Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New study eliminates hepatitis C virus as causative factor of mental impairment in HIV patients

Advances in treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have made it possible for people with HIV to survive much longer. As they age, however, many experience impaired thinking, memory loss, mood swings and other evidence of impaired mental function.

14 Dec 2014

Laurie T. Krug named Stony Brook University Discovery Prize Fellow

Laurie T. Krug, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Stony Brook University, is the first early career scientist to be named Stony Brook University Discovery Prize Fellow, a new philanthropically-sponsored award established to fund high-risk, high-reward basic research projects.

14 Dec 2014

Zylast selected as a winner of USAID Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge

Zylast products have been selected as one of only three initial winners of the USAID Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge. The announcement, made from the White House, introduces Zylast as a solution to "help healthcare workers on the front lines provide better care and stop the spread of Ebola."

14 Dec 2014

FDA approves Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent vaccine to prevent four strains of influenza virus

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent vaccine.

13 Dec 2014

MD Anderson president applauds FDA's approval of new vaccine for HPV-related cancers

The Food and Drug Administration's approval of a new vaccine that targets five additional strains of human papilloma virus (HPV) fortifies a proven cancer-prevention weapon, according to Ronald A. DePinho, M.D., president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

12 Dec 2014

KU, WHO researchers partner to develop case studies to better understand new cases of Ebola

In the midst of the chaos that is the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, a small group of University of Kansas researchers is quietly partnering with their colleagues in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Regional Office. Together, they are developing case studies to help understand what has worked in those areas of Liberia where the spread of Ebola Virus Disease has waned.

11 Dec 2014

Pitt researcher receives NSF grant to explore how long Ebola virus survives in environment

The Ebola virus travels from person to person through direct contact with infected body fluids. But how long can the virus survive on glass surfaces or countertops? How long can it live in wastewater when liquid wastes from a patient end up in the sewage system? In an article published Dec. 9 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, Kyle Bibby of the University of Pittsburgh reviews the latest research to find answers to these questions.

11 Dec 2014

New study investigates Ebola protein

A new study by Robert Stahelin, an adjunct associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame and an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend, as well as a member of Notre Dame's Eck Institute for Global Health, investigates how the most abundant protein that composes the Ebola virus, VP 40, mediates replication of a new viral particle.

11 Dec 2014

Potential new active substances for treating dengue virus

Researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg are proposing potential new active substances for treating the dengue virus. Just like Ebola, dengue fever is also caused by a virus for which there is currently no cure and no vaccine and can be fatal.

11 Dec 2014

Added benefit of daclatasvir drug not proven for chronic hepatitis C infection

The drug daclatasvir (trade name Daklinza) has been available since August 2014 for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care examined in a dossier assessment whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.

11 Dec 2014

Simple tips to keep families safe from flu

The flu, or seasonal influenza virus, is extremely unpredictable. Its severity can vary widely from one season to the next depending on many things, including the strains of flu spreading, availability of vaccines, how many people get vaccinated and how well the flu vaccine is matched to the flu viruses circulating each season.

10 Dec 2014

Treatment guidelines lacking for Ebola patients, say infectious diseases experts

As the Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD) epidemic continues to rage in West Africa, infectious diseases experts call attention to the striking lack of treatment guidelines. With over 16,000 total cases and more than 500 new infections reported per week, and probable underreporting of both cases and fatalities, the medical community still does not have specific approved treatment in place for Ebola, according to an editorial published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

10 Dec 2014

Study: Simeprevir-based therapy proves effective in treating chronic HCV infection

Researchers at Penn Medicine, in collaboration with a multi-center international team, have shown that a protease inhibitor, simeprevir, a once a day pill, along with interferon and ribavirin has proven as effective in treating chronic Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) as telaprevir with interferon and ribavirin, the standard of care in developing countries.

10 Dec 2014

Immunizing school-aged children from flu can protect others as well

Mathematical models predicted it, and now a University of Florida study confirms it: Immunizing school-aged children from flu can protect other segments of the population, as well.

10 Dec 2014

Drug proves effective at inhibiting growth of drug-resistant bacteria

A treatment pioneered at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research is far more effective than traditional antibiotics at inhibiting the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, including so-called "superbugs" resistant to almost all existing antibiotics, which plague hospitals and nursing homes.

10 Dec 2014

Scientists identify brain mechanism that drives our appetite for glucose-rich foods

Scientists have discovered a mechanism in the brain that may drive our appetite for foods rich in glucose and could lead to improved treatments for obesity.

10 Dec 2014

Focus Diagnostics' Simplexa Flu A/B & RSV Direct Kit receive FDA clearance

As the 2014-2015 flu season begins, Focus Diagnostics, the products business of Quest Diagnostics, today announced that its Simplexa Flu A/B & RSV Direct Kit has received FDA clearance for eight additional influenza strains. These strains may pose significant potential health risks and may be circulating this winter.

From Quest Diagnostics 9 Dec 2014

ContraVir begins pharmacokinetic study of FV-100 for treating shingles

ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of targeted antiviral therapies, announced today that it has initiated a pharmacokinetic (PK) study of FV-100, the Company's clinical-stage antiviral for treating shingles.

9 Dec 2014

Malaria deaths decline by 54% in Africa, 47% worldwide

The number of people dying from malaria has fallen dramatically since 2000 and malaria cases are also steadily declining, according to the World Malaria Report 2014. Between 2000 and 2013, the malaria mortality rate decreased by 47% worldwide and by 54% in the WHO African Region - where about 90% of malaria deaths occur.

9 Dec 2014

Infant mortality rates for RSV much lower than previously thought

It's a virus that has long been characterized as dangerous and even deadly, but new research shows infant deaths from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are actually quite uncommon in the 21st century.

9 Dec 2014

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New study eliminates hepatitis C virus as causative factor of mental impairment in HIV patients

Laurie T. Krug named Stony Brook University Discovery Prize Fellow

Zylast selected as a winner of USAID Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge

FDA approves Fluzone Intradermal Quadrivalent vaccine to prevent four strains of influenza virus

MD Anderson president applauds FDA's approval of new vaccine for HPV-related cancers

KU, WHO researchers partner to develop case studies to better understand new cases of Ebola

Pitt researcher receives NSF grant to explore how long Ebola virus survives in environment

New study investigates Ebola protein

Potential new active substances for treating dengue virus

Added benefit of daclatasvir drug not proven for chronic hepatitis C infection

Simple tips to keep families safe from flu

Treatment guidelines lacking for Ebola patients, say infectious diseases experts

Study: Simeprevir-based therapy proves effective in treating chronic HCV infection

Immunizing school-aged children from flu can protect others as well

Drug proves effective at inhibiting growth of drug-resistant bacteria

Scientists identify brain mechanism that drives our appetite for glucose-rich foods

Focus Diagnostics' Simplexa Flu A/B & RSV Direct Kit receive FDA clearance

ContraVir begins pharmacokinetic study of FV-100 for treating shingles

Malaria deaths decline by 54% in Africa, 47% worldwide

Infant mortality rates for RSV much lower than previously thought

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