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All Articles Tagged As: virusesA Viral Cloaking Device (7/21/2008)biologists show how Human Cytomegalovirus hides from the immune system ...> Full Article Flu-infected fly cells reveal dependencies of the virus (7/18/2008)By giving fly cells the flu, scientists have identified scores of host genes the pathogen requires for successful infection, revealing a raft of potential new pressure points to thwart the virus. ...> Full Article Newly described 'dragon' protein could be key to bird flu cure (7/17/2008)Scientists and researchers have taken a big step closer to a cure for the most common strain of avian influenza, or "bird flu," the potential pandemic that has claimed more than 200 lives and infected nearly 400 people in 14 countries since it was identified in 2003. ...> Full Article Improved Culture System for Hepatitis C Virus Infection (7/17/2008)Researcher has developed the first tissue culture of normal, human liver cells that can model infection with the Hepatitis C virus ...> Full Article Researchers use salmonella as a way to administer vaccines in the body (7/15/2008)
State Scientists Discover Chemical Cues That Stimulate Egg Laying by Pregnant Mosquitoes (7/14/2008)Scientists have figured out one reason why pregnant yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti), one of the most important disease transmitters worldwide, choose to lay their eggs in certain outdoor water containers while eschewing others. ...> Full Article The way to a virus' 'heart' is through its enzymes (7/14/2008)Research outlines our current understanding of the "heart" of the virus, which may help us to develop antiviral therapies to treat many human pathogens. ...> Full Article Researchers Identify Potential New Drug Candidates to Combat 'Bird Flu' (7/8/2008)Researchers have isolated more than two dozen promising and novel compounds from which new "designer drugs" might be developed to combat bird flu ...> Full Article Discovery explains how cold sore virus hides during inactive phase (7/5/2008)Scientists have figured out how the virus that causes cold sores hides out, they may have a way to wake it up and kill it. ...> Full Article Since Introduction Of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, Death Rate For Hiv-Infected Persons Has Decreased (7/4/2008)In industrialized countries, persons infected sexually with HIV now appear to experience mortality rates similar to those of the general population in the first 5 years following infection, though a higher risk of death remains as the duration of HIV infection lengthens ...> Full Article Zinc Finger Proteins Put Personalized HIV Therapy Within Reach (7/1/2008)Researchers Modify T-Cell Receptor Gene to Develop New Type of AIDS Treatment ...> Full Article Study opening new route for combating viruses (6/30/2008)A unique technique for analyzing the function of microRNAs has led to the discovery of a new mechanism by which viruses evade the human immune system. ...> Full Article New Approach to HIV Vaccine Research (6/28/2008)A new national effort to create a vaccine against HIV will include work by a University of Rochester Medical Center rheumatologist who is an expert on a portion of the immune system that has sometimes gotten short shrift in the fight against HIV. ...> Full Article Best code for disease detection, bar none (6/24/2008)Malaria and dengue fever will be the early targets of new trans-Pacific research using minuscule "barcodes" to detect disease. ...> Full Article Team finds key mechanism of DDT resistance in malarial mosquitoes (6/21/2008)Researchers have identified a key detoxifying protein in Anopheles mosquitoes that metabolizes DDT, a synthetic insecticide used since World War II to control the mosquitoes that spread malaria. ...> Full Article New study shows potential to treat or prevent viral cancers (6/17/2008)Targeting viral antigens offers a novel option to treat-or even prevent- many viral cancers by targeting cancer cells expressing viral antigens or infected cells before they convert into malignancy ...> Full Article Researchers block the transmission of malaria in animal tests (6/12/2008)By disrupting the potassium channel of the malaria parasite, a team of researchers has been able to prevent the malaria parasites from forming in mosquitoes and has thereby broken the cycle of infection during recent animal tests. ...> Full Article Bird Flu Strains have Acquired Properties that Might Enhance Potential to Infect Humans (6/12/2008)Study suggests that some North American avian influenza A H7 virus strains have properties that might enhance their potential to infect humans as well as their potential to spread from human to human. ...> Full Article Oestrogen applied to the human penis could stop the spread of HIV (6/5/2008)In a world first, a new study has shown that topical oestrogen could help prevent HIV infection by blocking entry of the virus into the human penis. ...> Full Article Parasites' family planning strategy helps malaria spread (6/2/2008)Malaria parasites ensure the successful spread of the disease by being able to produce more sons than daughters when conditions are difficult ...> Full Article Mosquito genes affecting malaria transmission in Africa revealed (6/1/2008)Mosquito genes that control how many malaria parasites can successfully develop inside the body of the mosquito have been identified by researchers ...> Full Article Protein plays key role in transmitting deadly malaria parasite (5/31/2008)The protein MAEBL is critical for completing the life cycle of malaria parasites in mosquitoes, allowing the insects to transmit the potentially deadly infection to humans ...