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Bill Gates emphasizes need for increased efficiency in HIV prevention, treatment programs

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "urged governments and health advocates Tuesday to 'get more out of every dollar' in the fight against AIDS, saying the global economic downturn has hit funding for the disease," Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Jul 2010

Duke University researchers, African colleagues to study malaria control strategies

A team of Duke University researchers and African colleagues will be studying strategies to curb the spread of malaria while protecting human and environmental health. The work in regions where the potentially deadly, mosquito-borne disease occurs will be supported by a $2.2 million, four-year grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

16 Jul 2010

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

"Early treatment for HIV cuts patients' risk of death by about 75 percent," according to a study conducted in Haiti and published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. The study also demonstrated that "early antiretroviral treatment reduces the likelihood of tuberculosis, a leading cause of death among HIV patients, by 50 percent," the news service writes (Aquino, 7/14).

16 Jul 2010

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

Immune system cells called macrophages spring into action to surround and destroy threats such as viruses or cancer cells. But sometimes the would-be protective response leads to persistent inflammation, which, in turn, can cause disease.Scientists don't know exactly how macrophages cross the line from being good cops to bad cops, but researchers at the University of Florida recently unearthed several clues about the mechanisms involved. Through the lens of two inflammation-related diseases, HIV and rheumatoid arthritis, they identified changes in specific proteins linked to the action of macrophages, white blood cells that are key to the body's natural defenses.

16 Jul 2010

Elusys, Lonza partner for commercial production of Anthim antibody for inhaled anthrax treatment

Elusys Therapeutics and Lonza today announced an agreement for the scale-up and commercial production of Anthim, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody in late-stage development for the treatment of inhaled anthrax. Under the new contract, Lonza will provide process scale-up, technology transfer, validation, and commercial manufacturing at one of its facilities in the USA. The manufacturing process for Anthim was optimized for full scale production by Lonza under a separate agreement announced in 2009.

16 Jul 2010

NIH awards MacroGenics $9.8 million grant for three projects

MacroGenics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company that develops immunotherapeutics to treat autoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases, today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the company three new grants representing total funding of $9.8 million.

15 Jul 2010

NVHR welcomes national HIV/AIDS strategy that recognizes better care for HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis patients

With millions of Americans living with HIV/AIDS, chronic viral hepatitis, or a combination of both, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable welcomes the Administration's recognition of the need for better care coordination and integration of services for these individuals and supports recommendations contained within the new National HIV/AIDS strategy released yesterday in Washington.

15 Jul 2010

New drug launches for HCV in the Philippines to increase market earned revenues to $4.5 billion by 2017

Efforts to raise disease awareness in the Philippines have increased the number of cases and patient pool available for hepatitis C treatment. Screening and detection efforts by the Red Cross as well as growing awareness in the Philippines have been largely responsible for the rise in the number of diagnosed cases. These campaigns have encouraged people, mostly from the urban areas, to opt for physical examinations that enable the detection of hepatitis C.

15 Jul 2010

First 1M doses of smallpox vaccine for immune-compromised populations delivered

Delivery to the Strategic National Stockpile of the first 1 million doses of the nation's first smallpox vaccine for certain immune-compromised populations is now complete, the result of a Project BioShield contract.

15 Jul 2010

UNC research to be presented at International AIDS Society conference

Dozens of UNC researchers are heading to Vienna, Austria to participate in the world's preeminent AIDS conference this week. The International AIDS Society conference brings together top scientists, advocates and government officials to discuss progress and chart a course for stemming the spread and impact of AIDS. Speakers including President Bill Clinton will address an estimated 25,000 attendees at this year's event.

15 Jul 2010

Over half of UK swine flu hospital admissions, deaths occurred in previously healthy people: Research

Over half of UK swine flu hospital admissions and inpatient deaths occurred in people with no underlying health problems or obvious risk factors, research at the University of Liverpool has found.

15 Jul 2010

Pennsylvanians should take steps to reduce exposure to mosquitoes, Secretary of Health advises

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reminds Pennsylvanians to take precautions to reduce exposure to mosquitoes as the season arrives for West Nile virus, or WNV, infections.

