Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Core promoter mutants of Hepatitis B Virus e Antigen associated with development of fulminant hepatitis and liver cancer

Scientists in Brown Medical School, Providence, USA, have found that core promoter mutants of Hepatitis B Virus e Antigen replicate at up to 10-fold higher levels in transfected human hepatoma cells than the wild-type virus.

9 Jan 2005

Pegylated interferon alfa-2b offers the best treatment option for people with chronic hepatitis B infection

Harry Janssen (Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands) and colleagues assessed whether combination treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and the antiviral agent lamivudine was more efficacious in treating chronic hepatitis B infection than pegylated interferon alfa-2b therapy alone.

7 Jan 2005

Peginterferon alfa-2b produced sustained responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Results from a large international clinical study reported in this week's issue of The Lancet showed that peginterferon alfa-2b produced sustained responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The investigator-initiated study is the largest clinical trial to date with peginterferon alfa-2b therapy for chronic hepatitis B.

7 Jan 2005

Protein discovery with medical implications

It was a transforming moment. Researchers could barely believe their eyes. A molecular blob of a protein reshaped itself into a molecular Pacman in order to free new viruses from the inside of a bacterial cell.

6 Jan 2005

Discovery could lead to a screening test that identifies people who have a higher or lower susceptibility to HIV/AIDS

People with more copies of a gene that helps to fight HIV are less likely to become infected with the virus or to develop AIDS than those of the same geographical ancestry, such as European Americans, who have fewer copies of the gene, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

6 Jan 2005

DermaVir, a novel treatment for HIV/AIDS, complements and improves present drug therapies

DermaVir, a novel treatment for HIV/AIDS, offers a new option which complements and improves present drug therapies. The vaccine, applied topically to the skin, has demonstrated efficacy in boosting immune responses and controlling virus replication in chronically infected monkeys.

6 Jan 2005

Herpes virus is everywhere and it's unavoidable

While not the first, the researchers report that this study uses the most sensitive techniques in a cross-sectional assessment performed to date of the presence of HSV-1 DNA in the eyes and mouths of healthy individuals, in terms of population size and total samples collected.

6 Jan 2005

Four out of five sexually active adolescent females infected with the human papillomavirus

More sexually active adolescent females than previously thought may be infected with a virus linked to cervical cancer and genital warts, according to a study published in the Jan. 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

5 Jan 2005

New technique could lead to more effective therapies for AIDS

When researchers came up with the powerful cocktail of anti-HIV drugs known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), they hoped they had found a way to finally rid the body of the virus. But they were wrong.

4 Jan 2005

Bio-Rad receives FDA approval for new HIV rapid test

Bio-Rad Laboratories announced today that it recently received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its new Multispot HIV-1/HIV-2 Rapid Test.

4 Jan 2005

AIDS breakthrough - vaccine strengthens the body’s immune system againts HIV

A Hadassah University Medical Center research team has developed a vaccine that significantly strengthens the body’s immune system against the autoimmune sequela of HIV infection, a breakthrough that could dramatically make an impact in the treatment of AIDS patients.

28 Dec 2004

Norovirus still at Christchurch Hospital

Members of the public are asked not to go to the Emergency Department at New Zealand's Christchurch hospital if they have symptoms of Norovirus – vomiting and diarrhoea.

27 Dec 2004

Theory that could help to cure diseases including cancer

An Open University science student has astonished the world of medicine with a theory that could help to cure diseases including cancer.

21 Dec 2004

New compound Viprovex could save millions

The World Health Organization (WHO) and influenza experts worldwide are concerned that the recent appearance and widespread distribution of an avian influenza virus (Influenza A/H5N1) has the potential to ignite the next pandemic and potentially kill millions.

21 Dec 2004

The burgeoning Indian AIDS epidemic

India, home to one-sixth of the human race, has an AIDS epidemic. Five million Indians are living with HIV infection. The stakes are high; the government is racing against time.

21 Dec 2004

Gene therapy effective in helping children with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)

A UK study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provides further evidence that gene therapy can be effective in creating a functional immune system for infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).

20 Dec 2004

Vaccine against cervical cancer

Dutch researcher Laura Bungener has developed a vaccine against cervical cancer. Vaccinated laboratory animals no longer developed the disease and animals which had already developed a tumour, could be treated with the vaccine.

20 Dec 2004

Vaccinating mice against Lyme disease could help reduce the risk of transmission of the disease to humans

Vaccinating large populations of white-footed mice against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease could help reduce the risk of transmission of the disease to humans, says a study supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

14 Dec 2004

Instead of chemotherapy, drugs that influence the X protein's behavior might become an alternative cancer therapy

Identifying the link between chronic hepatitis B infection and liver cancer may one day help cancer patients sidestep the poison of chemotherapy, a Purdue University study suggests.

13 Dec 2004

Start today of human tests for a preventive vaccine against the respiratory disease SARS

Powerful research tools that speed up vaccine development have led to the start today of human tests for a preventive vaccine against the respiratory disease SARS. The disease killed hundreds of people around the world before it was brought under control in 2003 with aggressive conventional public health measures.

13 Dec 2004

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Core promoter mutants of Hepatitis B Virus e Antigen associated with development of fulminant hepatitis and liver cancer

Pegylated interferon alfa-2b offers the best treatment option for people with chronic hepatitis B infection

Peginterferon alfa-2b produced sustained responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Protein discovery with medical implications

Discovery could lead to a screening test that identifies people who have a higher or lower susceptibility to HIV/AIDS

DermaVir, a novel treatment for HIV/AIDS, complements and improves present drug therapies

Herpes virus is everywhere and it's unavoidable

Four out of five sexually active adolescent females infected with the human papillomavirus

New technique could lead to more effective therapies for AIDS

Bio-Rad receives FDA approval for new HIV rapid test

AIDS breakthrough - vaccine strengthens the body’s immune system againts HIV

Norovirus still at Christchurch Hospital

Theory that could help to cure diseases including cancer

New compound Viprovex could save millions

The burgeoning Indian AIDS epidemic

Gene therapy effective in helping children with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)

Vaccine against cervical cancer

Vaccinating mice against Lyme disease could help reduce the risk of transmission of the disease to humans

Instead of chemotherapy, drugs that influence the X protein's behavior might become an alternative cancer therapy

Start today of human tests for a preventive vaccine against the respiratory disease SARS

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