Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Experimental vaccine for Marburg hemorrhagic fever prevention shows promise for accidental exposures

An experimental vaccine developed to prevent outbreaks of Marburg hemorrhagic fever continues to show promise in monkeys as an emergency treatment for accidental exposures to the virus that causes the disease. There is no licensed treatment for Marburg infection, which has a high fatality rate.

17 Jun 2010

Stony Brook team creates live attenuated influenza virus vaccine by computer-aided rational design

A team of molecular biologists and computer scientists at Stony Brook University have used a novel method to weaken (attenuate) influenza virus by way of designing hundreds of mutations to its genetic code to create an effective vaccine. Reported online and in the July issue of Nature Biotechnology, the method may be a major step in developing more effective and safe vaccines against influenza, which claims 250,000 to 500,000 lives annually worldwide, partly because existing vaccines are not fully effective.

17 Jun 2010

UC researchers receive $2.3M grant to develop user-friendly diagnostics for influenza virus

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have received a five-year grant to develop rapid, robust, user-friendly diagnostics for influenza virus. An interdisciplinary team of scientists has received a $2.3 million dollar grant from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health. The name of the grant is "Glycan Receptor Mimics for Rapid Detection, Typing, and Susceptibility Testing of Influenza."

17 Jun 2010

BioNeutral announces distribution collaboration for sporicidal formulations with Steri-7

BioNeutral Group, Inc., a specialty chemical technology-based life science company, announced today that in collaboration with Steri-7™, a UK-based specialty chemical health care company, it will be expanding availability of its sporicidal formulations in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Steri-7™ recently obtained approval from the UK's National Health Service (NHS) to market its formulations as a sporicidal cleaner/wipe.

17 Jun 2010

Meningococcal disease in infants: A potentially difficult and serious diagnosis

An article published in the May 2010 edition of Postgraduate Medicine documents a case study where a previously healthy, 15-week-old male infant was misdiagnosed and died of meningococcal disease. Initially the patient showed signs of the common cold and was treated as such, but symptoms worsened and he was admitted to the hospital emergency department.

16 Jun 2010

Microneedle skin patches as effective as hypodermic needles for flu vaccination

Flu vaccine delivered through skin patches containing microneedles has proven at least as effective at preventing influenza in mice as intramuscular, hypodermic flu immunization.

16 Jun 2010

Vaccination against 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may also protect against 1918 Spanish influenza virus

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have determined people who were vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may also be protected against the lethal 1918 Spanish influenza virus, which killed more than 50 million people worldwide. The new findings are published in the current issue of Nature Communications.

16 Jun 2010

GenVec engages Wells Fargo Securities to conduct comprehensive review of strategic alternatives

GenVec, Inc. today announced that it has engaged Wells Fargo Securities, LLC to conduct a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives aimed at enhancing shareholder value.

16 Jun 2010

University of Montreal scientists discover free radical mechanism to viral invasion

Canadian researchers have discovered a new way the body combats respiratory viral infections. In the prestigious journal PLoS Pathogens, scientists from the University of Montreal and the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center explain how the NOX2 molecule, an enzyme that generates a burst of highly reactive oxygen derivatives (or free radicals), activates defense genes and molecules when viruses invade lung cells.

16 Jun 2010

Acclaimed virologist delivers the 2010 Leeuwenhoek prize lecture

Acclaimed virologist Robert Webster, Ph.D., of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, presented the 2010 Leeuwenhoek prize lecture today, a prestigious recognition awarded by the Royal Society in London.

16 Jun 2010

UT Southwestern head and neck cancer surgeons perform area's first transoral robotic surgery

Head and neck cancer surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center performed the area's first transoral robotic surgery (TORS), a recently approved minimally invasive no-scar procedure to remove tumors in the throat.

16 Jun 2010

Vitamin D may help reduce incidence, severity of viral respiratory tract infections: Study

Vitamin D may help reduce the incidence and severity of viral respiratory tract infections including influenza, according to a new study conducted by investigators at Greenwich Hospital and Yale University School of Medicine.

16 Jun 2010

Washington Post examines trial in Africa of long-acting vaginal ring for HIV prevention

"The first test of a long-acting vaginal ring loaded with an HIV-preventing drug has begun enrolling women in southern Africa," the Washington Post reports. The study, according to the newspaper, marks the 15th trial led by the nonprofit group, International Partnership for Microbicides, which "has helped lead the search for a discreet, woman-controlled means of protection" against the virus.