> Full Article New HIV browser gives researchers access to valuable data from vaccine trials (5/30/2008)A new HIV data browser will give researchers access to a wealth of data collected during clinical trials of an AIDS vaccine ...> Full Article Battling bird flu by the numbers (5/29/2008)mathematical model gauges epidemic potential of emerging diseases ...> Full Article Protein Provides Innate Defense Against HIV (5/28/2008)By identifying a protein that restricts the release of HIV-1 virus from human cells, scientists believe they may be closer to identifying new approaches to treatment ...> Full Article Study Finds Unique HIV Vaccine Formula Elicits Strong Immune Responses (5/27/2008)Investigators express hope for HIV vaccine research with an alternative strategy ...> Full Article Scientists Reveal A Protein's Role in Enabling AIDS Virus to Reproduce (5/27/2008)Study shows how Vpx facilitates reverse transcription in simian virus life-cycle ...> Full Article Scientists image a single HIV particle being born (5/26/2008)By using a specialized microscope that only illuminates the cell's surface, they have become the first to see, in real time and in plain view, hundreds of thousands of molecules coming together in a living cell to form a single particle of the virus that has, in less than 25 years, claimed more than 25 million lives: HIV. ...> Full Article HIV-1 Immune Comback Tied to Genetic Mutations (5/24/2008)A new study provides compelling evidence that two genes are responsible for the course of immune restoration in HIV-positive individuals undergoing virus-suppressing therapy ...> Full Article Researchers Describe How Vaccine Adjuvant Jump-Starts Immune System (5/24/2008)Researchers have determined how a key component of many vaccines activates an immune system response, a finding that opens up promising new avenues of research on better ways to prevent infections. ...> Full Article Researchers make West Nile vaccine breakthrough (5/22/2008)Researchers have made a giant leap forward in the race to develop a vaccine for the potentially debilitating West Nile virus ...> Full Article Scientists 'paint' viruses to track their fate in the body (5/21/2008)New study describes a molecular 'painting' method to colors the culprit ...> Full Article Researchers find smallpox drug may also target adenovirus (5/21/2008)1 cause of the common cold, adenovirus also causes death in organ transplant recipients ...> Full Article Scientists Test Nature's Own Filter To Detect Bird Flu Virus In Vietnam (5/21/2008)Recent outbreaks of avian influenza, or bird flu, have become a worldwide concern in light of widespread mortality in domestic poultry and wild aquatic bird species. Scientists are equally concerned about the possibility of an avian influenza pandemic developing in humans. ...> Full Article DNA vaccines get a boost from dendritic cells (5/20/2008)Researchers targeting HIV antibody proteins directly to the coordinating cells of the immune system. ...> Full Article Compound has potential for new class of AIDS drugs (5/17/2008)Researchers have developed what they believe is the first new mechanism in nearly 20 years for inhibiting a common target used to treat all HIV patients, which could eventually lead to a new class of AIDS drugs. ...> Full Article Major shift in HIV prevention priorities needed (5/11/2008)Researchers say reducing multiple sexual partnerships and providing male circumcision services should be emphasized ...> Full Article New theory suggests how hepatitis C may cause rare immune disease (5/11/2008)Decade-old explanation of how one disease causes the other is likely wrong, and instead offer a new - albeit controversial - theory of their own ...> Full Article Interoperable grid software to tackle malaria (5/11/2008)Accelerating the development of drugs to treat malaria and avian flu is one potential benefit from new grid software which has just been released. ...> Full Article Virus mimics human protein to hijack cell division machinery (5/10/2008)Researchers report that a viral protein, called UL97, masquerades as a normal regulatory enzyme to modify a tumor-suppressing protein in human cells. ...> Full Article Computer game's high score could earn the Nobel Prize in medicine (5/9/2008)Gamers have devoted countless years of collective brainpower to rescuing princesses or protecting the planet against alien invasions. This week researchers at the University of Washington will try to harness those finely honed skills to make medical discoveries, perhaps even finding a cure for HIV. ...> Full Article Molecular espionage shows a single HIV enzyme's many tasks (5/8/2008)Reverse transcriptase, target of major anti-HIV drugs, dynamically binds both DNA, RNA ...> Full Article Immune exhaustion in HIV infection (5/6/2008)2 articles discussing immune exhaustion and its prevention in HIV infection ...> Full Article Getting wise to the influenza virus' tricks (5/5/2008)A high-resolution image of an influenza virus protein opens the way to design new anti-viral drugs ...> Full Article Researcher Receives $2.6 Million to Develop Vaccine Against Ebola Virus (5/3/2008)Dr. Maria Croyle, associate professor of pharmaceutics at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, has received $2.6 million to develop a vaccine against Ebola virus infection. ...> Full Article Researchers synthesize compound to flush HIV out of hiding and into crosshairs (5/3/2008)Researchers have found a way to synthesize better agents that can be tailored to flush HIV out into the open where the immune system and antiretroviral therapies can destroy it. ...