Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

India's encephalitis death toll reaches 110 and most are children

The deaths of another twenty people in an encephalitis outbreak in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has taken the toll to 110 as of Saturday.

21 Aug 2005

C. elegans has similar virus-fighting mechanism as humans and can be used in research

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered that a simple worm, called C. elegans, makes an excellent experimental host for studying some of the most virulent viruses that infect humans.

17 Aug 2005

Proportion of high-risk HPV infections preventable by vaccine may vary by region

Vaccines currently being developed against two types of virus that cause cervical cancer - HPV16 or HPV18 - may prevent a larger proportion of high-risk HPV infections in Europe than sub-Saharan Africa, suggests a study being published online by The Lancet.

16 Aug 2005

Gene therapy success for the treatment of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) in mice

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh report the first study to achieve success with gene therapy for the treatment of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) in mice, demonstrating that the formidable scientific challenges that have cast doubt on gene therapy ever being feasible for children with muscular dystrophy can be overcome.

15 Aug 2005

Canary Database - animal diseases as early warning system for emerging human diseases

Yale School of Medicine has launched a state-of-the-art database funded in part by the National Library of Medicine, called the Canary Database, containing scientific evidence about how animal disease events can be an early warning system for emerging human diseases.

15 Aug 2005

Immune system more concerned with damage detected than foreign invaders, such as viruses

A well-respected researcher who is now a chief of an immunology laboratory of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has rocked the boat in the past few years for the experts in the understanding of the autoimmune system.

15 Aug 2005

Psychologists find that two different thought processes can explain how we gauge our risk of disease

Psychologists have gained insight into how people judge their personal health risks. The findings suggest that people aren't horribly off the mark as long as they do not rely on media reports and stick to what's happened to people they know.

15 Aug 2005

Combined gene therapy eliminates glioblastoma multiforme in lab studies

Despite aggressive treatment, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) - the most common and deadly of brain cancers - usually claims the lives of its victims within six to 12 months of diagnosis. Because GBM is so aggressive, the disease has been the target of a number of laboratory and clinical studies investigating the effectiveness of gene therapy to deliver novel therapies to the brain.

15 Aug 2005

MiRNA is opening up a whole new way of understanding carcinogenesis

Scientists mining vast, largely unexplored regions of the human genome have identified a small handful of mini-molecules that play a major role in the development of cancer and perhaps many other diseases.

15 Aug 2005

Scientists say valproic acid can eradicate dormant HIV

Early research by scientists in the U.S. suggests that valproic acid could be a potential way to eradicate dormant HIV infections.

14 Aug 2005

Avian influenza prevention activities should include better management practices in farms

Wildlife health experts from the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) warn that efforts to control the spread of avian flu across Asia and beyond must focus on better management practices on farms and in markets.

13 Aug 2005

New therapeutic approach that could help eliminate dormant HIV infection

US scientists have tested a new therapeutic approach that could help eliminate dormant HIV infection that current treatments miss. The researchers report these preliminary findings in a proof-of-concept study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

11 Aug 2005

Bird flu in Indonesia - source still a mystery

Indonesia's search for the source of the bird flu virus that killed three people near its densely populated capital, Jakarta, has ended in failure, the health minister said this week.

11 Aug 2005

Researchers develop new diagnostic methods to better detect future monkeypox or smallpox outbreaks

The research also sheds new light on the 2003 monkeypox outbreak in the Midwest - monkeypox is closely related to smallpox. This new information suggests that the 2003 outbreak was larger than the 72 cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

9 Aug 2005

Feeling depressed and fatigued does not increase a person's risk for cancer

...according to a new study. Severely exhausted people, however, do engage in behavior that is associated with a higher cancer risk.

8 Aug 2005

Psychologists have gained insight into how people judge their personal health risks

The findings suggest that people aren't horribly off the mark as long as they do not rely on media reports and stick to what's happened to people they know.

7 Aug 2005

One jab could in future protect against all flu strains

Scientists are apparently working on producing a vaccine that could give lifelong protection against all types of flu in one single injection.

7 Aug 2005

Tests of bird flu vaccine on humans show good results

Experts have been concerned that the bird flu strain, currently prevalent in Asia, could engender a worldwide pandemic, but apparently human tests of an experimental vaccine show it is effective at stimulating the immune system to fight the virus.

7 Aug 2005

Discovery may lead to new diagnostic tests for immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)

Defects in a single gene can result in two immune system disorders that leave affected individuals vulnerable to frequent or unusually severe infections, according to new findings reported in the August issue of Nature Genetics.

4 Aug 2005

Flu medication VIRA 38 inhibits SARS virus

PRB Pharmaceuticals and Lee's Pharmaceuticals have announced that a recent study by Taiwan researchers from the National Health Research Institutes demonstrates TF2b and TF3, two components of v38 AMF-1, inhibit the 3C-like protease encoded by SARS-CoV. v38 AMF-1, a fraction of the flu medication VIRA 38, is best known for its ability to inhibit bird flu virus (H5N1) infections.

4 Aug 2005

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

India's encephalitis death toll reaches 110 and most are children

C. elegans has similar virus-fighting mechanism as humans and can be used in research

Proportion of high-risk HPV infections preventable by vaccine may vary by region

Gene therapy success for the treatment of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) in mice

Canary Database - animal diseases as early warning system for emerging human diseases

Immune system more concerned with damage detected than foreign invaders, such as viruses

Psychologists find that two different thought processes can explain how we gauge our risk of disease

Combined gene therapy eliminates glioblastoma multiforme in lab studies

MiRNA is opening up a whole new way of understanding carcinogenesis

Scientists say valproic acid can eradicate dormant HIV

Avian influenza prevention activities should include better management practices in farms

New therapeutic approach that could help eliminate dormant HIV infection

Bird flu in Indonesia - source still a mystery

Researchers develop new diagnostic methods to better detect future monkeypox or smallpox outbreaks

Feeling depressed and fatigued does not increase a person's risk for cancer

Psychologists have gained insight into how people judge their personal health risks

One jab could in future protect against all flu strains

Tests of bird flu vaccine on humans show good results

Discovery may lead to new diagnostic tests for immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)

Flu medication VIRA 38 inhibits SARS virus

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