Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

KOKEN receives license to manufacture and provide RNAi research products under Kreutzer-Limmer patent family

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and KOKEN Co., Ltd., a leading atelocollagen company, announced today that Alnylam has granted KOKEN a non-exclusive worldwide license to manufacture and provide RNAi research products and services under the Kreutzer-Limmer patent family.

27 Oct 2009

Astellas enters into agreement with Medivation to develop MDV3100

Astellas Pharma Inc. ("Astellas") and Medivation, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a global agreement to develop and commercialize MDV3100, Medivation's investigational drug for the treatment of prostate cancer.

27 Oct 2009

Boston Medical Center deploys Fusionfx Immunization Management portal to manage H1N1 vaccination

Acknowledging the critical role of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines in ensuring the safety and efficacy of H1N1 vaccinations, Carefx Corporation, a leading provider of interoperable workflow solutions to advance the quality and safety of patient care, today announced that Boston Medical Center (BMC) has deployed the Fusionfx Immunization Management portal designed to enter and track H1N1 vaccination administration history and support broad, community-wide immunization administration tracking.

27 Oct 2009

Phase 2 clinical study of PEG-Interferon lambda commenced

ZymoGenetics, Inc. today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of PEG-Interferon lambda (IL-29) and ribavirin in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (the “EMERGE” study).

27 Oct 2009

Mosquitoes are attracted by naturally produced, dominant odor in humans

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have identified the dominant odor naturally produced in humans and birds that attracts the blood-feeding Culex mosquitoes, which transmit West Nile virus and other life-threatening diseases.

27 Oct 2009

New anti-flu drugs to fight flu virus could become a reality

New anti-flu drugs could become a reality as a result of a study carried out by academics at the University of Hertfordshire.

27 Oct 2009

Patient receives left-ventricular assist device to improve heart function

UT Southwestern Medical Center patient Michael LeBlanc, 40, is the first in North Texas to receive the newest generation of a mechanical device designed to improve heart function. It will be his lifeline while he awaits a heart transplant.

27 Oct 2009

Hutchinson Center receives USAID grant to build a cancer clinic and medical-training facility in Africa

Building on the strengths of two institutions separated by nearly 9,000 miles over two continents - both renowned in their work in the fight against cancer - the United States Agency for International Development has awarded a $500,000 grant to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to aid in the construction of the first American cancer clinic and medical-training facility in Africa.

27 Oct 2009

Comprehensive, risk-based screening guidelines for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers

Drawing on years of experience in cancer research and patient care, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center released today the most comprehensive, risk-based screening guidelines publicly available to date for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers.

27 Oct 2009

Consumers concerned about H1N1 flu, to avoid shopping during holiday season

Nearly one in five consumers say their concern over the H1N1 flu will cause them to avoid shopping on traditionally busy retail days during the 2009 holiday season, according to a recent Morpace Omnibus Study.

27 Oct 2009

Detecting the cause of occult gastrointestinal bleeding with the PillCam SB video capsule demonstrated

Given Imaging Ltd. today announced that new data presented at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2009 Conference show that by visualizing the small bowel with the PillCam® SB video capsule, physicians can detect the cause of occult gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) and adapt how they manage and treat these patients.

27 Oct 2009

Genomics can provide insights in understanding emerging infectious disease

This week, the Public Library of Science, an open-access publisher, presents the "Genomics of Emerging Infectious Disease," a collection of essays, perspectives, and reviews that explores how genomics-with all its associated tools and techniques-can provide insights into our understanding of emerging infectious disease.

27 Oct 2009

New data from efficacy study of CIMZIA in Crohn's disease patients presented

New data from an open-label extension study evaluating the long-term safety and efficacy of CIMZIA® (certolizumab pegol) in moderate to severe Crohn's disease patients demonstrate that 82 percent of patients actively treated with CIMZIA - the only PEGylated anti-TNF-alpha (Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha) - remained in long-term remission without dose escalation up to 3.5 years.

27 Oct 2009

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center receives a $500,000 grant to construct cancer clinic in Africa

27 Oct 2009

Mechanisms to control protein organization and cell-cell interaction in the immune system discovered

In a process essential to the immune system's response to infection, dendritic cells responsible for identifying pathogens communicate with the T-cells that destroy the infectious agents. To achieve this, the dendritic cells must be correctly activated and migrate to the lymph nodes where they must adhere firmly to T-cells.

27 Oct 2009

Sperm can transmit HIV to macrophages and dendritic cells

Sperm, and not just the fluid it bathes in, can transmit HIV to macrophages, T cells, and dendritic cells (DCs), report a team led by Ana Ceballos at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.

27 Oct 2009

Diabetes decreases cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease

New research published in the October 27, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that those with both diseases actually have a slower rate of memory loss than people who had only Alzheimer's disease.

27 Oct 2009

President Obama declares H1N1 national emergency

President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 (swine) flu outbreak a national emergency, the Wall Street Journal reports. "The declaration, which Mr. Obama signed Friday, authorizes the administration to waive or modify certain federal requirements involving Medicare, Medicaid and health-privacy rules to speed treatment," the newspaper writes (McKay/Simpson/Whalen, 10/26).

26 Oct 2009

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

Aging in Place" is the popular rallying cry in the senior community. But living at home is not so easy, either for the frail elderly or younger people with disabilities. Interestingly enough, the reasons may have more to do with social issues than medical concerns (Howard Gleckman, 10/26).

26 Oct 2009