15 Jul 2010

AVAC Report surveys state of biomedical HIV prevention research

A new report from AVAC surveys the state of biomedical HIV prevention research, including the first evidence of vaccine-induced protection in humans and the emergence of ARV-based prevention -- and provides strategic recommendations for moving forward in a time of constrained resources and faltering commitment to ending AIDS.

15 Jul 2010

New HIV treatment strategy could reduce HIV-related deaths by 10M in 15 years, UNAIDS says

UNAIDS on Tuesday outlined a new strategy, called "Treatment 2.0," to simplify the provision of HIV treatment and improve global access to antiretrovirals, Reuters reports. The agency says the plan could prevent up to 10 million AIDS-related deaths by 2025 and reduce the number of new HIV infections annually by up to one million, if all people in need receive treatment, according to the news service.

15 Jul 2010

AP further examines how PEPFAR helped inform new U.S. domestic HIV/AIDS strategy

"The national strategy for combatting HIV and AIDS the Obama administration released Tuesday credits the Bush-era international campaign against AIDS for setting clear targets and ensuring a variety of agencies and groups worked together smoothly to achieve them," the Associated Press writes in a piece that examines how PEPFAR served to inform the national strategy.

15 Jul 2010

Hendra virus treatment to be ready in a few months

Of the dozen people who were exposed to a horse infected with the Hendra virus, 11 have been cleared of the infection by repeated tests on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. These 12 people had first come into contact with the infected horse at Tewantin in May and have since then been subjected to testing to rule out infection with the deadly virus. It is expected that the 12th person will also be cleared soon. Quarantine restrictions were also lifted last month.

14 Jul 2010

NIAID awards ATCC multimillion dollar MID-BRR contract

ATCC, the premier biological materials resource, services, and standards organization, has been awarded the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Biological Resource Repository ("MID-BRR") contract, ATCC announced today. The current value of the contract is $14,615,598 with the ultimate value of $115,733,409 over 7 years with an annual renewal.

14 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 14, 2010

Today's headlines reflect coverage of new federal rules related to "meaningful use" of electronic health records as well as the latest on the federal deficit, the White House's new HIV/AIDS strategy and other developments.

14 Jul 2010

Health Canada approves FluMist for preventing seasonal influenza

AstraZeneca Canada Inc. announced today that Health Canada has approved FluMist (Influenza Vaccine, Live, Attenuated) for the prevention of seasonal influenza. FluMist is the first vaccine in Canada that is administered as a gentle mist sprayed into the nose.

14 Jul 2010

Study of relationship characteristics, motivations behind agreements among gay male couples

A new study examining the relationship dynamics of gay male couples finds that couples make "sexual agreements" -- rules about whether sex with outside partners is allowed -- primarily because they want to strengthen and improve their relationship rather than for protection against HIV. Published today in the journal AIDS Care, the study explores how sexual agreements affect both HIV risk and a relationship's satisfaction and quality, and contains insights for HIV prevention.

14 Jul 2010

Disease/Infection News

Bill Gates emphasizes need for increased efficiency in HIV prevention, treatment programs

Duke University researchers, African colleagues to study malaria control strategies

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

Elusys, Lonza partner for commercial production of Anthim antibody for inhaled anthrax treatment

NIH awards MacroGenics $9.8 million grant for three projects

NVHR welcomes national HIV/AIDS strategy that recognizes better care for HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis patients

New drug launches for HCV in the Philippines to increase market earned revenues to $4.5 billion by 2017

First 1M doses of smallpox vaccine for immune-compromised populations delivered

UNC research to be presented at International AIDS Society conference

Over half of UK swine flu hospital admissions, deaths occurred in previously healthy people: Research

Pennsylvanians should take steps to reduce exposure to mosquitoes, Secretary of Health advises

AVAC Report surveys state of biomedical HIV prevention research

New HIV treatment strategy could reduce HIV-related deaths by 10M in 15 years, UNAIDS says

AP further examines how PEPFAR helped inform new U.S. domestic HIV/AIDS strategy

Hendra virus treatment to be ready in a few months

NIAID awards ATCC multimillion dollar MID-BRR contract

First Edition: July 14, 2010

Health Canada approves FluMist for preventing seasonal influenza

Study of relationship characteristics, motivations behind agreements among gay male couples

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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