Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Elevated p21 expression may block key steps in viral life cycle

Elevated levels of p21, a protein best known as a cancer fighter, may be involved in the ability of a few individuals to control HIV infection with their immune system alone.

15 Mar 2011

ChronTech initiates ChronVac-C DNA vaccine Phase IIb study against HCV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that its partner, ChronTech Pharma AB, has initiated a Phase IIb clinical study of its ChronVac-C DNA vaccine for hepatitis C virus, delivered by Inovio's proprietary electroporation DNA vaccine delivery technology, in combination with standard of care.

14 Mar 2011

External panel issues draft report saying WHO response to H1N1 lacked cohesion, clarity

An independent panel of experts commissioned by the WHO to probe its response to the H1N1 pandemic on Thursday released a draft report stating that while the organization performed well in many ways, it made "crucial mistakes" and "warned tens of millions could die if there is a severe flu outbreak in the future," the Associated Press reports.

14 Mar 2011

Swine flu pandemic declaration by WHO being investigated by experts

Experts who have been investigating the World Health Organization’s management of the response to the H1N1 pandemic have announced that they found no evidence that the drug industry influenced the agency’s decision making over how to handle the virus. In their draft report that panel of independent experts did acknowledge that the WHO failed to understand and respond to conflicts of interest among experts on its advisory Emergency Committee, which had previously acknowledged their pharmaceutical industry ties.

14 Mar 2011

Flu pandemics may return & mutating strains: Studies

Scientists have warned that we have not seen the end of H1N1 swine flu that swept the globe in 2009/10. The strain of the virus could easily morph into a more transmissible form, while an older, mid-20th century virus could also come roaring back they say. Asian influenza, a H2N2 strain, first appeared in 1957 and killed one to four million people despite a major vaccination campaign. Studies have shown that most people today aged 50 or older retain some immunity to the virus, which continues to circulate in birds and swine. But the younger are more vulnerable they warn.

12 Mar 2011

NIH awards InDevR $3 million Phase II SBIR grant for influenza-related research

InDevR announced today that it has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health in the amount of $3 million over the next 3 years.

11 Mar 2011

Response Biomedical 2010 total revenues decrease to $7,610,827

Response Biomedical Corporation reported that it recorded total revenues of $7,610,827 compared to $9,946,269 in 2009 and reduced operating expenses by 13% to $9,216,257 in 2010 from $10,602,954 in 2009.

11 Mar 2011

Inhibitex fourth quarter net loss increases to $7.0 million

Inhibitex, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010, and provided an update on recent clinical and corporate developments.

11 Mar 2011

Discovery: VPS4A enzyme plays a key role in release of HIV particles

Human Immunodeficiency Virus - which causes AIDS - invades human immune cells and causes them to produce new copies of the virus, which can then infect new cells.

11 Mar 2011

Idera reports $6.0 million net loss for fourth quarter 2010

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

10 Mar 2011

Scientists identify chemical compound that may lead to cancer-fighting drugs

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a chemical compound that may eventually lead to a drug that fights cancers that are dependent on a particular anti-viral enzyme for growth.

10 Mar 2011

AHF unveils new national advertising campaign about AIDS drugs

AIDS Healthcare Foundation today unveiled a new national advertising campaign headlined, "There Is No Magic Pill," an advocacy and awareness campaign to educate and prompt discussion among gay men and others regarding Gilead Sciences and its likely plans to seek Food and Drug Administration approval for use of its blockbuster AIDS drug Truvada as a form a 'pre-exposure prophylaxis' to prevent HIV transmission.

10 Mar 2011

Swine flu virus may evolve into a deadlier form

In the fall of 1917, a new strain of influenza swirled around the globe. At first, it resembled a typical flu epidemic: Most deaths occurred among the elderly, while younger people recovered quickly. However, in the summer of 1918, a deadlier version of the same virus began spreading, with disastrous consequence. In total, the pandemic killed at least 50 million people - about 3 percent of the world's population at the time.

10 Mar 2011

Vertex to present telaprevir and VX-222 study results against hepatitis C at EASL annual meeting

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that 15 abstracts on the company's medicines in development for hepatitis C, including its protease inhibitor, telaprevir, and polymerase inhibitor, VX-222, were accepted for presentation at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Berlin, Germany, March 30 to April 3, 2011.

9 Mar 2011

Merck to present VICTRELIS phase III study data against HCV at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced that several new data analyses from Phase III studies of VICTRELIS, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented at The International Liver CongressTM / 46th European Association for the Study of the Liver annual meeting.

9 Mar 2011

ITMNs can reduce Japanese Encephalitis transmission to humans

A new study revealed that using treated mosquito nets could drastically reduce the transmission of Japanese Encephalitis to humans.

9 Mar 2011

Study finds increase in oral tongue cancer incidence in young US white females

A UNC study released this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology finds an increasing incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue in young white females in the United States over the last three decades.

9 Mar 2011

Study: HBV infection reduces risk of liver metastasis in CRC patients

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Western countries. Metastatic liver disease more frequently develops metachronous metastasis following treatment of CRC.

9 Mar 2011

Roundup: Medicaid cuts coming in Pa., Kansas; Mass. insurance hikes

Come Tuesday morning, bad news will abound in the Capitol - and it will be in the billions. That is when Gov. Corbett is to unveil, at last, the closely guarded details of his first state budget to the legislature and the people of Pennsylvania.

8 Mar 2011

EHR? Not so fast - Patients express security concerns

CDW Healthcare, part of the public sector subsidiary of CDW LLC, today announced the results of a national survey on patient perceptions of electronic health records (EHRs) and the security of personal health information (PHI). The report, “Elevated Heart Rates: EHR and IT Security,” found that while patients trust their doctors to protect their information, 49 percent believe that EHRs will have a negative impact on the privacy of their PHI and health data.

8 Mar 2011