Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Flu vaccine based upon four strains of inactivated influenza enhances flu protection

A flu vaccine given just under the surface of the skin that includes four strains of inactivated influenza could be more protective than a similar flu vaccine containing only three strains, Saint Louis University research found.

16 Mar 2015

Long-term entecavir, TDF effective in chronic HBV in real-world setting

A Turkish clinical practice study shows that entecavir and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate can effectively maintain long-term virological and biochemical responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, both in those with and without cirrhosis.

13 Mar 2015

Factors predictive of sequential nucleos(t)ide analogue, IFN-α therapy response identified

Hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B core-related antigen levels can predict long-term response to sequential nucleos(t)ide analogue and interferon-α therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, research indicates.

13 Mar 2015

HBV genotype C HBeAg seroconversion rate ‘negligible’

Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus genotype C infection who are positive for hepatitis B e antigen should not delay antiviral treatment in the hope of seroconversion, Korean researchers recommend.

13 Mar 2015

Antibiotic nanoparticles can help treat lung infection, prevent drug resistance

Treating respiratory disease is often difficult because drugs have to cross biological barriers such as respiratory tissue and mucosa, and must therefore be given in large quantities in order for an effective amount to reach the target.

13 Mar 2015

Study describes the dual role of microRNA during hepatitis C infection

In the battle between a cell and a virus, either side may resort to subterfuge. Molecular messages, which control the cellular machinery both sides need, are vulnerable to interception or forgery.

13 Mar 2015

Study: New gene therapy safe, effective for patients with hemophilia B

A multi-year, ongoing study suggests that a new kind of gene therapy for hemophilia B could be safe and effective for human patients. Published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the research showed that a reprogrammed retrovirus could successfully transfer new factor IX (clotting) genes into animals with hemophilia B to dramatically decrease spontaneous bleeding.

12 Mar 2015

Finding could lead to more effective, less invasive treatment for 'bubble boy' disease

For infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), something as simple as a common cold or ear infection can be fatal. Born with an incomplete immune system, kids who have SCID--also known as "bubble boy" or "bubble baby" disease--can't fight off even the mildest of germs.

12 Mar 2015

WHO releases first-ever guidance for chronic hepatitis B treatment

WHO today issued its first-ever guidance for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, a viral infection which is spread through blood and body fluids, attacking the liver and resulting in an estimated 650 000 deaths each year - most of them in low- and middle-income countries.

12 Mar 2015

Duke study proposes strategy to protect more people from HPV using limited public funds

A Duke University study proposes a strategy to better use limited public health care dollars for protecting more people from a sexually transmitted infection called human papillomavirus (HPV) and the cancers it can cause.

12 Mar 2015

Understanding strengths and weaknesses of hepatitis C viruses

Using a specially selected library of different hepatitis C viruses, a team of researchers led by Johns Hopkins scientists has identified tiny differences in the pathogens' outer shell proteins that underpin their resistance to antibodies.

12 Mar 2015

Recruitment completed for Phase III PROUD-PV trial of P1101 for treatment of polycythemia vera

PharmaEssentia (Taipei, Taiwan) and AOP Orphan (Vienna, Austria) announce the completion of recruitment for the Phase III trial PROUD-PV to support global marketing of P1101 (Ropeginterferon alfa-2b), a novel, long-acting, mono-pegylated interferon for the first line treatment of polycythemia vera.

11 Mar 2015

Weak spots in ebola’s defenses: an interview with Dr. Andrew Ward

There are hundreds of other antibodies against Ebola that we are in the process of imaging using the electron microscope. We are looking for new sites of vulnerability as well as subtle differences in the way the known sites are attacked. In particular we are looking for antibodies that the virus is unlikely to escape from when it mutates.

11 Mar 2015

New method could lead to improved treatment for NPC patients

Researchers at the University of Birmingham believe that a new method of genetically engineering immune cells could lead to improved treatment of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.

11 Mar 2015

Salk scientists move one step closer to creating drug that could prevent HIV virus

Imagine a single drug that could prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, treat patients who have already contracted HIV, and even remove all the dormant copies of the virus from those with the more advanced disease. It sounds like science fiction, but Salk scientists have gotten one step closer to creating such a drug by customizing a powerful defense system used by many bacteria and training this scissor-like machinery to recognize the HIV virus.

10 Mar 2015

Viagra can have anti-cancer, anti-Alzheimer's disease effects if used with new drugs

Chaperone proteins play an important role in protein folding in human cells and in bacteria and are promising new targets for drugs to treat cancer and Alzheimer's disease and for novel antiviral drugs and antibiotics. How existing drugs such as Viagra or Cialis and a derivative of the drug Celebrex, for example, can reduce the activity of a specific chaperone protein, with the potential for anti-tumor and anti-Alzheimer's disease effects, is described in a Review article in DNA and Cell Biology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

10 Mar 2015

Researchers study effects of pregnancy weight gain on childhood obesity risk among multi-ethnic youth

Unhealthy weight gain in pregnancy has been linked with infant size and body composition but until now little was known about its long-term association with childhood obesity among low-income and multi-ethnic youth.

10 Mar 2015

Clinical study launched to evaluate effectiveness of new HCV therapy in Washington, D.C.

Officials from the National Institutes of Health and the city of Washington, D.C., launched a clinical trial to examine whether primary care physicians and other health care providers, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, can use a new antiviral therapy as effectively as specialist physicians to treat people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

9 Mar 2015

Scientists design a promising vaccine for herpes viruses

Herpes simplex virus infections are an enormous global health problem and there is currently no viable vaccine.

9 Mar 2015

New type of vaccine holds promise for prevention of genital herpes

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have designed a new type of vaccine that could be the first-ever for preventing genital herpes--one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, affecting some 500 million people worldwide.

9 Mar 2015

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Flu vaccine based upon four strains of inactivated influenza enhances flu protection

Long-term entecavir, TDF effective in chronic HBV in real-world setting

Factors predictive of sequential nucleos(t)ide analogue, IFN-α therapy response identified

HBV genotype C HBeAg seroconversion rate ‘negligible’

Antibiotic nanoparticles can help treat lung infection, prevent drug resistance

Study describes the dual role of microRNA during hepatitis C infection

Study: New gene therapy safe, effective for patients with hemophilia B

Finding could lead to more effective, less invasive treatment for 'bubble boy' disease

WHO releases first-ever guidance for chronic hepatitis B treatment

Duke study proposes strategy to protect more people from HPV using limited public funds

Understanding strengths and weaknesses of hepatitis C viruses

Recruitment completed for Phase III PROUD-PV trial of P1101 for treatment of polycythemia vera

Weak spots in ebola’s defenses: an interview with Dr. Andrew Ward

New method could lead to improved treatment for NPC patients

Salk scientists move one step closer to creating drug that could prevent HIV virus

Viagra can have anti-cancer, anti-Alzheimer's disease effects if used with new drugs

Researchers study effects of pregnancy weight gain on childhood obesity risk among multi-ethnic youth

Clinical study launched to evaluate effectiveness of new HCV therapy in Washington, D.C.

Scientists design a promising vaccine for herpes viruses

New type of vaccine holds promise for prevention of genital herpes

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