Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Surprise discovery helps tackle rabies

In an unexpected discovery, scientists at Jefferson Medical College have found that a tiny change in a rabies virus protein can turn a "safe" virus extremely deadly. The finding has enabled the researchers to refine a vaccine they previously created against rabies in wildlife, making it safer and more effective.

5 Jan 2006

UCLA examines disease-versus-disease interactions

The knowledge that one disease may prevent the onset of another is not new. For example, the discovery that cowpox vaccines can prevent smallpox dates back to 1798.

5 Jan 2006

Technique to reduce the toxicity of vaccines demonstrated

Researchers have demonstrated a technique that has the potential to reduce the toxicity of vaccines and to make smaller doses more effective, according to a study published in PLoS Pathogens.

30 Dec 2005

MIT offer logitics solution to Flu vaccine shortages

Although the flu causes tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States, vaccine to fight the illness is often in short supply when the flu season is at its peak.

30 Dec 2005

Bird flu case number seven in China

China has confirmed its seventh human infection and third human death from bird flu which follows two fatalities from the virus in Anhui province in eastern China.

29 Dec 2005

New gene therapy maybe useful for treating muscular dystrophy

A new gene therapy technique that has shown promise in skin disease and hemophilia might one day be useful for treating muscular dystrophy, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine.

29 Dec 2005

Gene discovery may reinvigorate the body's immune system after fighting viral infections

Like boxers wearied by a 15-round bout, the immune system's CD8 T cells eventually become "exhausted" in their battle against persistent viral infection, and less effective in fighting the disease.

29 Dec 2005

China's new bird flu vaccine ready to go

According to the state media, China is about to begin mass-production of a new bird flu vaccine for poultry by the end of the month.

28 Dec 2005

Tamiflu may not be as effective as hoped against bird flu

The stockpiles of bird flu drug Tamiflu, accumulated by governments around the world as the first line of defense against a flu pandemic, may prove to be useless.

22 Dec 2005

Scientists discover how HIV infects healthy cells

Using sophisticated detection methods, researchers at the Saint Louis University Institute for Molecular Virology (IMV) have demonstrated the molecular mechanism by which the HIV virus infects, or integrates, healthy cells. The discovery could lead to new drug treatments for HIV.

22 Dec 2005

Extremely infectious pneumonia-like disease slips through body's immune system

A new study found that an extremely infectious pneumonia-like disease in humans slips through the immune system's usual defense mechanisms.

21 Dec 2005

Effectiveness of Influenza vaccine on elderly substantially overestimated

Studies of influenza vaccine effectiveness in elderly people substantially overestimate vaccine benefits, according to new research from the US published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE), edited at the University of Bristol.

21 Dec 2005

Deadly bird flu spreads to more Ukraine villages

Health officials in the Ukraine are warning that bird flu, including the H5N1 strain dangerous to humans, has spread to more villages in the Crimea peninsula.

21 Dec 2005

New rapid test can identify bird flu in 15 mins

The diagnostic test maker Inverness Medical Technology Inc. says its Binax Inc. unit has been granted U.S. regulatory approval to add a bird flu claim to a rapid flu test.

19 Dec 2005

Fake bird flu drugs reach the U.S.

Custom officers in the U.S. have seized 51 shipments of a fake anti-bird flu drug.

19 Dec 2005

Japanese brewery claims antibody works against bird flu

A Japanese brewery says its U.S. subsidiary has developed an antibody that may be effective against bird flu.

19 Dec 2005

Chinese New Year could mean more bird flu outbreaks

China has warned that bird flu could be more prevalent over the Lunar New Year holidays as the transport of live poultry increases.

19 Dec 2005

Sanofi's human bird flu vaccine tests looking good

French drug company Sanofi Pasteur says early stage trials of an experimental vaccine against H5N1 bird flu have shown it provides a good immune response in humans and is safe.

19 Dec 2005

FDA panel approves vaccine for shingles

According to an FDA advisory panel, studies show that an experimental vaccine to prevent shingles can cut the rate of infection by about half in people 60 and older and help curb related pain.

19 Dec 2005

Good results with cervical cancer vaccine in young girls

Drug company GlaxoSmithKline have had a good result with their new vaccine which was designed to prevent infection with the virus that causes cervical cancer.

19 Dec 2005