Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Genelabs drug discovery team advances compounds against the hepatitis C virus

Genelabs Technologies today announced that a non-nucleoside compound from its internal Hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug discovery program has advanced into preclinical development.

4 Aug 2005

New surgical cleaning process reduces risk of vCJD

Scientists say a new cleaning process will reduce the risk of hospital transmission of the human form of mad cow disease.

4 Aug 2005

Scientists have a plan to prevent bird flu pandemic

According to scientists the H5N1 strain of bird flu circulating in Asia which could mutate into a lethal strain and cause a pandemic, could be contained.

4 Aug 2005

Containment of a Southeast Asian outbreak of avian influenza in humans may be possible

Though quick to caution about the many things that could go wrong, researchers say that it may be possible to contain a Southeast Asian outbreak of avian influenza in humans, buying precious time for the production of a vaccine.

3 Aug 2005

Researchers have identified a pathway that is specific for cancer

When cancer spreads, people often die. That's why a lot of cancer research and drugs focus on the metabolic pathways that allow cancer to metastasize -- to spread from one part of the body to another.

1 Aug 2005

Inhibitors of cellular enzymes could be developed for SARS treatment

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that inhibitors of an enzyme called cathepsin L prevent the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus from entering target cells. SARS is caused by an emergent coronavirus. There is no effective treatment at this time.

1 Aug 2005

People with HIV in developing countries do just as well on antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs as do people with HIV on ART programs in developed countries

It also shows that people with HIV who are given free ART drugs will do "significantly" better at fighting the disease compared to those who must pay for the drugs.

1 Aug 2005

Combination antiretroviral drug therapy may reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission

Two new studies support the hypothesis that combination antiretroviral drug therapy may reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission through breastfeeding, findings that could have significant implications in the developing world.

29 Jul 2005

New findings could help scientists design more effective treatments to slow or halt the progression of HIV infection

Random fluctuations in gene expression can influence the fates of cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) far more than previously thought, according to new research from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

28 Jul 2005

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to the nation's public health

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to the nation's public health. Today, experts addressed key developments to the current and future outlook of infectious diseases, highlighting adolescent immunizations, outbreaks and epidemics of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and new developments in HIV medicine, at a press conference sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

27 Jul 2005

Pig disease in China now claims 24 lives and renders 117 sick

The death toll from an outbreak, of what is now thought to be a pig-borne disease, in the southwest Chinese province of Sichuan, has risen to 24, with another 117 thought be sick.

27 Jul 2005

Circumcision could reduce the risk of AIDS

In the first study ever, that has tried to use the procedure of circumcision specifically to prevent infection, researchers say it may help protect men from the AIDS virus.

27 Jul 2005

When the media encourage HIV testing, more people get tested

"Changing behavior is a complex process that involves several factors. Mass media can be used to educate and raise awareness about a topic and can enhance appropriate utilization of health care services," according to lead review author Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana, of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

26 Jul 2005

Nerve-insulating substance called myelin can lead to functional improvements in animals with spinal cord injury

Combining partially differentiated stem cells with gene therapy can promote the growth of new "insulation" around nerve fibers in the damaged spinal cords of rats, a new study shows.

26 Jul 2005

Molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a crucial molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer. In the process, they have identified a possible way to treat this disease as well as a number of other cancers.

26 Jul 2005

Bird flu could spread to Europe on wings of Asian wild geese

Migratory wild birds from China, which were found to have contracted bird flu from poultry, could potentially spread the disease to Europe, as well as Australia, Chinese scientists report.

26 Jul 2005

First large-scale effort to sequence the flu genome

Multiple strains of the flu virus, circulating in a population at the same time, can reshuffle their genes and create a new virus, one capable of infecting many more people, according to a new study in the open-access journal PLoS Biology.

26 Jul 2005

Variation in HIV's ability to disable host defenses contributes to rapid evolution

One of the reasons HIV is so difficult to contain and treat is its rapid evolution. Understanding how host defenses and viral countermeasures contribute to that evolution is vital.

25 Jul 2005

Seventeen now dead from mystery disease in southwest China

The state media in China says that a mysterious disease has now killed 17 farm workers and left 41 others sick, in southwest China, after they handled sick or dead livestock.

25 Jul 2005

Discovery of a receptor that appears to function as one "lock" that HSV opens to allow it to enter human cells

It's one of the most common viruses in America, and one that causes the most guilt and shame. It can get inside almost any kind of human cell, reproduce in vast numbers, and linger for years in the body, causing everything from recurrent genital blisters to sores around the mouth. Its complications can kill, and it may increase susceptibility to many nerve and brain disorders.

24 Jul 2005

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Genelabs drug discovery team advances compounds against the hepatitis C virus

New surgical cleaning process reduces risk of vCJD

Scientists have a plan to prevent bird flu pandemic

Containment of a Southeast Asian outbreak of avian influenza in humans may be possible

Researchers have identified a pathway that is specific for cancer

Inhibitors of cellular enzymes could be developed for SARS treatment

People with HIV in developing countries do just as well on antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs as do people with HIV on ART programs in developed countries

Combination antiretroviral drug therapy may reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission

New findings could help scientists design more effective treatments to slow or halt the progression of HIV infection

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to the nation's public health

Pig disease in China now claims 24 lives and renders 117 sick

Circumcision could reduce the risk of AIDS

When the media encourage HIV testing, more people get tested

Nerve-insulating substance called myelin can lead to functional improvements in animals with spinal cord injury

Molecular link between a viral infection and development of a common and fatal form of liver cancer

Bird flu could spread to Europe on wings of Asian wild geese

First large-scale effort to sequence the flu genome

Variation in HIV's ability to disable host defenses contributes to rapid evolution

Seventeen now dead from mystery disease in southwest China

Discovery of a receptor that appears to function as one "lock" that HSV opens to allow it to enter human cells

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