Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers develop new approach for HIV vaccine development

Decades of research and three large-scale clinical trials have so far failed to yield an effective HIV vaccine, in large part because the virus evolves so rapidly that it can evade any vaccine-induced immune response.

22 Mar 2013

Cocaine can be lethal for people living with HIV

Cocaine, already a damaging drug for those with healthy immune systems, can be lethal for those living with human immunodeficiency virus. Mudit Tyagi, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, has received two federally funded grants to study how dangerous this combination is in HIV patients.

22 Mar 2013

Findings provide structural basis for development of drugs to fight enterovirus 71 infection

New research findings may help scientists design drugs to treat a virus infection that causes potentially fatal brain swelling and paralysis in children.

22 Mar 2013

HIV home tests: an interview with Dr Nitika Pant Pai, McGill University

30 years into the HIV epidemic, there is no vaccine in sight. Yet, even though there are fantastic and effective cheap and universally available drugs, and a treatment as prevention strategy is known to work, people do not wish to get tested for HIV! If everyone got tested, and treated, we could have brought the infection under control a long time ago!

21 Mar 2013

Some public health experts concerned over Saudi Arabia's response to SARS-like virus

"A SARS-like virus has infected 15 people, nine of whom have died, mostly in Saudi Arabia, worrying some Western scientists who question whether the kingdom is sharing enough critical data on the outbreak," "[b]ut a top Saudi Arabia health official rejected those complaints on Tuesday and said the virus posed a low risk of pandemic," the Wall Street Journal reports.

21 Mar 2013

Hepatitis C and HIV co-infection treatment: an interview with Prof Boecher, Boehringer Ingelheim

Chronic hepatitis C infection is one of the most frequent chronic infectious diseases worldwide. The WHO estimates that 150 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

20 Mar 2013

Prevalence of acute hepatitis C virus infection is nearly 1% among newly incarcerated inmates

study published in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, estimates that the prevalence of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is nearly one percent among newly incarcerated inmates with a history of recent drug use.

20 Mar 2013

Nanomedicines prevent tissue damage associated with atherosclerosis, other chronic diseases

Doses of medicine 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair prevent the tissue damage associated with atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases in mice.

20 Mar 2013

Research findings could lead to development of new drugs for gout treatment

Findings from a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study could lead to the development of new drugs to treat gout.

20 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Protect the FDA's regulatory efforts; Generic drug 'shenanigans;' Does Ryan not understand the 2012 election?

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Mutual Pharmaceutical v. Bartlett, a case about the ability of consumers to bring lawsuits against the makers of generic drugs.

20 Mar 2013

HCV screening of IV drug users new to the prison system could identify thousands of new HCV cases annually

A study published in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, estimates that the prevalence of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is nearly one percent among newly incarcerated inmates with a history of recent drug use. Findings suggest that systematic screening of intravenous (IV) drug users who are new to the prison system could identify more than 7,000 cases of HCV across the U.S. annually—even among asymptomatic inmates.

19 Mar 2013

Hepatitis C virus rarely transmitted through sex between monogamous heterosexuals

Individuals infected by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have nothing to fear from sex in a monogamous, heterosexual relationship. Transmission of HCV from an infected partner during sex is rare according to new research published in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

19 Mar 2013

A Map of 'Shortcuts' simplifies the hunt for disease-causing genes

Some diseases are caused by single gene mutations. Current techniques for identifying the disease-causing gene in a patient produce hundreds of potential gene candidates, making it difficult for scientists to pinpoint the single causative gene.

19 Mar 2013

Study shows widespread use of antiretroviral drugs would increase prevalence of MDR HIV

One of the most widely advocated strategies for dealing with HIV/AIDS could double the number of multi-drug-resistant HIV cases in the population of men who have sex with men in LA County over the next 10 years, cautions a new study.

19 Mar 2013

Oral Cancer Foundation encourages dental practices to offer free oral cancer screenings in April

What has the greatest impact on survival rates of oral cancer? Radiation? Chemotherapy? Perhaps surgery? The truth is none of these; rather, it is the point in time at which the disease is discovered.

18 Mar 2013

2 in 5 parents believe HPV vaccine is unnecessary

A rising percentage of parents say they won't have their teen daughters vaccinated to protect against the human papilloma virus, even though physicians are increasingly recommending adolescent vaccinations, a study by Mayo Clinic and others shows.

18 Mar 2013

UCLA researchers predict hotspots for future outbreaks of influenza virus

This year's unusually long and rocky flu season would be nothing compared to the pandemic that could occur if bird flu became highly contagious among humans, which is why UCLA researchers and their colleagues are creating new ways to predict where an outbreak could emerge.

17 Mar 2013

Cytomegalovirus employs a novel trick to hide from immune detection

A virus that most people have probably never heard of, yet most of us carry, is the number 1 infectious cause of congenital birth defects. One in 750 children are born with, or develop, permanent disabilities such as hearing loss or brain damage as a result of CMV (cytomegalovirus) infection in the womb.

17 Mar 2013

Small percentage of adults who receive rapid HIV treatment following infection might achieve 'functional cure,' French researchers say

"Rapid treatment after HIV infection may be enough to 'functionally cure' about a 10th of those diagnosed early, say researchers in France," who "have been analyzing 14 people who stopped therapy, but have since shown no signs of the virus resurging," BBC News reports (Gallagher, 3/15).

16 Mar 2013

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

Seasonal epidemics of influenza result in nearly 36,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Current vaccines against the influenza virus elicit an antibody response specific for proteins on the outside of the virus, specifically the hemagglutinin protein.

15 Mar 2013

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers develop new approach for HIV vaccine development

Cocaine can be lethal for people living with HIV

Findings provide structural basis for development of drugs to fight enterovirus 71 infection

HIV home tests: an interview with Dr Nitika Pant Pai, McGill University

Some public health experts concerned over Saudi Arabia's response to SARS-like virus

Hepatitis C and HIV co-infection treatment: an interview with Prof Boecher, Boehringer Ingelheim

Prevalence of acute hepatitis C virus infection is nearly 1% among newly incarcerated inmates

Nanomedicines prevent tissue damage associated with atherosclerosis, other chronic diseases

Research findings could lead to development of new drugs for gout treatment

Viewpoints: Protect the FDA's regulatory efforts; Generic drug 'shenanigans;' Does Ryan not understand the 2012 election?

HCV screening of IV drug users new to the prison system could identify thousands of new HCV cases annually

Hepatitis C virus rarely transmitted through sex between monogamous heterosexuals

A Map of 'Shortcuts' simplifies the hunt for disease-causing genes

Study shows widespread use of antiretroviral drugs would increase prevalence of MDR HIV

Oral Cancer Foundation encourages dental practices to offer free oral cancer screenings in April

2 in 5 parents believe HPV vaccine is unnecessary

UCLA researchers predict hotspots for future outbreaks of influenza virus

Cytomegalovirus employs a novel trick to hide from immune detection

Small percentage of adults who receive rapid HIV treatment following infection might achieve 'functional cure,' French researchers say

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

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