Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New ways to treat substance abuse, neurological diseases and mental illnesses

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found a way to change alcohol drinking behavior in rodents, using the emerging technique of optogenetics, which uses light to stimulate neurons.

7 Jan 2014

Population Council gets USAID cooperative agreement to develop non-ARV microbicides that block HIV, STI

The Population Council today announced it was awarded a cooperative agreement from the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of HIV and AIDS: "Non-ARV Based Combination Microbicide that Blocks HIV and Other STIs."

6 Jan 2014

The fight against HIV/AIDS: an interview with Dr. Mit Philips, HIV/AIDS Policy Analyst, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

People mainly speak about the progress in HIV/AIDS. We at MSF know and are very conscious of the fact that there has been enormous progress, but the progress is very uneven.

6 Jan 2014

Aratana Therapeutics announces acquisition of Okapi Sciences NV

Aratana Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the licensing, development and commercialization of innovative medications for pets, today announced that it has acquired Okapi Sciences NV, a Belgium-based company with a proprietary pet therapeutics antiviral platform and five clinical/development stage candidates for treating important viral diseases.

6 Jan 2014

Astellas, ClearPath announce strategic partnership to develop vaccine for infectious diseases

Astellas Pharma Inc. (Astellas) and ClearPath Development Company (ClearPath) announced today a strategic partnership to form a portfolio of development companies focused on vaccines targeting infectious diseases.

6 Jan 2014

RegeneRx's Tβ4 gets FDA Orphan Drug designation for treatment of Neurotrophic Keratopathy

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has received Orphan Drug designation from U.S. FDA's Office of Orphan Products Development for its drug candidate, Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), for the treatment of Neurotrophic Keratopathy, a serious degenerative disease of the corneal epithelium (the outside layer of the eye).

5 Jan 2014

EcoHealth Alliance joins Bat Conservation International to conserve bats, safeguard human health

EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization that focuses on local conservation and global health issues, and Bat Conservation International, which works to conserve bats and their habitats around the world, are joining forces in formal partnership.

3 Jan 2014

Shingles may increase risk of stroke in later life, study finds

Having shingles may increase the risk of having a stroke years later, according to research published in the January 2, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Jan 2014

New technique could help researchers unlock the secrets of respiratory syncytial virus

By the time they're two, most children have had respiratory syncytial virus and suffered symptoms no worse than a bad cold. But for some children, especially premature babies and those with underlying health conditions, RSV can lead to pneumonia and bronchitis - which can require hospitalization and have long-term consequences.

30 Dec 2013

BioCryst receives $2.5M to advance development of BCX4430 for Marburg virus disease treatment

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has exercised an option to conduct the investigational new drug enabling program and to submit an IND.

30 Dec 2013

Researchers provide new insights into how common cold virus infects

On average, each of us catches a cold two to three times a year. However, how the common cold virus actually infects us is only partly understood. Researchers from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, in collaboration with two Spanish groups, have now provided new insights into this process.

30 Dec 2013

Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy grants nearly $25M to conduct cancer related gene therapy research

As the potential of gene and cell therapy in fighting cancers grows and oncologists across the nation explore the burgeoning science, doctors have uncovered a stunning development – cancers can be treated using patients' own cells as a weapon, and can eliminate the harrowing, often debilitating effects of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

28 Dec 2013

Researchers complete genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations

Researchers from the Boston area, Mexico, and Norway have completed a comprehensive genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations. The study identified recurrent genetic mutations not previously found in cervical cancer, including at least one for which targeted treatments have been approved for other forms of cancer.

25 Dec 2013

On-site testing for HIV, STIs declines substantially between 2000 and 2011: Study

A survey of opioid treatment programs finds that the proportion offering on-site testing for human immunodeficiency virus and sexually transmitted infections declined substantially between 2000 and 2011, despite guidelines recommending routine opt-out HIV testing in all health care settings, according to a study appearing in the December 25 issue of JAMA.

25 Dec 2013

New tools for neglected diseases: an interview with Dr. BT Slingsby, CEO, GHIT Fund

Nearly 3.3 billion people, a little less than half of our world’s population, are at risk of malaria, TB and what we call “neglected tropical diseases”—diseases caused by worms, parasites, viruses and bacteria like Chagas disease, river blindness, elephantiasis, sleeping sickness, etc.

24 Dec 2013

Study finds link between genes affected by testosterone and antibody responses to influenza vaccine

A new study has identified a link between certain genes affected by testosterone and antibody responses to an influenza vaccine. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that testosterone levels may partially explain why men often have weaker responses to vaccines than women.

24 Dec 2013

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's David Perlin explains how fungal infections can become deadly

Ask someone what the term 'fungus' brings to mind, and chances are it will be an image of something that smells or looks disgusting. Ask David Perlin, executive director of the Public Health Research Institute at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and the response will be far more somber - because he knows how deadly fungi can be.

24 Dec 2013

Researchers report new gene delivery method that targets tumor blood vessels

Working in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report developing a gene delivery method long sought in the field of gene therapy: a deactivated virus carrying a gene of interest that can be injected into the bloodstream and make its way to the right cells.

24 Dec 2013

Research findings reveal how immune system responds to respiratory viral infections

An antibody that blocks a component of a key signaling pathway in the respiratory airways could help the immune system rid the body of the influenza virus, a new study suggests. The findings, from a team at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, not only offer a new approach to treating the flu, but also add new information about how the immune system responds to respiratory viral infections.

24 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Health announcement creates 'utter chaos;' a serious chip in the individual mandate; law's benefits aren't free

Last night, in a stunning reversal, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that Americans who have had their plans canceled will be exempt from enrolling in the exchanges, "because some consumers were finding other coverage options to be more expensive than their cancelled plans or policies."

23 Dec 2013

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New ways to treat substance abuse, neurological diseases and mental illnesses

Population Council gets USAID cooperative agreement to develop non-ARV microbicides that block HIV, STI

The fight against HIV/AIDS: an interview with Dr. Mit Philips, HIV/AIDS Policy Analyst, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Aratana Therapeutics announces acquisition of Okapi Sciences NV

Astellas, ClearPath announce strategic partnership to develop vaccine for infectious diseases

RegeneRx's Tβ4 gets FDA Orphan Drug designation for treatment of Neurotrophic Keratopathy

EcoHealth Alliance joins Bat Conservation International to conserve bats, safeguard human health

Shingles may increase risk of stroke in later life, study finds

New technique could help researchers unlock the secrets of respiratory syncytial virus

BioCryst receives $2.5M to advance development of BCX4430 for Marburg virus disease treatment

Researchers provide new insights into how common cold virus infects

Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy grants nearly $25M to conduct cancer related gene therapy research

Researchers complete genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations

On-site testing for HIV, STIs declines substantially between 2000 and 2011: Study

New tools for neglected diseases: an interview with Dr. BT Slingsby, CEO, GHIT Fund

Study finds link between genes affected by testosterone and antibody responses to influenza vaccine

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's David Perlin explains how fungal infections can become deadly

Researchers report new gene delivery method that targets tumor blood vessels

Research findings reveal how immune system responds to respiratory viral infections

Viewpoints: Health announcement creates 'utter chaos;' a serious chip in the individual mandate; law's benefits aren't free

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