Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New influenza vaccine delivered via microneedle avoids pain and side effects

Scientists have developed an influenza vaccine delivered via microneedle patch that provided 100 percent protection against a lethal influenza virus in mice more than one year after vaccination. They report their findings in the September 2013 issue of the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.

5 Sep 2013

Researchers hope to protect humans from another deadly outbreak like HIV

Throughout Asia, humans and monkeys live side-by side in many urban areas. An international research team from the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Jahangirnagar University has been examining transmission of a virus from monkeys to humans in Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated countries.

5 Sep 2013

Blocking a protein helps virus to thrive and restore immune function to fight HCV infection

The hepatitis C virus hijacks the body's immune system, leaving T cells unable to function. A new study in animal models suggests that blocking a protein that helps the virus thrive could restore immune function, allowing the body to fight infection. The work, led by teams at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Emory University, was published online Aug. 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

4 Sep 2013

Precisely designed macromolecule mimics binding of HIV to immune system cells

A precisely designed macromolecule that mimics the binding of HIV to immune system cells could be used to stop the virus from physically entering the body, according to a new study led by a materials scientist at Queen Mary University of London.

4 Sep 2013

Taiwan's HBV immunization program for newborns lowers chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC

"Hepatitis B virus infection causes infant fulminant hepatitis, and chronic HBV infection may progress to chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Taiwan launched a nationwide HBV immunization program for newborns in July 1984, which has successfully lowered the prevalence of chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC, and mortality of IFH in vaccinated birth cohorts. The mortality of CLD before and after HBV immunization has never been examined," write Chun-Ju Chiang, Ph.D., of National Taiwan University, Taipei, and colleagues.

4 Sep 2013

New vaccine to protect against four strains of flu virus

For the first time, there will be a vaccine which protects against four strains of the flu virus. Until now, flu vaccines have only protected against three forms of the virus.

4 Sep 2013

Scientists estimate minimum of 320,000 viruses in mammals

Scientists estimate that there is a minimum of 320,000 viruses in mammals awaiting discovery. Collecting evidence of these viruses, or even a majority of them, they say, could provide information critical to early detection and mitigation of disease outbreaks in humans.

3 Sep 2013

Scientists determine new strategy to estimate total viral diversity in mammals

EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization that focuses on local conservation and global health issues, and the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health announced a new strategy to identify the total number of wildlife viruses that could potentially cause emerging disease outbreaks that threaten both public and wildlife health.

3 Sep 2013

Argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA) and gene therapy: an interview with Dr Julien Baruteau, UCL Institute for Women's Health, London

This rare genetic condition can theoretically affect patients at any age but symptoms are more often observed in childhood and even uncommonly during the first days of life.

2 Sep 2013

Researchers develop new model to predict treatment success more accurately

The HI virus is feared, not least, because of its great adaptability. If the virus mutates at precisely the point targeted by a drug, it is able to neutralise the attack and the treatment fails. To minimise these viral defence mechanisms, doctors treat patients with modern combination therapies involving the simultaneous administration of several drugs. This approach forces the virus to run through a series of mutations before it becomes immune to the drugs.

2 Sep 2013

New delivery system for combination of 2 FDA approved drugs to fight HIV

A University of Minnesota research team featuring researchers from the Institute for Molecular Virology, School of Dentistry and Center for Drug Design has developed a new delivery system for a combination of two FDA approved drugs that may serve as an effective treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

31 Aug 2013

Research findings could lead to new therapeutic approaches for liver cancer

Liver cancer (Hepatocellular Carcinoma, HCC) usually arises as the result of a chronic, inflammatory liver disease. The most common causes here are excessive alcohol consumption as well as a high-fat diet and also chronic infection with the hepatitis viruses B and C. In the course of the inflammatory process, the liver cells (hepatocytes) die more frequently due to programmed cell death.

30 Aug 2013

AARDA study reveals mothers antibodies may cause autism in babies

A new, large-scale study of more than 2,700 mothers of children with autism shows that about one in 10 mothers have antibodies in their bloodstream that react with proteins in the brain of their babies.

29 Aug 2013

Eight additional cases of MERS-CoV infection confirmed in Saudi Arabia

WHO has been informed of an additional eight laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in Saudi Arabia.

29 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Upton says GOP health ideas overlooked; tying insurance to jobs is a bad idea

In a troubling denial of reality, President Obama now claims that Republicans have no ideas when it comes to health care, saying "they don't have an agenda to provide health insurance to people at affordable rates." But Republicans do have answers – a lot of them (Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., 8/27).

29 Aug 2013

HCV treatment with sofosbuvir and ribavirin results in sustained virologic response

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection with the interferon-free regimen of sofosbuvir and ribavirin resulted in a high sustained virologic response rate in a patient population with unfavorable treatment characteristics, according to a study in the August 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Aug 2013

Study: Apoptosis triggers alternate replication pathway in HHV

Washington, DC-Researchers from Children's National Medical Center have found that an alternate, "escape" replication process triggered by apoptosis-the process of cell death or "cell suicide"-appears to be common in human herpesviruses (HHV).

28 Aug 2013

Virttu Biologics treats first cohort of patients in SEPREHVIR Phase I/IIa study

Virttu Biologics Limited, a UK biotechnology company with expertise in the field of oncolytic viruses, has announced that it has treated the first cohort of patients in its Phase I/IIa clinical study of its oncolytic virus, SEPREHVIR (HSV1716) for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

27 Aug 2013

BiondVax: Priming with universal flu vaccine makes conventional bird flu vaccine effective against pandemic strains

BiondVax announced today that priming with universal flu vaccine before boosting with a conventional bird flu H5N1 vaccine (containing a single strain from Clade 1) resulted in mice exhibiting a significantly higher level of immunity to the strain contained in the conventional bird flu vaccine and in addition, broadened immunity to other H5N1 flu strains (from Clade 2).

27 Aug 2013

Plymouth researcher receives award to develop lab-based mouse cell for research work

A researcher from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has received an award of - 94,365 (Sterling) from the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), for a pilot study to develop the lab-based creation of a type of mouse cell which could be used in place of the live animals for research related to infectious and allergic lung conditions.

27 Aug 2013

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New influenza vaccine delivered via microneedle avoids pain and side effects

Researchers hope to protect humans from another deadly outbreak like HIV

Blocking a protein helps virus to thrive and restore immune function to fight HCV infection

Precisely designed macromolecule mimics binding of HIV to immune system cells

Taiwan's HBV immunization program for newborns lowers chronic HBV carriers, incidence of HCC

New vaccine to protect against four strains of flu virus

Scientists estimate minimum of 320,000 viruses in mammals

Scientists determine new strategy to estimate total viral diversity in mammals

Argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA) and gene therapy: an interview with Dr Julien Baruteau, UCL Institute for Women's Health, London

Researchers develop new model to predict treatment success more accurately

New delivery system for combination of 2 FDA approved drugs to fight HIV

Research findings could lead to new therapeutic approaches for liver cancer

AARDA study reveals mothers antibodies may cause autism in babies

Eight additional cases of MERS-CoV infection confirmed in Saudi Arabia

Viewpoints: Upton says GOP health ideas overlooked; tying insurance to jobs is a bad idea

HCV treatment with sofosbuvir and ribavirin results in sustained virologic response

Study: Apoptosis triggers alternate replication pathway in HHV

Virttu Biologics treats first cohort of patients in SEPREHVIR Phase I/IIa study

BiondVax: Priming with universal flu vaccine makes conventional bird flu vaccine effective against pandemic strains

Plymouth researcher receives award to develop lab-based mouse cell for research work

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