Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New genetic programs for taking blank-slate stem cells and turning them into human blood

The ability to reliably and safely make in the laboratory all of the different types of cells in human blood is one key step closer to reality.

14 Jul 2014

Research roundup: Clinics and electronic records; young adults baffled by exchange; Medicare spending slowdown

We found that in 2012 nine out of ten health centers had adopted a EHR system, and half had adopted EHRs with basic capabilities. Seven in ten health centers reported that their providers were receiving meaningful-use incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

14 Jul 2014

Extra dose of polio vaccine boosts immunity in children under 5 years old

Giving children under 5 years old an extra dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) helps to boost their immunity to the poliovirus and should be added to vaccination programmes in polio-endemic countries and those facing a high risk of imported cases, suggests new research published in The Lancet.

14 Jul 2014

HIV detected in Mississippi baby after apparent cure

In November 2013, it was reported that an infant (known as the “Mississippi baby”) had been in prolonged remission from HIV and was apparently cured. However, after 2 years without taking antiretroviral therapy and having no evidence of the virus, the child now has detectable levels of HIV.

11 Jul 2014

Mississippi baby: Infant seemingly cured of HIV has detectable levels of HIV

The child known as the "Mississippi baby"-an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection in The New England Journal of Medicine last fall-now has detectable levels of HIV after more than two years of not taking antiretroviral therapy without evidence of virus, according to the pediatric HIV specialist and researchers involved in the case.

11 Jul 2014

Bacterial respiratory tract colonization before catching influenza may protect against severe disease

Many studies have shown that more severe illness and even death are likely to result if you develop a secondary respiratory infection after developing influenza. Now, however, a team of researchers based at The Wistar Institute has determined that if you reverse the order of infection, the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae (often called pneumococcus) may actually protect against a bad case of the flu.

11 Jul 2014

Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes increase risk of West Nile virus

Mosquitoes infected with the bacteria Wolbachia are more likely to become infected with West Nile virus and more likely to transmit the virus to humans, according to a team of researchers.

11 Jul 2014

Study reveals how HIV virus spreads infection

Research led by the University of Adelaide has provided new insights into how the HIV virus greatly boosts its chances of spreading infection, and why HIV is so hard to combat.

10 Jul 2014

National Gay Blood Drive to take place on July 11, 2014

On Friday, July 11, the second annual nationwide National Gay Blood Drive (NGBD) will take place to raise public awareness and increase pressure on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change its policy on the long-standing ban on blood donation by men who have had sex with other men (MSM) – a restriction that has been in place since 1983.

10 Jul 2014

Pathogen and ranavirus also contribute in amphibian extinctions

Amphibian declines and extinctions around the world have been linked to an emerging fungal disease called chytridiomycosis, but new research from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) shows that another pathogen, ranavirus, may also contribute.

10 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Misreading Hobby Lobby; calmer climate for ACA; danger of tuberculosis, measles

Liberals should spend less time lauding the dissents in last week's Hobby Lobby decision by the U.S. Supreme Court and more time reading them.

9 Jul 2014

Scientists develop chip for detection of RNA strand of dengue fever virus

Scientists at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) in Mexico developed a chip (also known as cDNA microarray) that allows detection of the RNA strand of the dengue fever virus.

7 Jul 2014

Research roundup: 20M gain insurance, coverage's effect on surgery choices; opioid use by service members

This report aims to help readers understand recently announced enrollment numbers, as well as other numbers that have received less attention, and assess their importance for the future of the ACA and our health care system. .

4 Jul 2014

Multicenter trial aims to find safety, effectiveness of probiotics in infants with stomach flu

Consumers worldwide spend billions of dollars each year on probiotic foods and supplements. But studies evaluating probiotics - microorganisms believed to aid digestive health - have been limited.

4 Jul 2014

Scientists produce drug compound with potential to block HIV transmission in women

Scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering's Biological Process Development Facility have successfully produced a drug compound with potential to block HIV transmission in women.

4 Jul 2014

Researchers discover how metal beryllium triggers deadly immune response in the lungs

Using exquisitely detailed maps of molecular shapes and the electrical charges surrounding them, researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how the metal beryllium triggers a deadly immune response in the lungs.

3 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Court complicates women's health care; decouple work and coverage; Cuomo's fight against AIDS

The 5-4 decision, which runs 89 pages (including a 35-page dissent), is a messy, sprawling affair. The majority insists that its reach is narrow, while the dissent holds otherwise. What's clear is that the ruling will needlessly complicate not only constitutional and corporate law but also -- at least as significant -- health care for women who work at such companies (6/30).

3 Jul 2014

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

A new meta-analysis published online in PLOS ONE by infectious disease and epidemiology specialists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care that will prove useful as the U.S. health care system continues to see an influx of patients with the disease because of improved screening efforts and new, promising drugs.

3 Jul 2014

Isis Pharmaceuticals gets $1 million from GSK to discover and develop drugs for HBV

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has earned a $1 million payment from GlaxoSmithKline related to the advancement of its program to develop antisense drugs to treat hepatitis B virus (HBV).

2 Jul 2014

MedImmune initiates MEDI8897 phase I clinical studies for treatment of RSV infections

AIMM Therapeutics, a leading human therapeutic antibody company, today announced that its partner MedImmune, LLC, the global biologics unit of AstraZeneca, has initiated phase I clinical studies with MEDI8897, a best-in-class antibody for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in young, at risk children.

2 Jul 2014

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New genetic programs for taking blank-slate stem cells and turning them into human blood

Research roundup: Clinics and electronic records; young adults baffled by exchange; Medicare spending slowdown

Extra dose of polio vaccine boosts immunity in children under 5 years old

HIV detected in Mississippi baby after apparent cure

Mississippi baby: Infant seemingly cured of HIV has detectable levels of HIV

Bacterial respiratory tract colonization before catching influenza may protect against severe disease

Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes increase risk of West Nile virus

Study reveals how HIV virus spreads infection

National Gay Blood Drive to take place on July 11, 2014

Pathogen and ranavirus also contribute in amphibian extinctions

Viewpoints: Misreading Hobby Lobby; calmer climate for ACA; danger of tuberculosis, measles

Scientists develop chip for detection of RNA strand of dengue fever virus

Research roundup: 20M gain insurance, coverage's effect on surgery choices; opioid use by service members

Multicenter trial aims to find safety, effectiveness of probiotics in infants with stomach flu

Scientists produce drug compound with potential to block HIV transmission in women

Researchers discover how metal beryllium triggers deadly immune response in the lungs

Viewpoints: Court complicates women's health care; decouple work and coverage; Cuomo's fight against AIDS

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

Isis Pharmaceuticals gets $1 million from GSK to discover and develop drugs for HBV

MedImmune initiates MEDI8897 phase I clinical studies for treatment of RSV infections

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