Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Rice University bioengineer receives NIH grant to study use of AAV-based therapy to combat ovarian cancer

Rice University bioengineer Junghae Suh has been awarded a prestigious R01 grant by the National Institutes of Health to research the use of viral gene therapy to fight ovarian cancer.

3 Aug 2016

People with filariasis show two to three-fold increased risk for HIV

Since the start of the HIV epidemic, there have been speculations as to why HIV and the immunodeficiency syndrome it causes have spread so much more in Africa than in other countries around the world.

3 Aug 2016

Study shows link between inflammatory biomarkers and prevalence of CAD in HIV-infected men

A cardiac imaging study led by Hossein Bahrami, MD, PhD, assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, along with investigators from Johns Hopkins University and five other institutions, showed a correlation between higher inflammatory biomarkers and an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in men infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

3 Aug 2016

New Zika cases may help better predict transmission of virus in the U.S, says expert

Following the news that health officials in Florida have confirmed 14 people north of Miami infected with the Zika virus likely contracted it from local mosquitoes, Virginia Tech's Bryan Lewis said the new infections were not altogether surprising.

3 Aug 2016

PD-1-responsive T cells may offer clues to design more effective drugs for cancer

Cancer immunotherapy drugs that block the inhibitory PD-1 pathway have shown success in clinical trials and are now FDA-approved for melanoma, lung cancer and bladder cancer. Yet many patients' tumors do not respond to these drugs.

3 Aug 2016

New Valley Fever testing technology developed by TGen and NAU receives U.S. patent

Valley Fever, a potentially deadly dust-borne fungal disease, should be easier to diagnose and treat thanks to a testing technology developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Northern Arizona University, and now protected by a patent issued today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

3 Aug 2016

Metabolic-checkpoint inhibitor combination approach may improve cancer therapies

Reprogramming of the molecular pathways underlying normal metabolism is essential for T cell infection-fighting function and for the immune system to form a "memory" of the microbes it has already encountered. But exactly how metabolism in exhausted T cells is maintained in chronic infections and cancer is a missing element in this line of research.

3 Aug 2016

New study provides projections for Zika outbreaks in the Americas through January 2017

With the report from Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Monday that 14 people in the state have been infected with the Zika virus most likely through mosquito transmission, the concern about outbreaks in the U.S. has intensified.

3 Aug 2016

Vaccines unsuccessful in protecting obese mice against influenza infections, study finds

A study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital found that obese mice are not protected against influenza infections by vaccines that include adjuvants, raising concerns about vaccine effectiveness in obese humans who are known to be at an increased risk for severe flu. The findings appear today in the scientific journal mBio.

2 Aug 2016

Researchers shed light on mechanism for inducing memory B cell differentiation

A group of researchers at Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), Osaka University and RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences jointly clarified the mechanism for inducing germinal-center B cells' differentiation into memory B cells, immune cells that remember antigens, at the molecular level.

2 Aug 2016

Scientists seeking blood donations from people exposed to arboviruses for dengue, Zika vaccine research

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine are conducting studies that utilize blood donations from individuals who have been diagnosed with or potentially exposed to mosquito-borne viruses as part of ongoing dengue and Zika research and vaccine development.

2 Aug 2016

Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy can considerably reduce total HIV DNA levels

A team of researchers, led by Drs. Merlin Robb and Jintanat Ananworanich of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, has found that when antiretroviral therapy (ART) is initiated during early acute HIV infection, it can significantly reduce total HIV DNA levels in the body, which may have implications for the goal of achieving long-term HIV remission.

2 Aug 2016

New research opens door to influencing immune system

A new international collaboration involving scientists at The Scripps Research Institute opens a door to influencing the immune system, which would be useful to boost the effectiveness of vaccines or to counter autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

2 Aug 2016

New drug prevents vaginal and oral transmission of HIV in pre-clinical animal models

HIV remains a major health concern for women and children globally. Worldwide, the majority of new HIV infections occur in young women. Each year, 1.5 million women living with HIV become pregnant.

2 Aug 2016

Cell-free DNA test could help identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection

Today, researchers presented findings at the 68th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting that DNA found circulating in the bloodstream—known as cell-free DNA—can be used to identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection with greater accuracy than conventional liver function tests.

1 Aug 2016

New report urges all European countries to adopt universal vaccination for hepatitis

To coincide with World Hepatitis Day, a new report, commissioned by United European Gastroenterology, calls for all European countries to adopt universal vaccination and harmonised screening programmes for hepatitis, as well as improved neonatal screening, to help speed up the eradication of the disease.

1 Aug 2016

WHO supports deployment of mobile lab for fast-tracking diagnosis of yellow fever

“Treating a yellow fever patient is reliant on having the right diagnosis. This is dependent on having the necessary laboratory capacity to quickly identify the disease,” says Dr Pierre Formenty, an expert in haemorrhagic fevers at WHO and Manager of the Emerging Dangerous Pathogens Laboratory Network.

1 Aug 2016

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Rice University bioengineer receives NIH grant to study use of AAV-based therapy to combat ovarian cancer

People with filariasis show two to three-fold increased risk for HIV

Study shows link between inflammatory biomarkers and prevalence of CAD in HIV-infected men

New Zika cases may help better predict transmission of virus in the U.S, says expert

PD-1-responsive T cells may offer clues to design more effective drugs for cancer

New Valley Fever testing technology developed by TGen and NAU receives U.S. patent

Metabolic-checkpoint inhibitor combination approach may improve cancer therapies

New study provides projections for Zika outbreaks in the Americas through January 2017

Vaccines unsuccessful in protecting obese mice against influenza infections, study finds

Researchers shed light on mechanism for inducing memory B cell differentiation

Scientists seeking blood donations from people exposed to arboviruses for dengue, Zika vaccine research

Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy can considerably reduce total HIV DNA levels

New research opens door to influencing immune system

New drug prevents vaginal and oral transmission of HIV in pre-clinical animal models

Cell-free DNA test could help identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection

New report urges all European countries to adopt universal vaccination for hepatitis

WHO supports deployment of mobile lab for fast-tracking diagnosis of yellow fever

Novel crowdsourced disease surveillance tool may help fight against dengue

Florida reports occurrence of local mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission in four people

Report: Zika cases soar in Puerto Rico

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production