Zika Virus News and Research

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

Scientists suggest possibility of naturally acquired immunity against Zika infection

Birth defects in babies born infected with Zika virus remain a major health concern. Now, scientists suggest the possibility that some women in high-risk Zika regions may already be protected and not know it.

16 Nov 2017

Brazilian Zika epidemic could soon be over, say scientists

In 2016, news about the Zika virus in Brazil made the headlines in Europe for the first time. With approximately 65 million people affected, it is one of the largest epidemics in the last few years.

16 Nov 2017

Dengue immunity can provide protection from subsequent Zika infection

Manifestations of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection differ drastically. Sometimes they are catastrophic, most notably when they cause microcephaly in some babies born to infected mothers.

13 Nov 2017

Advances in genetic and stem cell techniques help identify therapeutic targets for neurological disorders

Research released today highlights advances in the use of CRISPR-Cas9 and human induced pluripotent stem cell technologies to identify novel therapeutic targets for neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and addiction.

13 Nov 2017

Mosquito control using special bacteria infected mosquitoes approved by the EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency has now approved the use of special mosquitoes that have been infected with bacteria called Wolbachia for eradication of mosquitoes in 20 states and District of Columbia. This approach is known as the use of “biopesticide”. Now mosquitoes that spread viral illnesses like Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika etc. would be controlled effectively.

9 Nov 2017

Molecular tests to detect Zika virus should be repeated more than once in pregnant women

Molecular tests to detect Zika virus, which enable identification of the pathogen's genetic material in body fluids, such as blood, urine, semen and saliva during the acute phase of infection, have been used routinely in prenatal checkups for pregnant women with symptoms of the disease.

1 Nov 2017

Discovery may provide insight into how Zika virus gets transmitted from mother to fetus

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in Brazil, report that the Zika virus is transmitted from mother to fetus by infected cells that, ironically, will later develop into the brain's first and primary form of defense against invasive pathogens.

27 Oct 2017

Zika virus outbreak in Ecuador worsened by El Niño and 2016 earthquake

A Zika virus outbreak in coastal Ecuador in 2016 was likely worsened by a strong El Niño and a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the region in April, according to a new study.

12 Oct 2017

New serotypes of Zika virus could appear in near future, researcher cautions

Zika virus is mutating so fast in Brazilian patients that different serotypes of the pathogen could appear in the near future, as is already the case with dengue virus. This would hinder the production of a vaccine and impair the effectiveness of the diagnostic tests already developed.

10 Oct 2017

TTUHSC El Paso researcher receives $420,000 grant to study mosquito-borne Zika virus

Haoquan Wu, Ph.D., associate professor in the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, has received a two-year, $420,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to study the mosquito-borne virus Zika.

10 Oct 2017

GW researchers receive NIH award to bring Zika vaccine trial to Brazil

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease of the National Institutes of Health awarded more than $2 million to a research team at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences to facilitate a Zika vaccine trial in Brazil.

9 Oct 2017

FDA grants approval for new test to detect Zika virus in blood donations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the cobas Zika test, a qualitative nucleic acid test for the detection of Zika virus RNA in individual plasma specimens obtained from volunteer donors of whole blood and blood components, and from living organ donors.

6 Oct 2017

Antibody-based Zika virus therapeutic protects monkeys from infection, study shows

Using blood samples from an individual previously infected with Zika virus, scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, have developed an antibody-based Zika virus therapeutic that protected monkeys from infection.

5 Oct 2017

Monoclonal antibody “cocktail” inhibits Zika infection, study reveals

A collaborative study conducted by the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami has revealed that a monoclonal antibody “cocktail” inhibited zika virus (ZIKV) infection in primates.

5 Oct 2017

New DNA-based Zika vaccine demonstrates safety and ability to elicit immune response

A new generation DNA-based Zika vaccine is the first to demonstrate both safety and the ability to elicit an immune response against Zika in humans, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted in partnership with The Wistar Institute, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, and GeneOne Life Science, Inc.

5 Oct 2017

MRI and ultrasound can detect fetal brain damage caused by Zika in utero

Clinicians managing Zika-affected pregnancies should use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in addition to standard ultrasound (US) because the more detailed MRI images can reveal more extensive areas of damage to the developing fetal brain, according to research presented during IDWeek 2017.

4 Oct 2017

New paper-based test can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes

MIT researchers have developed a paper-based test that can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes. Unlike existing tests, the new diagnostic does not cross-react with Dengue virus, a close relative of the Zika virus that can produce false positives on many Zika tests.

27 Sep 2017

Potential Zika vaccine blocks mother-to-fetus transmission and stops male testis infection

For the first time, a collaborative team led by The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has shown that a potential Zika vaccine quickly can protect fetuses against infection as well as protect males against testicular infection and injury.

26 Sep 2017

Study: Antibody neutralizes dengue and Zika virus in mice

Brazil and other areas hardest hit by the Zika virus – which can cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads – are also home to dengue virus, which is spread by the same mosquito species.

25 Sep 2017

Time spent outdoors impacts risk for contracting Zika virus

When Zika first buzzed into the continental United States during the 2016 outbreak, Florida was hit first--and hardest--with 1,174 documented cases to date. So, when Marco Ajelli, associate research scientist at Northeastern and an expert in infectious disease modeling, wanted to study how time spent outside might affect the spread of the epidemic, he chose to focus on the state's most stricken county: Miami-Dade.

22 Sep 2017

Zika Virus News and Research

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

Scientists suggest possibility of naturally acquired immunity against Zika infection

Brazilian Zika epidemic could soon be over, say scientists

Dengue immunity can provide protection from subsequent Zika infection

Advances in genetic and stem cell techniques help identify therapeutic targets for neurological disorders

Mosquito control using special bacteria infected mosquitoes approved by the EPA

Molecular tests to detect Zika virus should be repeated more than once in pregnant women

Discovery may provide insight into how Zika virus gets transmitted from mother to fetus

Zika virus outbreak in Ecuador worsened by El Niño and 2016 earthquake

New serotypes of Zika virus could appear in near future, researcher cautions

TTUHSC El Paso researcher receives $420,000 grant to study mosquito-borne Zika virus

GW researchers receive NIH award to bring Zika vaccine trial to Brazil

FDA grants approval for new test to detect Zika virus in blood donations

Antibody-based Zika virus therapeutic protects monkeys from infection, study shows

Monoclonal antibody “cocktail” inhibits Zika infection, study reveals

New DNA-based Zika vaccine demonstrates safety and ability to elicit immune response

MRI and ultrasound can detect fetal brain damage caused by Zika in utero

New paper-based test can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes

Potential Zika vaccine blocks mother-to-fetus transmission and stops male testis infection

Study: Antibody neutralizes dengue and Zika virus in mice

Time spent outdoors impacts risk for contracting Zika virus

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves

Zika Virus News and Research

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves

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