Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Novavax to discontinue collaboration agreement with ROVI Pharmaceuticals

Novavax, Inc. announced today that the company has decided to discontinue negotiations in its pursuit of the previously announced collaboration with ROVI Pharmaceuticals to develop Novavax's virus-like-particle (VLP)-based vaccines against influenza in the country of Spain.

8 Feb 2010

Smokers more likely to vaccinate their daughters against HPV

A parent's existing health habits or behaviors, like cigarette smoking, may influence the likelihood that they will have their daughters vaccinated against HPV.

8 Feb 2010

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

MDS Nordion, a global leader in providing products and services for medical imaging and radiotherapeutics, today announced that two of the largest health insurers in the United States have recently approved coverage of radioembolization to treat unresectable liver cancer, which includes the use of MDS Nordion's TheraSphere(R) treatment. The two insurance companies and their affiliates together serve more than one-quarter of Americans and do business in all 50 states.

6 Feb 2010

Majority of Americans believe flu outbreak is over; levels of concern continue to decline

The latest poll from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) shows that almost half of Americans believe the H1N1 flu outbreak is over (44%), and levels of concern about getting sick with the virus continue to decline.

6 Feb 2010

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

Within a virus's tiny exterior is a store of energy waiting to be unleashed. When the virus encounters a host cell, this pent-up energy is released, propelling the viral DNA into the cell and turning it into a virus factory.

6 Feb 2010

New virology textbook treats viruses in the context of virus families

A new virology textbook published by ASM Press educates the reader by focusing on the families. Based on the author's experiences teaching virology for more than 35 years, Virology: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis enables readers to develop a deep understanding of fundamental virology by emphasizing principles and discussing viruses in the context of virus families.

5 Feb 2010

Virginia Tech professor wins grant to formulate mathematical framework for flu prevention

An assistant professor with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering has won a $750,000 federal grant to formulate a mathematical framework that can track the spread of pandemics among populations and malware across wireless computer networks, as well as how a blackout occurring on one major power grid can cause a cascade of additional neighboring networks to fail.

5 Feb 2010

U.S. lawmakers introduce resolution condemning Uganda's anti-gay bill

U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a congressional resolution condemning an anti-gay bill before Uganda's parliament, "calling it an attack on human rights and an obstacle to battling HIV/AIDS," Agence France-Presse reports.

5 Feb 2010

Tecan Group, Enigma Diagnostics sign manufacturing and supply agreement for Enigma ML instruments

The Tecan Group, a leading global provider of laboratory instruments and solutions, and Enigma Diagnostics Limited, the decentralised and point-of-care molecular diagnostics company, announced today the signing of a manufacturing and supply agreement for Enigma's ML instruments.

From Tecan 5 Feb 2010

Amantadine binds to and blocks critical M2 proton channel necessary for influenza virus to infect healthy cells

Antiviral drugs block influenza A viruses from reproducing and spreading by attaching to a site within a proton channel necessary for the virus to infect healthy cells, according to a research project led by Iowa State University's Mei Hong and published in the Feb. 4 issue of the journal Nature.

4 Feb 2010

Providing Tamiflu and educating on sanitizer use helped to stop spread of H1N1 at boys' summer camp

Providing preventive Tamiflu and educating and emphasizing the need for repeated hand sanitizer use and disinfectant spray helped stop the spread of H1N1 influenza at a boys' summer camp in northern Alabama, according the co-director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

4 Feb 2010

New discovery lays foundation for development of new anti-HIV drugs

A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has identified two compounds that act on novel binding sites for an enzyme used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

4 Feb 2010

Anti-inflammatory plant derivative could play a role in cancer treatment, say MCG researchers

Medical College of Georgia researchers are seeking to refine cancer treatment with an anti-inflammatory plant derivative long used in Chinese medicine.

4 Feb 2010

Vaccination against seasonal influenza produces protective immune response in infants

Vaccination against seasonal influenza is safe and produces a protective immune response in infants as young as 6 to 12 weeks, concludes a study in the February issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

4 Feb 2010

New York Times examines WHO process for getting H1N1 vaccines to countries in need

The New York Times examines the WHO's role as a "clearinghouse" for getting the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine to lower income nations. Though H1N1 has died down in North America and many wealthier nations "are trying to get rid of their [vaccine] surpluses," the virus continues to circulate in regions of North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, according to the newspaper.

3 Feb 2010

Penn Medicine experts available to offer medical insight and commentary during 2010 Winter Olympics

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are available to offer expert medical insight and commentary during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on issues ranging from the effects of performance enhancing drugs to concerns about the spread of novel H1N1, head trauma and more.

3 Feb 2010

CPS supports NACI recommendations for new shingles vaccine

The Canadian Pain Society (CPS) supports the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendations for the use of a vaccine to significantly reduce the risk of developing herpes zoster (shingles) and post herpetic neuralgia in adults over the age of 60 without contraindications.

3 Feb 2010

Overview of newly evolving technologies for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infections

Rising consumer awareness that early diagnosis and treatment can delay the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to anti-immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has had a telling impact on the sales of HIV tests.

2 Feb 2010

Pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from seasonal flu

Current research suggests that pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from the seasonal flu, yet does not result in the pathogenic severity of avian flu viruses.

2 Feb 2010

Study shows antiviral drugs could offer protection against HIV, Ebola, herpes and hepatitis C

The development of antibiotics gave physicians seemingly miraculous weapons against infectious disease. Effective cures for terrible afflictions like pneumonia, syphilis and tuberculosis were suddenly at hand. Moreover, many of the drugs that made them possible were versatile enough to knock out a wide range of deadly bacterial threats.

2 Feb 2010

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Novavax to discontinue collaboration agreement with ROVI Pharmaceuticals

Smokers more likely to vaccinate their daughters against HPV

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

Majority of Americans believe flu outbreak is over; levels of concern continue to decline

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

New virology textbook treats viruses in the context of virus families

Virginia Tech professor wins grant to formulate mathematical framework for flu prevention

U.S. lawmakers introduce resolution condemning Uganda's anti-gay bill

Tecan Group, Enigma Diagnostics sign manufacturing and supply agreement for Enigma ML instruments

Amantadine binds to and blocks critical M2 proton channel necessary for influenza virus to infect healthy cells

Providing Tamiflu and educating on sanitizer use helped to stop spread of H1N1 at boys' summer camp

New discovery lays foundation for development of new anti-HIV drugs

Anti-inflammatory plant derivative could play a role in cancer treatment, say MCG researchers

Vaccination against seasonal influenza produces protective immune response in infants

New York Times examines WHO process for getting H1N1 vaccines to countries in need

Penn Medicine experts available to offer medical insight and commentary during 2010 Winter Olympics

CPS supports NACI recommendations for new shingles vaccine

Overview of newly evolving technologies for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infections

Pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from seasonal flu

Study shows antiviral drugs could offer protection against HIV, Ebola, herpes and hepatitis C

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