Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers track how a single molecule of RNA or DNA unwinds

The process by which genes are duplicated is mysterious and complex, involving a cast of characters with diverse talents and the ability to play well with others in extremely close quarters.

27 Jul 2007

FDA statement on gene therapy trial

On July 24, 2007 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was informed by Targeted Genetics Corporation of Seattle about the death of a patient who received an investigational gene therapy product in a clinical trial for the treatment of active inflammatory arthritis.

27 Jul 2007

Tonsil epithelial factors may influence oropharyngeal HIV transmission

Current research demonstrates that the tonsils may possess the necessary factors to act as a transmission site for the spread of HIV.

27 Jul 2007

Bavarian Nordic and Acambis settle disputes on modified vaccinia Ankara virus

On 25 July 2007, Bavarian Nordic and Acambis reached a global settlement ending the legal disputes between the two companies on matters relating to smallpox vaccines based on the Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus.

27 Jul 2007

Long-term herpes treatment may reduce HIV infectivity

Long-term anti-herpes treatment of women infected with both HIV and HSV2, the virus that causes genital herpes, may reduce the proportion of women with detectable HIV virus in their genital secretions according to the results of a trial in Tanzania presented the International AIDS Society Conference in Sydney.

26 Jul 2007

Mummies provide clues to combat hepatitis B

Mummies that have recently been unearthed in South Korea may provide clues on how to combat hepatitis B, according to Prof. Mark Spigelman of the Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

26 Jul 2007

Detecting transmissibility of avian influenza virus in human households

Recent outbreaks of emerging diseases such as SARS and H5N1 avian influenza have underlined the fact that animal pathogens may acquire the ability to spread efficiently in humans but as yet have not.

26 Jul 2007

Dexamethasone steroid treatment shows no benefit for kids with bronchiolitis

DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan has found that a common steroid treatment often prescribed for kids with bronchiolitis has no impact on improving their symptoms or in reducing hospitalization.

26 Jul 2007

Discovery of key HIV protein which makes cell membranes bend more easily

Carnegie Mellon University scientists have made an important discovery that aids the understanding of why HIV enters immune cells with ease.

26 Jul 2007

New gene therapy for 200 inherited forms of blindness

An improved approach to gene therapy may one day treat some of the nearly 200 inherited forms of blindness, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest.

26 Jul 2007

Steroid medications don't work in treating lower respiratory infections in children

The use of steroid medication to treat bronchiolitis, a common viral lower respiratory infection in infants , does not prevent hospitalization or improve their respiratory symptoms, according to a study published in the July 26 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Jul 2007

CTRC enrolls first patients in study for sarcoma

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center Institute for Drug Development, in collaboration with Oncolytics Biotech Inc., a biotechnology company, has enrolled the first two patients in a new Phase II clinical study for patients with various types of sarcomas that have metastasized to the lung.

25 Jul 2007

Portmanteau inhibitors offer new way to tackle HIV

Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Drug Design have developed a new method to combat HIV/AIDS, potentially replacing the traditional cocktail drug approach.

24 Jul 2007

New studies emphasize need for influenza and measles vaccinations in HIV-infected patients

Two new studies emphasize the importance of delivering measles and influenza vaccines to HIV-infected individuals.

24 Jul 2007

The good news and the bad news on AIDS

In an address by Dr. Anthony Fauci, George Bush's top adviser on HIV/AIDS, delegates were told the world is losing the battle against the virus and though progress had been made, more people were being infected with HIV than were being treated.

23 Jul 2007

Experts say world on the brink of beating AIDS

Leading AIDS experts speaking at an international conference in Sydney, Australia say the world is on the brink of beating the deadly virus.

23 Jul 2007

A ban on domestic travel could delay the spread of a flu pandemic

A near total ban on domestic travel could delay the spread of a flu pandemic by a week or more, particularly if the outbreak originates in a regional town or small city such as Darwin, according to new modelling by Australian researchers.

23 Jul 2007

Koronis Pharmaceuticals issued U.S. patent for KP-1461 therapeutic in development for treatment of HIV

Koronis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,244,732 that discloses the composition of KP-1461 -- the Company's lead antiviral therapeutic currently in a Phase 2 trial for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

23 Jul 2007

Urgent needs of HIV-positive women discussed

Women Living Positive, a roundtable discussion at the IAS congress in Sydney, featured the perspectives of an international panel, including experts in HIV research and medicine, an HIV-positive woman and a member of Australia's National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), on the progress that has been made, and what remains to be done to address the needs of HIV-positive women.

23 Jul 2007