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GHI won't compromise PEPFAR, Global AIDS Coordinator says at House Foreign Affairs' Committee hearing

During a House Committee on Foreign Affairs' hearing on the future of PEPFAR Wednesday, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby assured lawmakers that the decision by President Barack Obama to make PEPFAR part of the president's Global Health Initiative (GHI) would not compromise "the widely praised plan," CQ HealthBeat reports.

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

Antiretroviral therapy does not reduce risk of HIV transmission

For married couples in which one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative, antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to the uninfected partner, according to a study from China in the October issue of JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

1 Oct 2010

Health Canada approves Meridian Bioscience's illumigene C. difficile molecular amplification assay

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., today announced that it has received an approved medical device license from Health Canada for its new molecular amplification assay, illumigene C. difficile. Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and, in severe cases, a life-threatening inflammation of the colon.

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

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives grant to study role of proteins in health and disease

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $30 million grant to study the structure and function of thousands of biomedically important proteins.

1 Oct 2010

Experts provide information on H1N1 and seasonal flu at Johns Hopkins hospital

Johns Hopkins has a wide range of experts available for interviews and comments about seasonal flu, H1N1, emergency preparedness, infection control, flu transmission in children, vaccine safety, flu treatment, public health ethics, flu in cancer patients, and related public communications strategies. If you would like to interview a Johns Hopkins expert, call or e-mail the designated information officer in the list below.

1 Oct 2010

BioVigil system can improve hand sanitizer usage

Over 99,000 Americans die each year as a result of Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), hand hygiene is the single most effective way to combat hospital-acquired infections and prevent these unnecessary deaths.

1 Oct 2010

NIH awards Polymedix $986,000 to develop defensin mimetic antimicrobial compounds for oral candidiasis

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat acute cardiovascular disorders and infectious diseases, has received a Phase 2 grant in the amount of $986,000 from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to support the development of defensin mimetic antimicrobial compounds for the treatment of oral candidiasis. This grant will fund this research project through August 31, 2012. This award represents the 14th grant or research contract received to date by PolyMedix.

30 Sep 2010

'Intraluminal protection' IV needleless connector more effective in preventing CLABSIs: Study

A lengthy study performed at Methodist Extended Care Hospital resulted in the elimination of potentially deadly infections. The study findings were reported in a scientific poster presentation at the recent annual meeting of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA), a leading national organization focusing on patient safety and best nursing practices.

30 Sep 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

Volunteers, families in IL, IN, NY, and PA unite to raise money and awareness about pulmonary fibrosis

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) today announced its October schedule of fundraising events as part of its ongoing national campaign to raise funds for pulmonary fibrosis (PF) research, while supporting the PFF's patient education and advocacy efforts throughout the country. The PFF has seen continued expansion of its public support throughout the United States, with more than 40 local and regional fundraisers contributing greatly to the Foundation's total of more than $800,000 in gifts this year.

30 Sep 2010

Children with eczema at greater risk of developing asthma and food allergies

Children with eczema, a chronic skin condition that often begins in childhood, have a greater risk of developing asthma and food allergies. The number of children with eczema is rising, but the reasons for this are unclear. A new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics examines the relationship between pet ownership and eczema. Researchers found that dog ownership among children with dog allergies may reduce the risk of developing eczema by age 4 years; cat ownership, however, may increase the risk among children with cat allergies.

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

NIH awards $3.1 million to further fund Inovio's universal SynCon flu vaccine development

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that Inovio Pharmaceuticals and the University of Pennsylvania have received a grant of $3.1 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Office to further fund Inovio's universal SynCon™ flu vaccine development.

30 Sep 2010

Circassia announces advancement in T-cell allergy vaccines development

Circassia Ltd, a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on allergy, today announced that it has further advanced the clinical development of three of its leading T-cell allergy vaccines.

30 Sep 2010

ASU receives grant to unravel membrane proteins in host-pathogen interaction

Arizona State University has been awarded a $7.7 million grant for the next five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to unravel the structures of membrane proteins that play a key role in protection against infectious diseases.

30 Sep 2010

Malaria experts focus on RTS, S as Malaria Vaccines for the World Conference begins

Scientists and physicians from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday for the start of the second Malaria Vaccines for the World Conference, SAPA/News24 reports.

30 Sep 2010

Research shows dexamethasone treatment effective for bacterial meningitis

New research shows that an intravenous (IV) treatment may cut a person's risk of dying from bacterial meningitis. The research is published in the September 29, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The treatment is called dexamethasone.

30 Sep 2010

Disease/Infection News

GHI won't compromise PEPFAR, Global AIDS Coordinator says at House Foreign Affairs' Committee hearing

Achillion initiates ACH-1625 Phase II dosing for HCV infection

Antiretroviral therapy does not reduce risk of HIV transmission

Health Canada approves Meridian Bioscience's illumigene C. difficile molecular amplification assay

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

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives grant to study role of proteins in health and disease

Experts provide information on H1N1 and seasonal flu at Johns Hopkins hospital

BioVigil system can improve hand sanitizer usage

NIH awards Polymedix $986,000 to develop defensin mimetic antimicrobial compounds for oral candidiasis

'Intraluminal protection' IV needleless connector more effective in preventing CLABSIs: Study

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

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

Volunteers, families in IL, IN, NY, and PA unite to raise money and awareness about pulmonary fibrosis

Children with eczema at greater risk of developing asthma and food allergies

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

NIH awards $3.1 million to further fund Inovio's universal SynCon flu vaccine development

Circassia announces advancement in T-cell allergy vaccines development

ASU receives grant to unravel membrane proteins in host-pathogen interaction

Malaria experts focus on RTS, S as Malaria Vaccines for the World Conference begins

Research shows dexamethasone treatment effective for bacterial meningitis

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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