Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Breakthrough for dengue vaccine development

A live-attenuated vaccine against the four strains of dengue virus known as CYD-TDV has demonstrated promising efficacy in a phase IIb trial.

12 Sep 2012

Gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with Bubble Boy disease

UCLA stem cell researchers have found that a gene therapy regimen can safely restore immune systems to children with so-called "Bubble Boy" disease, a life threatening condition that if left untreated can be fatal within one to two years.

12 Sep 2012

Leading dengue fever vaccine candidate 30% effective in first large clinical trial

"The leading candidate to become the world's first vaccine against dengue fever was only 30 percent effective in its first large clinical trial, dealing at least a temporary setback to efforts to control a disease that threatens half the world's population," the New York Times reports.

12 Sep 2012

Researchers present new results from RV144 HIV vaccine trial at AIDS Vaccine 2012

"A paper published in Nature on Monday sheds light on how a vaccine can turn the immune system against [HIV] and so offer protection from infection," Nature News reports, noting "[t]he results are also being presented at the AIDS Vaccine 2012 conference in Boston, Massachusetts, this week."

12 Sep 2012

Novel method could help advance fight against persistent 'HIV latency'

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have gotten us one step closer to understanding and overcoming one of the least-understood mechanisms of HIV infection-by devising a method to precisely track the life cycle of individual cells infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

12 Sep 2012

Scripps scientists discover new antibody-discovery technique

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found a new technique that should greatly speed the discovery of medically and scientifically useful antibodies, immune system proteins that detect and destroy invaders such as bacteria and viruses. New methods to discover antibodies are important because antibodies make up the fastest growing sector of human therapeutics; it is estimated that by 2014 the top-three selling drugs worldwide will be antibodies.

12 Sep 2012

Religious groups play positive and critical roles in fighting AIDS epidemic

While the Western press often targets religious groups for their roles in handling the African AIDS crisis, these groups tend to play positive -- and critical -- roles in fighting the epidemic, according to sociologists.

12 Sep 2012

Ginkgo biloba supplements fail to improve cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis

A research study conducted by Dr. Jesus Lovera, Assistant Professor of Neurology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and colleagues has found that the herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba does not improve cognitive function in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

12 Sep 2012

Dengue vaccine breakthrough

Results of the first ever trial to show that a safe and effective dengue vaccine may be possible are published Online First in The Lancet.

11 Sep 2012

Strep throat should be treated with penicillin or amoxicillin: IDSA guidelines

Although people often say they have "strep" throat, most sore throats actually are caused by a virus, not streptococcus bacteria, and shouldn't be treated with antibiotics, suggest guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses.

11 Sep 2012

CSL Biotherapies receives U.S. Government contract to supply pandemic vaccine antigens

CSL Biotherapies, a subsidiary of CSL Limited, one of the world's leading manufacturers of influenza vaccine, announced it has been awarded a contract by the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services to supply pre-pandemic and pandemic vaccine antigens and related services to the U.S. national stockpile.

11 Sep 2012

Data from Sangamo BioSciences’ SB-728-T Phase 1 clinical programs on HIV/AIDS

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced that data from its Phase 1 clinical programs to develop SB-728-T, a novel therapeutic approach designed to generate a "functional cure" for HIV/AIDS, were presented at the 52nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).

11 Sep 2012

Warning over sirolimus in HCV-positive liver transplantation

Sirolimus, whether given at the time of liver transplantation or after, is associated with poorer outcomes in patients with hepatitis C virus infection compared with those who do not take the immunosuppressant, shows a US study.

10 Sep 2012

HIV viruses with two genetic 'footprints' associated with greater vaccine efficacy

Scientists used genetic sequencing to discover new evidence that the first vaccine shown to prevent HIV infection in people also affected the viruses in those who did become infected. Viruses with two genetic "footprints" were associated with greater vaccine efficacy. The results were published today in the online edition of the journal Nature.

10 Sep 2012

New oral antiseptic spray effective in killing 99.9% of infectious airborne germs

University Hospitals Case Medical Center clinical researchers will present findings about a one-two punch to prevent colds and flu in San Francisco at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) on Sept. 9.

10 Sep 2012

Researchers, policymakers to gather at AIDS Vaccine 2012 conference in Boston

"With a completed trial in Thailand that offered evidence a vaccine could be developed to protect people from HIV, emerging science identifying antibodies against HIV, and a current trial testing a novel vaccine combination against the virus potentially producing more information in the next year, this is an exciting time to hold a conference, organizers of AIDS Vaccine 2012 say," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

7 Sep 2012

NPR blog examines 'test and treat' approach as HIV/AIDS prevention tactic

NPR's "Shots" blog examines the "test and treat" approach to HIV care and prevention, which "relies on the fact that taking HIV drugs dramatically reduces a person's risk of transmitting the virus to others," and, "[a]s more and more people are put on medication, the epidemic theoretically should fizzle out." The blog continues, "Test and treat sounds good on paper, but some doctors and policymakers have doubts about its feasibility on a large scale."

7 Sep 2012

Children and young patients with chronic HBV infection do have a protective immune response

Scientists from A*STAR's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), together with clinical collaborators from London , discovered for the first time that children and young patients with chronic Hepatitis B Virus infection (HBV carriers) do have a protective immune response, contrary to current belief, and hence can be more suitable treatment candidates than previously considered.

7 Sep 2012

RSV virus selectively kills cancer cells

RSV, a virus that causes respiratory infections in infants and young children, selectively kills cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone, researchers from the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio said.

7 Sep 2012

Clinical trial to test combination of two drugs in treating fibromyalgia

A chronic pain condition and numerous gastrointestinal disorders may all be caused by a virus. That's a Tuscaloosa-based surgeon's theory likely headed for a clinical trial early next year and one drawing support from a University of Alabama researcher who studies how viruses replicate.

6 Sep 2012