> Full Article Study shows ape diseases are biggest threat to humans (5/1/2008)Research shows why infectious diseases and viruses spread from one species to another, could provide a vital tool in predicting future trends of emerging diseases in humans. ...> Full Article Research Findings Open New Front in Fight against AIDS Virus (5/1/2008)Human Protein May Offer Novel Target for Blocking HIV Infection ...> Full Article New vaccine may give long-term defense against deadly bird flu and its variant forms (4/29/2008)A new vaccine under development may provide protection against highly pathogenic bird flu and its evolving forms ...> Full Article Potential viral therapy weapon for difficult cancers is safe and effective in study (4/28/2008)Combining a herpes virus genetically altered to express a drug-enhancing enzyme with a chemotherapy drug effectively and safely reduced the size of highly malignant human sarcoma grafted into mice ...> Full Article A step forward in virology (4/28/2008)Trojan horse of viruses revealed ...> Full Article Discovery to hasten new malaria treatments, vaccines for children (4/27/2008)Biologists have discovered an autoimmune-like response in blood drawn from malaria-infected African children that helps to explain why existing DNA-based anti-malaria vaccines have repeatedly failed to protect them. ...> Full Article Specialized white blood cells coordinate 'first responders' to viral infection (4/26/2008)Specialized types of white blood cells, a category called regulatory T cells, seem to help orchestrate a timely reaction to a virus invasion ...> Full Article Mutation in human gene helps prevent malaria fatalities (4/25/2008)Researchers found that a deficiency in an enzyme provides protection against malaria infection. ...> Full Article Researcher's HIV Findings May Lead to New Treatment Strategies (4/24/2008)In a surprising finding, researchers have discovered that HIV can cause portions of the body's innate immune system, when stimulated, to actually increase the virus' replication. ...> Full Article New strategies against bird flu (4/22/2008)Austrian scientists identify the common mechanism underlying acute respiratory disease syndrome ARDS ...> Full Article Scientists Create First Successful Libraries of Avian Flu Virus Antibodies (4/17/2008)Novel Project Could Help Thwart Worldwide Influenza Threat ...> Full Article Slightly abnormal blood test may point to a 'silent' form of hepatitis B (4/15/2008)Silence isn't always golden. In the case of hepatitis B, people with a past - and seemingly resolved - infection often don't know that they still have a silent form of the disorder. Now, new research suggests that slightly abnormal results from a blood test, once thought to be a fleeting curiosity, can tip off doctors to the presence of this potentially infectious and lethal viral renegade. ...> Full Article Researchers Find New Treatment for Hepatitis C (4/15/2008)"New" Drug Already Approved for Lowering Cholesterol ...> Full Article HPV, Periodontitis Work in Tandem to Increase Risk of Tongue Cancer (4/7/2008)Persons with periodontitis who also are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) are at increased risk of developing tongue cancer ...> Full Article Researchers Discover Anti-virulence Factor in Salmonella (4/6/2008)Researchers have discovered an anti-virulence factor in Salmonella, knowledge that could be used to design improved Salmonella vaccines. ...> Full Article Vaccine for Ebola virus (4/2/2008)One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use. ...> Full Article Expansion of a monocyte subset in HIV patients could serve as a biomarker for progression of the disease (3/31/2008)Amount of monocytes may indicate at what stage the virus is in. ...> Full Article Findings reveal how dengue virus matures, becomes infectious (3/30/2008)Biologists have determined why dengue virus particles undergo structural changes as they mature in host cells and how the changes are critical for enabling the virus to infect new host cells. ...> Full Article Scientists see Norwalk virus' Achilles heel (3/25/2008)Using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, an international team led by University of Calgary researcher Ken Ng has determined the detailed structure of the enzyme the Norwalk virus uses to make copies of its genetic code in order to replicate itself. The information is crucial to developing drugs that could be used to treat outbreaks of Norwalk and other related viruses. ...> Full Article Research promising for cystic fibrosis (3/23/2008)May serve as model for HIV therapies ...> Full Article Subterfuge, counter-surveillance and assassination: The body's fight with cervical cancer (3/23/2008)The virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer has a serious weakness which may provide hope for new treatments for the disease. ...> Full Article Blood disorder protects against severe malarial anaemia (3/21/2008)
