Birth Defects News and Research

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Researchers identify novel therapeutic monoclonal antibodies from Zika-infected patients

A team of researchers from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Swiss biotech company Humabs BioMed SA has identified novel therapeutic monoclonal antibody candidates isolated from Zika-infected patients and new strategies for Zika virus diagnostics.

14 Jul 2016

FDA approves new topical retinoid gel for OTC treatment of acne

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Differin Gel 0.1% (adapalene), a once-daily topical gel for the over-the-counter (OTC) treatment of acne. Differin Gel 0.1% is approved for use in people 12 years of age and older.

8 Jul 2016

Study identifies genetic mutations responsible for development of cardiac hypertrophy in adults

Investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have identified a developmental cause of adult-onset cardiac hypertrophy, a dangerous thickening of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure and death.

8 Jul 2016

Study reveals many women may be smoking and exposed to nicotine during pregnancy

More women may be smoking and exposed to nicotine during pregnancy than previously thought, according to a new study by researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in collaboration with Cradle Cincinnati.

7 Jul 2016

SLU researchers receive federal grant to study Zika virus

Saint Louis University vaccine researchers have received $1.3 million in federal funding to study Zika, as part of a multi-site study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

1 Jul 2016

New $2 test can rapidly detect Zika virus in saliva

Anxiety over the Zika virus is growing as the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro approach. To better diagnose and track the disease, scientists are now reporting in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry a new $2 test that in the lab can accurately detect low levels of the virus in saliva.

30 Jun 2016

Two vaccine candidates provide complete protection against ZIKV infection in mice

The rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine to prevent the Zika virus (ZIKV) is a global priority, as infection in pregnant women has been shown to lead to fetal microcephaly and other major birth defects.

29 Jun 2016

SLU to conduct human clinical trial of vaccine to protect people from Zika virus

Saint Louis University's vaccine center has been tapped by the National Institutes of Health to conduct a human clinical trial of a vaccine to prevent the Zika virus, which can cause devastating birth defects in babies.

24 Jun 2016

Researchers uncover new clues about role of glucosamine in early embryonic development

Most pregnant women with well-controlled diabetes give birth to healthy children. But their babies run much higher risks of birth defects than babies born to women without diabetes, because very early in embryonic development, the babies are exposed to higher levels of glucose in maternal blood.

23 Jun 2016

TUM researchers uncover molecular mechanism of thalidomide

In the 1950s, thalidomide (Contergan) was prescribed as a sedative drug to pregnant women, resulting in a great number of infants with serious malformations. Up to now, the reasons for these disastrous birth defects have remained unclear.

20 Jun 2016

Researcher aims to develop easy-to-use, inexpensive sperm sorting devices to help infertile couples

The competition is fierce and only the strongest survive the obstacle course within the female reproductive tract. Of the millions of sperm that enter the vagina, only about 10 or so make it to the oocyte or egg, demonstrating how rigorous the natural sperm selection process really is.

17 Jun 2016

Adequate maternal folate may protect children from future obesity risk

Proper maternal folate levels during pregnancy may protect children from a future risk of obesity, especially those born to obese mothers, according to a study led by researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

14 Jun 2016

New IVF-based technique can reduce risk of mothers passing on mitochondrial disease to infants

A new IVF-based technique is likely to lead to normal pregnancies and reduce the risk that babies born will have mitochondrial disease, according to researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Disease at Newcastle University.

9 Jun 2016

New study identifies PDGFRα as key molecule for HCMV viral entry

A publication in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology identifies PDGFRα as the receptor for the trimeric gHgLgO complex of Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV).

7 Jun 2016

Alabama physician recommends childbearing-age women to take precautions against Zika virus

As concerns about the Zika virus rise among women of childbearing age in the United States, Joseph Biggio, M.D., director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, wants those who are pregnant or trying to conceive to take precautions.

6 Jun 2016

Research shows IFITM3 protein can block Zika virus from infecting human, mouse cells

Eight weeks after receiving their first samples of Zika virus, scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have shown that a very small protein we all have in our bodies, interferon-induced protein 3 (IFITM3), can dramatically reduce the ability of Zika virus to infect human and mouse cells.

6 Jun 2016

Recent research gives more insight into genetics of FASD

In 1973, a group of birth defects associated with prenatal ethanol exposure was clinically recognized as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Since then, scientists have come to realize that alcohol can cause a wide range of birth defects; these are collectively referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).

1 Jun 2016

NMSU researchers seek Aedes aegypti mosquito to map Zika virus transmission

While the rest of the world is keeping its distance from the mosquito that carries the Zika virus, two New Mexico State University professors are seeking out this mosquito, which carries not only Zika but also a host of other diseases as well.

28 May 2016

Several medical groups urge Congress to provide required funding for Zika virus prevention, treatment

The American College of Physicians along with the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sent a letter today to House and Senate leaders urging them to immediately pass legislation that would provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the Zika virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents.