Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers devise system to accelerate the process of making life-saving vaccines

Researchers at Brigham Young University have devised a system to speed up the process of making life-saving vaccines for new viruses.

20 Nov 2015

New drug combination may reduce need for complex regimens to treat hepatitis C

The prognosis for people with hepatitis C has improved dramatically in the last few years, thanks to the introduction of direct-acting anti-viral medications, including Harvoni (the brand name for a combination of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) and Viekira Pack (a mix of ombitasvir, paritaprevir, ritonavir and dasabuvir).

19 Nov 2015

New technique improves accuracy of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

A new CRISPR/Cas9 technology developed by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is precise enough to surgically edit DNA at nearly any genomic location, while avoiding potentially harmful off-target changes typically seen in standard CRISPR gene editing techniques.

19 Nov 2015

Clinical study shows new Ebola vaccine stimulates strong immune responses in adults

A clinical trial of a new Ebola vaccine (ChAd3-EBO-Z) that resulted from an unprecedented global consortium assembled at the behest of the World Health Organization has found that it is well tolerated and stimulates strong immune responses in adults in Mali, West Africa and in the US, according to a study published in the latest issue of the journal Lancet Infectious Disease.

19 Nov 2015

NIAID launches major initiative to advance novel approaches to treat, prevent HIV infections

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, launched a major initiative to advance novel approaches to treat and prevent HIV infections based on broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) today.

19 Nov 2015

Gamma interferon may have potential to prevent Ebola infection

The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed more than 11,300 lives and starkly revealed the lack of effective options for treating or preventing the disease. Progress has been made on developing vaccines, but there is still a need for antiviral therapies to protect health care workers and local populations in the event of future outbreaks.

18 Nov 2015

Low vitamin D levels may limit effectiveness of HIV treatment

A University of Georgia researcher has found that low levels of vitamin D may limit the effectiveness of HIV treatment in adults.

18 Nov 2015

Discovery of new virus could pave way for stopping mosquito-borne disease outbreaks

Australian scientists have discovered a new virus carried by one of the country's most common pest mosquitoes. The new virus -- known as Parramatta River virus -- infects only mosquitoes and doesn't pose any direct health risks to people, according to University of Queensland (UQ) and University of Sydney researchers.

18 Nov 2015

TSRI researchers have new weapons to combat HIV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have new weapons in the fight against HIV. Their new study, published November 17, 2015 as the cover article of the journal Immunity, describes four prototype antibodies that target a specific weak spot on the virus. Guided by these antibodies, the researchers then mimicked the molecular structure of a protein on HIV when designing their own potential HIV vaccine candidate.

18 Nov 2015

Positive data from AbbVie's HCV clinical development program presented at The Liver Meeting of AASLD

AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced data from the SURVEYOR studies of its investigational HCV regimen, ABT-493, an NS3/4A protease inhibitor, and ABT-530, an NS5A inhibitor, that show high rates of sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR 12) in non-cirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

17 Nov 2015

Scientists show how absence of microbiota has remarkable effect against obesity

In the past few years, research on gut microbiota (that is, all microorganisms, mainly bacteria, inhabiting our gut) has started to unravel its tremendous role in our body, and how it symbiotically affects the functioning of our organs. In particular, microbiota has also an impact on the way calories are absorbed and how fat cells develop.

17 Nov 2015

Improved gene therapy treatment shows promise in mice with cystic fibrosis

An improved gene therapy treatment can cure mice with cystic fibrosis (CF). Cell cultures from CF patients, too, respond well to the treatment. Those are the encouraging results of a study presented by the Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy at KU Leuven, Belgium.

17 Nov 2015

New cancer control interventions may decrease cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries

In low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 5.5 million of the world’s 8 million cancer deaths occur each year, most people with cancer have little or no access to treatment and many die in severe pain for lack of inexpensive opioid pain medicine.

17 Nov 2015

UC Irvine Health researchers develop one-step test to detect HCV infections

UC Irvine Health researchers have developed a cost-effective one-step test that screens, detects and confirms hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Dr. Ke-Qin Hu, director of hepatology services, will present findings at the Annual Meeting of American Association for the Study of Liver Disease in San Francisco, Nov. 14-16. Current blood-based HCV testing requires two steps and can be expensive, inconvenient and is not widely available or affordable globally.

15 Nov 2015

FixHepC Buyers Club exposes weakness in Australian healthcare, assists patients to import life saving medication

In one of the greatest advances in medicine in decades, Hepatitis C is now largely curable. Over 200,000 Australians suffer from Hepatitis C. However the US manufacturer, Gilead Sciences Inc is attempting to charge the PBS $84,000 for a 12 week course of medication that costs under $200 dollars to manufacture.

13 Nov 2015

CHOP researchers delay symptoms, extend lifespan in animal model of Batten disease

Researchers have taken a significant step forward in developing gene therapy against a fatal neurodegenerative disease that strikes children. By delivering a working version of a gene to produce a key enzyme that is lacking in Batten disease, the scientists delayed symptoms and extended lifespan in dogs with a comparable disease.

12 Nov 2015

Discovery could offer clues to how some viruses control expression of genetic material

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Michigan have produced the first image of an important human protein as it binds with ribonucleic acid (RNA), a discovery that could offer clues to how some viruses, including HIV, control expression of their genetic material.

12 Nov 2015

Montefiore and Einstein researchers awarded $14 million PCORI grant for hepatitis C research

A research team at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine led by Alain Litwin, M.D., was awarded $14 million by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to determine how best to treat hepatitis C among people who inject drugs (PWID), a group with a high rate of infection.

11 Nov 2015

Dengue-infected patients with few or no symptoms transmit virus to mosquitoes

Scientists at the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, the Institut Pasteur in Paris and the CNRS provided proof that people infected by dengue virus but showing no clinical symptoms can actually infect mosquitoes that bite them.

11 Nov 2015

Simple self-rating of health accurately predicts susceptibility to common cold

New research from Carnegie Mellon University psychologists shows that a simple self-rating of health accurately predicts susceptibility to the common cold in healthy adults aged 18-55 years. Published in Psychosomatic Medicine, the study - led by CMU's Sheldon Cohen - indicates that low self-rated-health is associated with poorer immune system competence.

10 Nov 2015

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers devise system to accelerate the process of making life-saving vaccines

New drug combination may reduce need for complex regimens to treat hepatitis C

New technique improves accuracy of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

Clinical study shows new Ebola vaccine stimulates strong immune responses in adults

NIAID launches major initiative to advance novel approaches to treat, prevent HIV infections

Gamma interferon may have potential to prevent Ebola infection

Low vitamin D levels may limit effectiveness of HIV treatment

Discovery of new virus could pave way for stopping mosquito-borne disease outbreaks

TSRI researchers have new weapons to combat HIV

Positive data from AbbVie's HCV clinical development program presented at The Liver Meeting of AASLD

Scientists show how absence of microbiota has remarkable effect against obesity

Improved gene therapy treatment shows promise in mice with cystic fibrosis

New cancer control interventions may decrease cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries

UC Irvine Health researchers develop one-step test to detect HCV infections

FixHepC Buyers Club exposes weakness in Australian healthcare, assists patients to import life saving medication

CHOP researchers delay symptoms, extend lifespan in animal model of Batten disease

Discovery could offer clues to how some viruses control expression of genetic material

Montefiore and Einstein researchers awarded $14 million PCORI grant for hepatitis C research

Dengue-infected patients with few or no symptoms transmit virus to mosquitoes

Simple self-rating of health accurately predicts susceptibility to common cold

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