Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Researchers use genome editing to reduce cholesterol levels in animal model

Using genome editing to inactivate a protein called PCSK9 effectively reduces cholesterol levels in rhesus macaques, a species of monkey, according to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

10 Jul 2018

Preventative HIV vaccines induce robust, comparable immune responses in humans and monkeys

More than three decades after the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus, scientists are still working to develop a preventative vaccine that could finally put an end to the epidemic for which there are nearly two million new infections each year.

9 Jul 2018

Researchers trace history of human Hepatitis B in the Bronze Age

Thanks to viral traces in the genomes of ancient people, researchers from South Ural State University were able to determine that man has been suffering from Hepatitis B since at least the Bronze Age.

9 Jul 2018

State prisons fail to offer cure to 144,000 inmates with deadly hepatitis C

State prisons across the U.S. are failing to treat at least 144,000 inmates who have hepatitis C, a curable but potentially fatal liver disease, according to a recent survey and subsequent interviews of state corrections departments.

9 Jul 2018

Step towards an HIV/AIDS vaccine

There has been a four decades long challenge to develop a vaccine against the deadly HIV virus that causes AIDS. Last Saturday the research bore fruit when a team of scientists announced that a trial drug has shown immune response in humans and also protected laboratory monkeys from HIV infection.

9 Jul 2018

NIH researchers identify natural lipid that acts as potent anti-inflammatory

National Institutes of Health researchers have identified a naturally occurring lipid--a waxy, fatty acid--used by a disease-causing bacterium to impair the host immune response and increase the chance of infection. Inadvertently, they also may have found a potent inflammation therapy against bacterial and viral diseases.

9 Jul 2018

Combe announces launch of Preventeza Emergency Contraceptive and campaign

Combe Inc., the makers of Vagisil, today announced the launch of its Preventeza Emergency Contraceptive #WeAre1in2 campaign to showcase solidarity around women's reproductive rights.

6 Jul 2018

Gene therapy study shows promise for chronic kidney disease

A study has shown that a viral vector can deliver genetic material to damaged kidney cells, potentially providing a treatment that can slow or reverse chronic kidney disease.

6 Jul 2018

Study finds mechanism by which amyloid beta protects the brain from herpes infection

A Massachusetts General Hospital study has found the mechanism by which amyloid beta - the protein deposited into plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease - protects from the effects of herpes viruses commonly found in the brain.

6 Jul 2018

Scientists take a deep dive into differences between Zika and dengue virus

More than two years after reports of skyrocketing Zika rates surfaced worldwide, questions still loom about this complicated virus.

6 Jul 2018

Scientists use stem cells to uncover why the Zika virus is so infective

Researchers have made an important discovery about the Zika virus that could lead to the development of more effective measures to protect people.

5 Jul 2018

HPV test better than Pap when screening for cervical cancer

The Pap smear test has been used widely for the past five decades to understand and screen for early signs of cervical cancer. The conventional test has been largely replaced by a liquid-based Pap cytology test. Soon it may be replaced by another test – the Human papilloma virus test or the HPV test finds new research.

4 Jul 2018

Viral immunotherapy shows promise to treat pediatric brain tumors

A viral immunotherapy using a herpes virus to treat brain tumors has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in a pediatric study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama.

4 Jul 2018

Sylvester dermatologist uses HPV vaccine to treat patient with squamous cell tumors

Squamous cell carcinoma is the second-most-common form of skin cancer. Evidence suggests the human papilloma virus plays a role in the development of some types of this skin cancer.

3 Jul 2018

Zika virus-related pregnancy loss in humans may be more common than thought

Fetal death in utero occurred in more than one-fourth of monkeys infected in the laboratory with Zika virus in early pregnancy, according to new research published in Nature Medicine.

3 Jul 2018

Unique virus appears to enhance our immune system rather than weakening it

Our immune system is at its peak when we're young, but after a certain age, it declines and it becomes more difficult for our bodies to fight off new infections.

3 Jul 2018

Undetected Zika infections may be cause stillbirths and miscarriages

A collaborative study between six of the National Primate Research Centers shows pregnancy loss due to Zika A infections that don't cause women any symptoms may be a common but unrecognized cause of miscarriages and stillbirths.

2 Jul 2018

Researchers develop inexpensive blood test to diagnose hepatitis B patients

A simple $20 blood test could help diagnose thousands of patients with hepatitis B in need of treatment in some of Africa's poorest regions.

2 Jul 2018

Mathematical model assesses efficacy, cost-effectiveness of screening strategies for HCV

It is currently recommended in Europe that screening for hepatitis C virus should target people at high risk of infection.

2 Jul 2018

Researchers conduct survey to understand people's perceptions on Zika virus

In a summer outbreak that posed significant risks to pregnant women and their fetuses, 29 people in Miami-Dade County were infected with the Zika virus between late June and early August of 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

30 Jun 2018