Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

‘Testing Millions’ campaign in conjunction with World AIDS Day launched by AHF

As part of a groundbreaking global effort to test several million people for HIV in conjunction with this year’s observation of World AIDS Day on Tuesday, December 1st, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, is spearheading and coordinating the ‘Testing Millions’ campaign. The campaign, which has been organized by AHF in coalition with hundreds of global partners from 52 countries around the world, is mobilizing non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local and national governments, international relief agencies, faith-based organizations and civil society to participate.

25 Nov 2009

Africa region leaders meet to discuss H1N1 procurement, distribution

Representatives of African countries are meeting in Abuja this week to discuss the procurement and distribution of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine, the Daily Trust/allAfrica.com reports (Rabiu, 11/23).

24 Nov 2009

Over 33m people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS/WHO report finds

An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, according to a report released Tuesday in Shanghai by the WHO and UNAIDS that shows "more people are living longer due to the availability of drugs," Reuters/Washington Post reports (Rujun/Chan, 11/24).

24 Nov 2009

Americans with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, says NVHR

New peer-reviewed data finding that fewer than one-fifth of the nearly 4 million Americans infected with chronic hepatitis C virus have received anti-viral therapy in recent years should be a wake-up call that Congress needs to move urgently on bipartisan legislation to support new state-based detection, research, and surveillance efforts, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) said today.

24 Nov 2009

Iowa State University's researcher develops and ships H1N1 vaccine for swine producers

The only swine vaccine available for the H1N1 virus has been sent to vaccinate a swine herd infected with the virus. The vaccination marks the first time vaccine has been sent to a swine herd diagnosed with the pandemic flu.

24 Nov 2009

Treatment rates for hepatitis C virus declining, say researchers

Researchers from the University of Michigan determined that only 663,000 of the approximately 3.9 million Americans with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection received antiviral therapy between 2002 and 2007.

24 Nov 2009

Jubilant Organosys, UAB and Southern Research Institute announce joint venture to accelerate global drug development

Jubilant Organosys, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Southern Research Institute today announced a joint venture that will focus on leveraging their collective innovation and enabling technologies in the areas of Oncology, Metabolic Disease and Infectious Diseases. It is a unique U.S.-India arbitraged and leveraged partnership that will accelerate the development of affordable therapies for patients worldwide.

24 Nov 2009

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C appears to be declining in the U.S.; lack of diagnosis is primary barrier to treatment

23 Nov 2009

H1N1 spreading eastward, WHO says

The H1N1 (swine flu) virus appears to be spreading eastward across Europe and Asia, after appearing to have leveled off in the U.S. and some western European countries, the WHO said Friday, Reuters reports.

23 Nov 2009

Guardian examines challenge of testing, treating patients with HIV/AIDS in Kenya

The Guardian examines the challenge of testing and treating some of the estimated 1.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. "Deep-rooted stigma and patchy health education has led many to cower from the disease, which has seen the country's life expectancy rates shortened by 20 years in the last two decades," the newspaper writes. Even though "[t]he country's government has supplied antiretroviral therapy (ART) to suppress the virus to patients for free since 2006, … of the 390,000 adults estimated as being eligible for ART at the time of the survey, around 140,000, or 35%, were taking the medication," according to a 2007 country survey.

23 Nov 2009

New FluCide better than the older version

NanoViricides, Inc., announced today that Dr. Eugene Seymour, MD MPH, CEO of the Company, presented lifetime data from the recent FluCide™ animal study on November 19th at the Influenza Congress USA 2009 in Washington, DC (www.terrapinn.com/usaflu). These data clearly established that the new version of FluCide™ is superior to the older version.

23 Nov 2009

Enrollment for ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128 announced

Pharmasset, Inc. announced today that the enrollment of Cohort 2, led by its partner Roche, will continue for the remaining 300 genotype 1 and 4 patients in the ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128, a first-in-class nucleoside analog polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

23 Nov 2009

OMA praises health care workers for their hard work and dedication during flu season

At its annual fall meeting, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) recognized front line health care workers for their hard work and dedication to patient during this unprecedented flu season. The OMA Council, which represents doctors from across the province, overwhelmingly passed a motion to express its thanks to Medical Officers of Health, physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals for their leadership.

23 Nov 2009

RSV found to cause more emergency department visits and hospitalizations than seasonal flu

Influenza, particularly H1N1, has understandably captured the attention of public health officials, the media and the public. However, an analysis from Children's Hospital Boston, based on patients seen in its emergency department (ED) during several recent flu seasons, shows that another virus - respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - takes a substantially greater disease toll among young children than does seasonal flu.

23 Nov 2009

Discovery holds promise in fighting cancer, AIDS and autoimmune disorders

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders.

21 Nov 2009

Compliance directive issued to protect health care workers from 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus

For the protection of frontline health care and emergency medical workers at high risk of infection, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today issued a compliance directive to ensure uniform procedures when conducting inspections to identify and minimize or eliminate high to very high risk occupational exposures to the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus.

21 Nov 2009

Rates of infection by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may have peaked in late October: Quest Diagnostics

Rates of infection by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may have peaked in late October, but the pandemic flu virus continues to be a potential source of illness in all age groups, including the elderly, according to a new report by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services.

From Quest Diagnostics 21 Nov 2009

New multimedia application from ASM

Want to get the latest microbiology news, podcasts and video content in the palm of your hand? Now there is an app for that. A new application from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) allows users to access and interact with audio and video content on MicrobeWorld, its award winning multimedia website, directly from their iPhones and iPod Touches.

20 Nov 2009

Evidence does not connect H1N1 vaccine to patient deaths, WHO says

The deaths of 41 people from six countries who had received the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine were not directly linked to the vaccine, the WHO said Thursday, the Associated Press/MSNBC reports (11/19).

20 Nov 2009

Inovio Biomedical announces positive test results of its consensus influenza vaccines

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that a combination of its synthetic consensus H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, and H5N1 influenza vaccine candidates achieved protective antibody responses against several different influenza sub-types and strains in ferrets.

20 Nov 2009

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

‘Testing Millions’ campaign in conjunction with World AIDS Day launched by AHF

Africa region leaders meet to discuss H1N1 procurement, distribution

Over 33m people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS/WHO report finds

Americans with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, says NVHR

Iowa State University's researcher develops and ships H1N1 vaccine for swine producers

Treatment rates for hepatitis C virus declining, say researchers

Jubilant Organosys, UAB and Southern Research Institute announce joint venture to accelerate global drug development

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C appears to be declining in the U.S.; lack of diagnosis is primary barrier to treatment

H1N1 spreading eastward, WHO says

Guardian examines challenge of testing, treating patients with HIV/AIDS in Kenya

New FluCide better than the older version

Enrollment for ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128 announced

OMA praises health care workers for their hard work and dedication during flu season

RSV found to cause more emergency department visits and hospitalizations than seasonal flu

Discovery holds promise in fighting cancer, AIDS and autoimmune disorders

Compliance directive issued to protect health care workers from 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus

Rates of infection by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may have peaked in late October: Quest Diagnostics

New multimedia application from ASM

Evidence does not connect H1N1 vaccine to patient deaths, WHO says

Inovio Biomedical announces positive test results of its consensus influenza vaccines

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