Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Liberia expects all-clear for Ebola, but further flare-ups are likely, warn experts

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially announces that Liberia is free of Ebola transmission, finally bringing an end to the 2-year epidemic that has infected nearly 29,000 people and claimed more than 11,000 lives across Africa.

14 Jan 2016

Researchers engineer antibodies that could potently neutralize two deadliest strains of Ebola virus

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases have engineered the first antibodies that can potently neutralize the two deadliest strains of the virus that causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

13 Jan 2016

Simple paper test could confirm presence of illnesses even before patients feel symptoms

A multi-disciplinary team of researchers has developed a new diagnostic test that can change the medical landscape by making it possible for patients to quickly determine if they are infected with an illness, using a simple paper test sensitive enough to detect markers of various illnesses using minute amounts of blood, sweat, or other biological material.

13 Jan 2016

Estrogen may protect women against flu

The female sex hormone estrogen has anti-viral effects against the influenza A virus, commonly known as the flu, a new study in American Journal of Physiology—Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology reports.

13 Jan 2016

Inflammation associated with elevated glutamate in the brain could guide depression treatments

Psychiatrists investigating depression have been energized in recent years by reports of rapid, successful treatment with drugs that interfere with the brain chemical glutamate, such as the anesthetic ketamine.

13 Jan 2016

Pre-existing nutritional deficits, immune dysfunction may increase hepatitis E risk during pregnancy

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found a link between pre-existing nutritional deficits and immune dysfunction and the risk of hepatitis E infection during pregnancy.

12 Jan 2016

Not all pediatricians recommend HPV vaccine for eleven- and twelve-year olds

In a society that has become increasingly suspicious of vaccines, it's not only parents who stand in the way of some children getting vaccinated for human papillomavirus (HPV). A new study published in Pediatrics shows not all pediatricians are recommending or even discussing the HPV virus for eleven- and twelve-year olds.

12 Jan 2016

AbbVie begins six global Phase 3 clinical studies to evaluate efficacy of investigational HCV regimen

AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced the initiation of six global Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of its all-oral, once-daily, ribavirin-free investigational hepatitis C virus (HCV) regimen, ABT-493, an NS3/4A protease inhibitor, and ABT-530, an NS5A inhibitor, in patients with genotypes 1-6 (GT1-6) chronic HCV infection.

12 Jan 2016

Synpromics, Cell Therapy Catapult to create stable producer cell lines for large-scale manufacture of viral vectors

Synpromics Ltd, a leading synthetic biology company, and The Cell Therapy Catapult, the UK organisation accelerating the growth of the UK cell and gene therapy industry by bridging the gap between scientific research and commercialisation, today announce the launch of a collaboration to remove a major barrier to the development of the cell and gene therapy industry by reducing the cost and increasing the scale and efficiency of viral vector manufacturing.

12 Jan 2016

Researchers use quick screening method to identify, test promising anti-Ebola drugs

A quick screening method has been used for the first time in a standard open laboratory to identify and test promising anti-Ebola drugs. This approach increases the possibility of finding new therapies faster.

12 Jan 2016

New gene editing technique could hinder retinal degeneration in rats with inherited blindness

A new technique that has the potential to treat inherited diseases by removing genetic defects has been shown for the first time to hinder retinal degeneration in rats with a type of inherited blindness, according to a Cedars-Sinai study.

11 Jan 2016

Ebola health-care workers develop guidelines for treating children during future outbreaks

When the Ebola virus outbreak erupted in West Africa in 2014, children infected with the virus -- particularly those under age 5 -- faced overwhelming challenges. Not only was there a high death rate among young children infected with the disease, they often were isolated from their families, leaving them feeling distressed and without the intensive care they needed.

8 Jan 2016

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

The conclusion drawn from a recent study that insertion of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) into human DNA causes mutations leading to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was resoundingly rejected by leading researchers in the fields of gene therapy and molecular genetics.

7 Jan 2016

Discovery may pave way for more effective treatments for pandemics, seasonal flu

Scientists at Imperial College London have discovered how flu viruses 'hijack' cell machinery when they infect the body. The findings, published in the journal Nature, may pave the way for more effective antiviral treatments for pandemics and for seasonal flu, which infects over 800 million people worldwide every year.

7 Jan 2016

Scientists demonstrate workings of CCL2 mechanism that stimulates nerve regeneration

The peripheral nervous system is a vast network of nerves that exists primarily outside of brain and spinal cord and connects to the far reaches of the body. The very expanse of peripheral nerves makes them highly vulnerable to injuries such as blunt-force blows, cuts, and leg and arm fractures, as well as diseases that attack peripheral nerves such as diabetes, Charcot-Marie-Tooth, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

6 Jan 2016

Scripps biologist describes major advancement in flu vaccine research

Every fall, millions of people roll up their sleeves to get a flu shot. Up to 20 percent of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with flu complications each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While seasonal vaccines provide some protection, they are not always effective because the strains of influenza virus in the vaccine may not be well matched to the flu viruses circulating that year. So researchers are searching for a way to develop a more universal vaccine that would be effective against any variety of influenza.

5 Jan 2016

Study reveals promising mechanism for attacking Ebola virus

In late December, nearly two years after the epidemic began, the World Health Organization has declared the African country of Guinea to be free of Ebola virus infections. But, the race to find a cure and therapies to combat the disease are forging ahead as officials warn that inattention could lead to another epidemic.

5 Jan 2016

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

Minor variants of flu strains, which are not typically targeted in vaccines, carry a bigger viral punch than previously realized, a team of scientists has found. Its research, which examined samples from the 2009 flu pandemic in Hong Kong, shows that these minor strains are transmitted along with the major strains and can replicate and elude immunizations.

5 Jan 2016

UT Southwestern scientists use new gene-editing technique to prevent progression of DMD in young mice

Using a new gene-editing technique, a team of scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center stopped progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in young mice.

4 Jan 2016

Researchers successfully use CRISPR to treat adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers have used CRISPR to treat an adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This marks the first time that CRISPR has successfully treated a genetic disease inside a fully developed living mammal with a strategy that has the potential to be translated to human therapy.

4 Jan 2016

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Liberia expects all-clear for Ebola, but further flare-ups are likely, warn experts

Researchers engineer antibodies that could potently neutralize two deadliest strains of Ebola virus

Simple paper test could confirm presence of illnesses even before patients feel symptoms

Estrogen may protect women against flu

Inflammation associated with elevated glutamate in the brain could guide depression treatments

Pre-existing nutritional deficits, immune dysfunction may increase hepatitis E risk during pregnancy

Not all pediatricians recommend HPV vaccine for eleven- and twelve-year olds

AbbVie begins six global Phase 3 clinical studies to evaluate efficacy of investigational HCV regimen

Synpromics, Cell Therapy Catapult to create stable producer cell lines for large-scale manufacture of viral vectors

Researchers use quick screening method to identify, test promising anti-Ebola drugs

New gene editing technique could hinder retinal degeneration in rats with inherited blindness

Ebola health-care workers develop guidelines for treating children during future outbreaks

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

Discovery may pave way for more effective treatments for pandemics, seasonal flu

Scientists demonstrate workings of CCL2 mechanism that stimulates nerve regeneration

Scripps biologist describes major advancement in flu vaccine research

Study reveals promising mechanism for attacking Ebola virus

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

UT Southwestern scientists use new gene-editing technique to prevent progression of DMD in young mice

Researchers successfully use CRISPR to treat adult mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

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