Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New findings may lead to first new animal model for hepatitis C virus

By differentiating monkey stem cells into liver cells and inducing successful infection, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have shown for the first time that the hepatitis C virus can replicate in monkeys, according to research published in the journal Gastroenterology.

3 Aug 2013

Physicians prescribe strongest antibiotics capable of killing multiple kinds of bacteria

When U.S. physicians prescribe antibiotics, more than 60 percent of the time they choose some of the strongest types of antibiotics, referred to as "broad spectrum," which are capable of killing multiple kinds of bacteria, University of Utah researchers show in a new study.

2 Aug 2013

Scientists prevent cell sleep to reduce chance of tumor recurrence

An international research team led by University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) scientists discovered that by preventing cancer cells from entering a state of cellular sleep, cancer drugs are more effective, and there is a lower chance of cancer recurrence.

2 Aug 2013

UCLA researchers develop treatment approach for breast cancer metastasized to brain

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) have successfully combined cellular therapy and gene therapy in a mouse model system to develop a viable treatment strategy for breast cancer that has metastasized, or spread, to the patient's brain.

2 Aug 2013

Prevention against EEE and West Nile virus is within everyone's control

Every year reported cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis and the West Nile virus surface in communities around the country, raising concerns and questions about mosquito borne-illnesses. Despite reports that children and the elderly are at greatest risk, anyone can be stricken by these viruses. But prevention is within everyone's control.

1 Aug 2013

Researchers secure $16 million NIH grant to investigate impact of HIV/AIDS on women

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center today announced they received a $16 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on women.

31 Jul 2013

Researchers study how human herpes virus packages genetic information during infection

An international collaboration of researchers including Felicia Goodrum of the University of Arizona's immunobiology department has studied how a human herpes virus carried by the majority of the population packages its genetic information during infection.

31 Jul 2013

Study: About 50% of fibromyalgia patients have nerve damage

About half of a small group of patients with fibromyalgia - a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms - was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN). Unlike fibromyalgia, which has had no known causes and few effective treatments, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured.

31 Jul 2013

Interferon-free treatment for genotype-1b hepatitis C patients: an interview with Professor Wulf Boecher, Boehringer Ingelheim

Genotype 1 is, worldwide, the most prevalent genotype of the hepatitis C virus. It accounts for around seventy percent of all hepatitis C infections.

30 Jul 2013

Genistein derived from soybeans shows promise in inhibiting HIV infection

A compound found in soybeans may become an effective HIV treatment without the drug resistance issues faced by current therapies, according to new research by George Mason University researchers.

30 Jul 2013

Hepatitis C (HCV) testing for baby boomers: an interview with Dr. Donald Jensen, Director, Center for Liver Diseases, University of Chicago

The USPSTF agreed with the CDC that since most patients (75%) who are currently infected with hepatitis C were born between 1945 - 1965, and since risk-based screening has not been successful in identifying these individuals, that a one time age-based hepatitis C blood test was necessary.

29 Jul 2013

Saudi and UK scientists provide detailed picture of MERS coronavirus

Saudi and UK scientists provide the most detailed picture yet of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, revealing a wide range of clinical symptoms and an extremely high death rate among patients with co-existing medical conditions.

29 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Reporters Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating have opened Post readers' eyes to the fact that Medicare pays for physician services -; a $69.6 billion item in 2012 -; according to an arcane and little-known price list, over which doctors themselves exercise considerable and less-than-totally-transparent influence (7/24).

26 Jul 2013

New species of adenovirus can spread from monkey to human, say researchers

Adenoviruses commonly infect humans, causing colds, flu-like symptoms and sometimes even death, but now UC San Francisco researchers have discovered that a new species of adenovirus can spread from primate to primate, and potentially from monkey to human.

26 Jul 2013

Miriam researcher calls for new strategies to better manage, improve treatment for HCV infection

A Miriam Hospital researcher has joined forces with international colleagues to call for new strategies to better manage and improve assessment and treatment for hepatitis C (HCV) infection in individuals who inject drugs.

26 Jul 2013

First lots of 2013-2014 seasonal influenza vaccine released for U.S. distribution

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that the first lots of Fluzone (Influenza Virus Vaccine) for the 2013-2014 season have been released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for U.S. distribution and were shipped July 24.

25 Jul 2013

Report shows 2824 new cases of hantavirus disease in Germany in 2012

2824 new cases of hantavirus disease were reported in Germany in 2012, the highest number ever in a single year. In the current issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International, Detlev Kr-ger and coauthors present the main facts about this disease (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2013; 110[27-28]: 461-7).

25 Jul 2013

Discovery of pressure-driven infection mechanism opens door to new treatments for viral infections

The virus that causes those painful lip blisters known as cold sores has an internal pressure eight times higher than a car tire, and uses it to literally blast its infectious DNA into human cells, scientists are reporting in a new study.

25 Jul 2013

Combination treatment can reduce hepatitis C infection in people who inject drugs

The burden of liver disease could be dramatically reduced by scaling up the combination of interventions for hepatitis C infection among people who inject drugs according to University of Bristol researchers. The findings, published today [24 July], form part of new global recommendations on treating the virus.

25 Jul 2013

NIAID researchers discover monoclonal antibody can neutralize human norovirus

Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) provide the first proof of concept data showing that a monoclonal antibody can neutralize human norovirus. This research, which could one day lead to effective therapies against the virus, was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Virology.

25 Jul 2013

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

New findings may lead to first new animal model for hepatitis C virus

Physicians prescribe strongest antibiotics capable of killing multiple kinds of bacteria

Scientists prevent cell sleep to reduce chance of tumor recurrence

UCLA researchers develop treatment approach for breast cancer metastasized to brain

Prevention against EEE and West Nile virus is within everyone's control

Researchers secure $16 million NIH grant to investigate impact of HIV/AIDS on women

Researchers study how human herpes virus packages genetic information during infection

Study: About 50% of fibromyalgia patients have nerve damage

Interferon-free treatment for genotype-1b hepatitis C patients: an interview with Professor Wulf Boecher, Boehringer Ingelheim

Genistein derived from soybeans shows promise in inhibiting HIV infection

Hepatitis C (HCV) testing for baby boomers: an interview with Dr. Donald Jensen, Director, Center for Liver Diseases, University of Chicago

Saudi and UK scientists provide detailed picture of MERS coronavirus

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

New species of adenovirus can spread from monkey to human, say researchers

Miriam researcher calls for new strategies to better manage, improve treatment for HCV infection

First lots of 2013-2014 seasonal influenza vaccine released for U.S. distribution

Report shows 2824 new cases of hantavirus disease in Germany in 2012

Discovery of pressure-driven infection mechanism opens door to new treatments for viral infections

Combination treatment can reduce hepatitis C infection in people who inject drugs

NIAID researchers discover monoclonal antibody can neutralize human norovirus

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