct 2010

Study demonstrates potential of nontoxic envelope proteins as an alternative to pseudotype lentiviral vectors

Therapeutic lentiviral vectors are emerging as vital tools for molecular medicine as evidenced by the growing number of clinical trials using these vector systems. From a basic research standpoint, lentiviral vectors are very intriguing substrates. On the one hand, the HIV-1 genome offers expanded cloning capacity and the capability to transduce nondividing cells such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and neurons.

4 Oct 2010

Researchers examine new genes to control mosquito-borne diseases

An Iowa State University researcher searched for new genes that are turned on during infection in a type of mosquito that is not only a pest, but transmits disease-causing pathogens.

4 Oct 2010

Research on immune system paves way to combat mother-to-infant HIV transmission

Researchers at Oregon Health &Science University may have uncovered a new weapon for combating HIV as it is passed from mother to newborn child. The research, which was led by researchers at OHSU's Oregon National Primate Research Center, will be published in the October 3rd online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

4 Oct 2010

NIH awards Scripps Research grants to study the mechanisms of protein complex

For Immediate Release -Scripps Research Institute scientists have been awarded approximately $65 million in four five-year grants as part of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) latest round of structural biology funding. The projects will focus on determining the shapes and functions of proteins and protein complexes that are important in biology and medicine.

4 Oct 2010

Suspected hand, foot and mouth disease on Denver flight

Two children arrived on a flight from Mexico to Denver showing symptoms of the contagious illness called ‘hand, foot and mouth’ disease (HFMD) and were checked by paramedics. They were allowed to leave after experts said they were no threat to public health.

4 Oct 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb to present multiple compounds’ data at AASLD annual meeting

New data on multiple Bristol-Myers Squibb Company compounds will be presented at the 61st annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Boston from October 29 to November 2.

3 Oct 2010

Medicago announces official groundbreaking ceremony for U.S. plant-based commercial grade vaccine facility

Medicago U.S.A. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Medicago Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced that company executives, along with U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) and U.S. Congressman David Price (D-NC), are holding an official groundbreaking ceremony this morning for its U.S. plant-based commercial grade vaccine facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

1 Oct 2010

Healthy respect for flu this season

Flu season officially begins Friday, Oct. 1, and unlike last year's season when shortages lead to rationing, there will be plenty of vaccine on hand for everyone who wants a flu shot.

1 Oct 2010

Herpevac Trial for Women finds experimental vaccine ineffective in prevention of genital herpes disease

An experimental vaccine intended to prevent genital herpes disease in women, although generally safe and well-tolerated, proved ineffective when tested in the recently concluded clinical study known as the Herpevac Trial for Women.

1 Oct 2010

UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center wins $11.5M grant for pancreatic cancer research

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, has won an $11.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to explore groundbreaking pancreatic cancer research, prevention and treatment.

1 Oct 2010

Achillion initiates ACH-1625 Phase II dosing for HCV infection

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of small molecule drugs to combat the most challenging infectious diseases, today announced that the Company has initiated patient dosing in a Phase II clinical trial of ACH-1625 for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. ACH-1625 is a potent small molecule inhibitor of HCV protease, an enzyme necessary for viral replication. The drug candidate was discovered and is being advanced by Achillion.

1 Oct 2010

New legislation introduced to assess critical care services in the U.S.

Yesterday, House Energy and Commerce Committee Member Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation to assess and critical care health services in the United States.

1 Oct 2010

HIV/AIDS researchers, government officials track progress, forecast challenges for HIV vaccine development

More than 1,000 researchers, government officials and advocates are gathering in Atlanta this week to discuss the progress and future challenges in the development of a vaccine that protects against HIV, FierceVaccines reports (Carroll, 9/29). The AIDS Vaccine 2010 meeting, which kicked off Tuesday, will run through Friday, according to the website for the meeting (undated).

1 Oct 2010

NIH grants for UNC investigators to study HIV/AIDS prevention methods

Investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comprise one of 12 scientific teams in more than a dozen states that will receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to study effective ways to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS among people in the criminal justice system.

30 Sep 2010

Aethlon Medical engages Fabiani & Company to assist in establishment of federal partnerships

Aethlon Medical, Inc., the pioneer in developing therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease and cancer, announced today that it has engaged Fabiani & Company to assist in the establishment of federal partnerships that advance biodefense, cancer, and chronic infectious disease applications of the Aethlon Hemopurifier®.

30 Sep 2010

Discovery suggest a new direction for designing vaccines for rare HIV infection

New discoveries about the immune defenses of rare HIV patients who produce antibodies that prevent infection suggest a novel direction for designing new vaccines. Researchers at Rockefeller University and colleagues have now made two fundamental discoveries about the so called broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies, which effectively keep the virus at bay.

30 Sep 2010