16 Jun 2010

Inovio commences immunization in U.S. Phase I clinical trial of SynCon H5N1 influenza DNA vaccine

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that it has immunized its first subject in a U.S. Phase I clinical trial to evaluate its SynCon™ H5N1 (avian) influenza DNA vaccine, VGX-3400X.

15 Jun 2010

Monoclonal antibodies induce long-lasting, protective antiviral immune response

Monoclonal antibodies are the largest class of biotherapeutic drugs. When administered to infected organisms to blunt the propagation of pathogenic viruses, they may also induce a long-lasting and protective antiviral immune response similar to that achieved by vaccination. These results obtained in mice by the "Oncogenèse et Immunothérapie" group at the Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (CNRS/Universités Montpellier 1 and 2), have been published on 10 June in PLoS Pathogens.

14 Jun 2010

ARCA receives approval to commence enrollment of first therapeutic trial using HIV vaccine candidate

News on the progress of a new trial may give new hope to patients with HIV who are dependent on anti-HIV drugs. The AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta has received approval to begin enrollment of the first therapeutic trial ever conducted using a promising HIV vaccine candidate from Atlanta-based, GeoVax Inc, a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines.

14 Jun 2010

Genetic variation can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment: Scientists

A small genetic change can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment, paving the way to personalised therapy for this difficult to treat disease, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Sunday 13 June). Dr. Zoltan Kutalik, from the Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, will tell delegates that individuals with this change, in a gene encoding for the antiviral cytokine (cell-signalling molecule) interferon lamda, reacts less well to treatment.

14 Jun 2010

AIDS/LifeCycle event raises $10M to support HIV/AIDS services

More than 2,400 participants in AIDS/LifeCycle arrived at the Veterans Center in Los Angeles today after traveling 545 miles from San Francisco over the past seven days in the world's largest annual HIV/AIDS fundraising event. In its ninth year, the event raised $10 million to support the services of San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center that prevent new HIV infections and care for those living with HIV/AIDS.

14 Jun 2010

White blood cells with receptors for both virus and nerve proteins may assault nerves after fighting infection

A virus infection can incite the body to attack its own nerve tissue by activating unusual, disease-fighting cells with receptors for both viral and nerve proteins. The dual-receptor observation suggests a way brain and spinal cord nerve damage might be triggered in susceptible young adults afflicted with multiple sclerosis.

11 Jun 2010

Cubist to oppose Teva’s attempt to add new defense in patent infringement litigation

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it will oppose a motion filed by the Teva defendants to amend their answer to add a new defense in the patent litigation between Cubist and Teva pending in the US District Court for the District of Delaware. A motion for leave to amend the answer is a request to be permitted to add a new allegation. The Teva defendants seek leave to amend their answer to allege that US Patent Nos. 6,468,967 and 6,852,689 are unenforceable due to inequitable conduct.

11 Jun 2010

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Experimental vaccine for Marburg hemorrhagic fever prevention shows promise for accidental exposures

Stony Brook team creates live attenuated influenza virus vaccine by computer-aided rational design

UC researchers receive $2.3M grant to develop user-friendly diagnostics for influenza virus

BioNeutral announces distribution collaboration for sporicidal formulations with Steri-7

Meningococcal disease in infants: A potentially difficult and serious diagnosis

Microneedle skin patches as effective as hypodermic needles for flu vaccination

Vaccination against 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may also protect against 1918 Spanish influenza virus

GenVec engages Wells Fargo Securities to conduct comprehensive review of strategic alternatives

University of Montreal scientists discover free radical mechanism to viral invasion

Acclaimed virologist delivers the 2010 Leeuwenhoek prize lecture

UT Southwestern head and neck cancer surgeons perform area's first transoral robotic surgery

Vitamin D may help reduce incidence, severity of viral respiratory tract infections: Study

Washington Post examines trial in Africa of long-acting vaginal ring for HIV prevention

Inovio commences immunization in U.S. Phase I clinical trial of SynCon H5N1 influenza DNA vaccine

Monoclonal antibodies induce long-lasting, protective antiviral immune response

ARCA receives approval to commence enrollment of first therapeutic trial using HIV vaccine candidate

Genetic variation can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment: Scientists

AIDS/LifeCycle event raises $10M to support HIV/AIDS services

White blood cells with receptors for both virus and nerve proteins may assault nerves after fighting infection

Cubist to oppose Teva’s attempt to add new defense in patent infringement litigation

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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