Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Some fat is essential for body function

It's common knowledge that too much cholesterol and other fats can lead to disease, and that a healthy diet involves watching how much fatty food we eat. However, our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function—and we can't make it from scratch.

14 Feb 2011

Janssen, Medivir collaborate to discover and develop drugs against dengue virus

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, announces today that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. for the discovery and development of drugs for the prophylaxis and treatment of dengue virus infection.

14 Feb 2011

Opinions: U.S. foreign aid; Polio eradication

"Over the past few weeks, I've had a chance to interview some amazing people," ranging from Bill Gates to scientists and teachers, who are all concerned about impending budget cuts, the New York Times' David Brooks writes in a column. Brooks explains that the "coming budget cuts have nothing to do with merit. They have to do with the inexorable logic of mathematics."

14 Feb 2011

HIV trials and tribulations

A report published online February 8 in PLoS Medicine shows that mass behaviour changes could be credited with helping to remarkably reduce the number of people infected with HIV in Zimbabwe in recent years. These changes include declines in extramarital, commercial, and casual sexual relations, as well as a decline in multiple partners. These have been triggered by increased awareness of AIDS deaths and fear of infection and to some extent by the country’s economic deterioration.

13 Feb 2011

Protective immunity against HIV can be achieved without presence of virus neutralizing antibodies in the blood

New research shows that protective immunity against HIV can be achieved without the presence of virus neutralizing antibodies in the blood. The study, published by Cell Press in the February issue of the journal Immunity, demonstrates that a vaccine which stimulates production of specific anti-HIV antibodies in the vaginal tissue was sufficient to protect monkeys from exposure to live virus.

11 Feb 2011

Vaccinating through salivary glands may provide protection against wide range of diseases

If you don't like shots or needles, you're in luck. New research published online in The FASEB Journal gives the development of new oral vaccinations a shot in the arm thanks to discoveries involving the salivary glands of mice. In addition, this research report also offers a tantalizing glimpse of vaccines that could prevent infection at mucosal surfaces, even if direct injections into the body fail to cause immunity. This technique may be effective for a wide range of diseases from influenza to cholera.

11 Feb 2011

Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation awards $3M to Cleveland physicians for AIDS research

A three-year, $3 million gift from the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation will fund research by a pair of Cleveland physicians into HIV and the body's response in autoimmune diseases.

11 Feb 2011

Viral infection of Leishmania leads to increased pathogenicity

A parasite and a virus may be teaming up in a way that increases the parasite's ability to harm humans, scientists at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report this week in Science.

11 Feb 2011

Times of India examines dengue vaccine trials

India could soon become a site for clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of a dengue vaccine, the Times of India reports. According to the drug controller general of India, vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur recently submitted a proposal to test the vaccine to the country.

11 Feb 2011

Medivir initiates phase 1a clinical trial of TMC649128 for chronic HCV infection

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, today announces the start of a phase 1a clinical trial with TMC649128 intended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

10 Feb 2011

Vical 2010 net loss increases to $30.4 million

Vical Incorporated today reported financial results for the year ended December 31, 2010. Vical had cash and investments of approximately $61 million at year-end 2010. The company received approximately $37 million of net proceeds from the sale of equity securities during 2010.

10 Feb 2011

Avian flu vaccine stockpiled in 2004 still useful

A stockpiled vaccine designed to fight a strain of avian flu that circulated in 2004 can be combined with a vaccine that matches the current strain of bird flu to protect against a potential pandemic, researchers from Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development have found.

10 Feb 2011

Global Hygiene Council: Three simple steps to keep your family protected against infections

The Global Hygiene Council, a group of leading health and hygiene experts from around the world, convened in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss how proper hygiene plays a critical role in preventing the spread of illness and improving health around the world.

10 Feb 2011

First patient treated in cytomegalovirus~ACE/ASPECT Phase II randomised clinical trial

Cell Medica, a leading UK cellular therapeutics company that develops, manufactures and markets cellular immunotherapy products for the treatment of infectious disease and cancer, announces today that the first patient has been treated in the CMV~ACE/ASPECT trial at University College Hospital London.

10 Feb 2011

HIV-negative babies born to HIV-positive mothers have lower antibody levels for some infections, study finds

"Babies who are exposed to HIV at birth but don't become infected with the virus have lower levels of antibodies to diseases such as whooping cough, tetanus and pneumococcus," according to a study published in the Feb. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report.

10 Feb 2011

Opinions: Polio vaccines; Alternatives to DDT, insecticides; Food price volatility; Global poverty; Foreign aid for vaccines

"No one denies" that the oral polio vaccine "has considerable merits. It's cheap to make. It's easy to administer; you don't need a trained nurse with a clean syringe [like the inactive vaccine needs], just a volunteer with a dropper. And it gives excellent immunity. ... But there are problems with the method," Wendy Orent, author of the book Plague: The Mysterious Past and Terrifying Future of the World's Most Dangerous Disease, writes in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece.

10 Feb 2011

GeoVax opens second HIV clinical trial site at Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic

GeoVax Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines, announced today the opening of a second clinical trial site at the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic (AVRC) of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to expand the company's HIV therapeutic vaccine trial.

9 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 9, 2011

Today's headlines include news about GOP plans to defund the health law and stepped up Capitol Hill activity surrounding the abortion issue.

9 Feb 2011

Improved awareness of AIDS deaths, fear of infection lead to huge decline in Zimbabwe's HIV rates

The big drop in the numbers of people infected with HIV in Zimbabwe is because of mass social change, driven by fear of infection, according to an international study reported today in the journal PLoS Medicine. The scientists unravelling the reasons behind this unexpected downturn now reveal what they hope are the most important lessons in the fight against the disease for the rest of Africa.

9 Feb 2011

Vical announces issuance of US patent for HSV-2 vaccine

Vical Incorporated announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,879,339, assigned to Vical and the University of Washington, covering DNA vaccines for herpes simplex virus type 2.

9 Feb 2011

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Some fat is essential for body function

Janssen, Medivir collaborate to discover and develop drugs against dengue virus

Opinions: U.S. foreign aid; Polio eradication

HIV trials and tribulations

Protective immunity against HIV can be achieved without presence of virus neutralizing antibodies in the blood

Vaccinating through salivary glands may provide protection against wide range of diseases

Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation awards $3M to Cleveland physicians for AIDS research

Viral infection of Leishmania leads to increased pathogenicity

Times of India examines dengue vaccine trials

Medivir initiates phase 1a clinical trial of TMC649128 for chronic HCV infection

Vical 2010 net loss increases to $30.4 million

Avian flu vaccine stockpiled in 2004 still useful

Global Hygiene Council: Three simple steps to keep your family protected against infections

First patient treated in cytomegalovirus~ACE/ASPECT Phase II randomised clinical trial

HIV-negative babies born to HIV-positive mothers have lower antibody levels for some infections, study finds

Opinions: Polio vaccines; Alternatives to DDT, insecticides; Food price volatility; Global poverty; Foreign aid for vaccines

GeoVax opens second HIV clinical trial site at Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic

First Edition: February 9, 2011

Improved awareness of AIDS deaths, fear of infection lead to huge decline in Zimbabwe's HIV rates

Vical announces issuance of US patent for HSV-2 vaccine

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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