Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Halting mosquito surveillance can increase management costs of epidemics 300 times

Cutting surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases would likely translate into an exponential increase in both the number of human cases and the health costs when a disease outbreak occurs, according to an analysis by Emory University.

27 Oct 2010

Anti-enolase antibody may contribute to bile duct injury in biliary atresia: Research

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and The Children's Hospital have taken a big step toward understanding what causes one of the most serious liver diseases in infants.

27 Oct 2010

Study: lncRNA are involved in host response to viral infection

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that a certain class of RNA (known as long non-protein-coding RNA [lncRNA]) are involved in the host response to viral infection. These findings, published today in the online journal mBio-, could greatly change the way scientists look at the body's response to viral infection.

27 Oct 2010

Elan 2010 third quarter total revenue decreases 2% to $281.4 million

Elan Corporation, plc today reported its third quarter and first nine months 2010 financial results.

27 Oct 2010

Human haptoglobin gene mutation increases risk of diabetic complications

Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is a multifactorial disease of complex etiology characterized by the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells. In addition to genetic susceptibility, it is generally accepted that environmental factors play important roles in triggering disease, with virus infection having perhaps the strongest association.

27 Oct 2010

Bivalent oral polio vaccine produces better immune response than more commonly used trivalent vaccine, study says

The bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) was found to induce a significantly higher immune response than the existing trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV), according to a study published on Tuesday in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports.

27 Oct 2010

Long non-protein coding RNAs respond to SARS virus infection, says study

For the first time, scientists have discovered that a poorly understood class of RNA produced in a mammal's cells during a respiratory virus attack may affect the outcome of the infection. Their findings are reported today in mBio, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

27 Oct 2010

Biogen 2010 third quarter revenue increase 5% to $1.2 billion

Biogen Idec Inc. a global biotechnology leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of innovative therapies, today announced its third quarter 2010 results.

26 Oct 2010

New tools could help detect wildlife disease outbreaks

Two new tools that enable the public to report sick or dead wild animals could also lead to the detection and containment of wildlife disease outbreaks that may pose a health risk to people.

26 Oct 2010

72 million children to be immunized against polio across 15 African countries

This week, Africa seizes an unprecedented chance to drive out polio when 15 countries across the continent launch a synchronized mass immunization campaign to reach 72 million children, capitalizing on gains made this year. A total of some 290 000 vaccinators have been mobilized to go door-to-door to deliver two drops of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to every child under five in areas considered at "highest risk" of polio transmission.

26 Oct 2010

Neurologix holds license for gene therapy to treat severe depression

Neurologix, Inc. today announced that a landmark paper, published on October 20th in Science Translational Medicine demonstrating the importance of the p11 gene in modulating depression in mice, utilized a gene therapy approach to reverse depression in mice for which the Company holds exclusive development rights. Based on the findings reported in the paper, gene therapy may have potential as a new treatment option for people who suffer from severe depression.

26 Oct 2010

Viral microRNA allows EBV to hide within cells and evade immune system

While most commonly associated with mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to many diseases that affect people long after the initial infection takes place, including some forms of cancer. In the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists at The Wistar Institute describe how viral microRNA - small segments of RNA that suppress the effects of gene activity - allows EBV to hide within cells and evade the immune system.

26 Oct 2010

Cancer researcher to receive 2010 AACR Award of excellence

John D. Groopman, Ph.D., has been selected to receive the 2010 American Association for Cancer Research-Prevent Cancer Foundation Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention Research

26 Oct 2010

LigoCyte presents Phase I/II study results of NoV vaccine for gastroenteritis at IDSA Meeting

LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals company developing innovative vaccine products, today announced positive results from a Phase I/II challenge study of its norovirus virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate.

26 Oct 2010

Sanofi Pasteur presents Fluzone quadrivalent Phase II trial data for influenza at IDSA Annual Meeting

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group announced today the results of a clinical trial of its investigational Fluzone Quadrivalent (Influenza Virus Vaccine) compared to the currently licensed Fluzone (Influenza Virus Vaccine). Data from the Phase II trial assessing the immunogenicity and safety of the investigational quadrivalent vaccine were presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Vancouver, British Columbia.

26 Oct 2010

Vertex initiates OPTIMIZE Phase 3b study in patients infected with genotype 1 HCV

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced the initiation of a Phase 3b study called OPTIMIZE that will evaluate twice-daily (BID) dosing of a telaprevir-based combination regimen in people chronically infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) who have not been treated previously. This is the first Phase 3 study to evaluate twice-daily dosing of a protease inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis C. OPTIMIZE will not include a control arm of pegylated-interferon and ribavirin alone.

26 Oct 2010

CBER's Laboratory Quality System program receives accreditation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation has accredited the Laboratory Quality System program in the Center for Biologics and Evaluation Research (CBER) under ISO/IEC 17025 in the fields of biological and chemical testing.

26 Oct 2010

Inviragen commences Phase 1 clinical trial of DENVax dengue vaccine in Colombia

Inviragen, a company developing vaccines to protect against infectious diseases worldwide, and the Program for the Study and Control of Tropical Diseases (PECET), jointly announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of DENVax™ in Colombia. DENVax is an investigational vaccine designed to provide protection against all four dengue virus serotypes. The trial will measure the safety of DENVax as well as the immune responses induced by the vaccine in healthy adults in Rionegro, Colombia.

25 Oct 2010

FDA approves Roche's real-time PCR COBAS TaqMan HCV Test, v2.0

Roche announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the real-time PCR COBAS® TaqMan® HCV Test, v2.0. Clinical research organizations have depended on COBAS® TaqMan® technology to support hepatitis C pharmaceutical trials and development.

25 Oct 2010

Enrollment complete in ViroPharma's Phase 2 study evaluating subcutaneous delivery of Cinryze

ViroPharma Incorporated today announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2 study evaluating subcutaneous delivery of Cinryze™ (C1esterase inhibitor [human]). This multi-center, open-label, multi-dose Phase 2 study is designed to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of subcutaneous versus intravenous administration of Cinryze in adolescent and adult subjects with hereditary angioedema (HAE).

25 Oct 2010