Decoding malaria's 'post code' system provides a potential drug target (3/21/2008)Research has revealed the code used by the malaria parasite to move essential proteins around inside its structure. ...> Full Article Researchers discover how stealthy HIV protein gets into cells (3/20/2008)>Scientists have known for more than a decade that a protein associated with the HIV virus is good at crossing cell membranes, but they didn't know how it worked. A multidisciplinary team from the University of Illinois has solved the mystery, and their findings could improve the design of therapeutic agents that cross a variety of membrane types. ...> Full Article Insight into HIV's 'On-Off' Switch Shows Promise for Therapy, Understanding Cellular Decisions (3/20/2008)Researchers have discovered how a genetic circuit in HIV controls whether the virus turns on or stays dormant, and have succeeded in forcing the virus towards dormancy, a finding that shows promise as an avenue for HIV therapy ...> Full Article New technique takes a big step in examination of small structures (3/16/2008)A team led by a Purdue University researcher has achieved images of a virus in detail two times greater than had previously been achieved ...> Full Article Specialized natural killer cells in human tonsils pack a punch (3/16/2008)Tonsils are a source of sore throats and an excuse for ice cream. But they also provide an important protective service, their immune-cell-rich tissue acting as the body's first defense against the germs about to be swallowed or inhaled. Researchers have known that tonsils are packed with B cells, which flag invaders for other cells to attack. But a new study by Rockefeller University scientists shows that tonsils also house a different, very specialized cell that helps protect against the Epstein Barr virus (EBV). ...> Full Article Researchers ID behavioral risk factors for head and neck cancers (3/13/2008)Sex practices and lifestyle are culprits ...> Full Article In Novel Strategy Against AIDS, Einstein Researchers Genetically Engineer Immune Cells Into Potent Weapons for Battling HIV Infection (3/8/2008)By outfitting immune-system killer cells with a new pair of genes, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University transformed them into potent weapons that destroy cells infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Their novel strategy of genetically engineering immune cells to redirect their infection-fighting ability toward killing HIV-infected cells could lead to an entirely new approach for combating AIDS and other viral diseases. ...> Full Article Partnership could help boost Artemisinin supply and treat up to 200 million malaria patients each year (3/7/2008)The Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH), the US-based nonprofit pharmaceutical company, together with synthetic biology innovator Amyris Biotechnologies, and leading pharmaceutical company sanofi-aventis today announced they have entered into an agreement for the development of semisynthetic artemisinin, a key ingredient i first-line malaria treatments. This partnership will build on technology originated by Professor Jay Keasling at the University of California, Berkeley ...> Full Article HPV Vaccine for Men? (3/6/2008)New vaccine used to prevent sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) in women and girls could play the same role in men and boys ...> Full Article Researchers discover gene that blocks HIV (3/5/2008)A team of researchers at the University of Alberta has discovered a gene that is able to block HIV, and in turn prevent the onset of AIDS. ...> Full Article HIV breakthrough: Researchers identify protein that fights immunodeficiency (3/4/2008)A Canada-U.S. research team has solved a major genetic mystery: How a protein in some people's DNA guards them against killer immune diseases such as HIV. In an advance online edition of Nature Medicine, the scientists explain how the protein, FOX03a, shields against viral attacks and how the discovery will help in the development of a HIV vaccine. ...> Full Article Combination Vaccine Protects Monkeys from Ebola and Marburg Viruses (3/3/2008)An experimental, combination vaccine against Ebola and Marburg viruses using virus-like particles (VLPs) provides complete protection against infection in monkeys. Researchers from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) report their results today (Feb. 26) at the 2008 ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, MD. ...> Full Article Research Scientists Devise Approach that Stops HIV at Earliest Stage of Infection (3/2/2008)Unique Two-Step Process Based on Latest Viral Discoveries ...> Full Article Technology enables researchers to 'see' native virus structure at near-atomic levels (3/2/2008)Using a cryo-electron microscope and a large collection of computers, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and their colleagues succeeded in seeing the three-dimensional structure of an entire bacterial virus shell at 4.5 Å resolution, or 100 millionth of a centimeter. ...> Full Article First global malaria map in decades shows reduced risk (3/1/2008)About 35 percent of the world's population is at risk of contracting deadly malaria, but many people are at a lower risk than previously thought, raising hope that the disease could be seriously reduced or eliminated in parts of the world. ...> Full Article Global malaria risk mapped out (2/29/2008)Thirty-five per cent of the world's population live in areas where there is a risk of deadly malaria, according to the first spatial map of global malaria risk in forty years. ...> Full Article First Chikungunya Animal Model Created (2/26/2008)Researchers have developed the first animal model of the infection caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an emerging arbovirus associated with large-scale epidemics that hit the Indian Ocean (especially the French Island of La Réunion) in 2005, later spreading to India, and Italy in 2007. Using this mouse model, scientists of the Institut Pasteur and INSERM determined which tissues and cells are infected by the virus in both the mild and severe forms of the disease it causes. ...> Full Article Protein In Deer Tick Saliva Prevents HIV-1 From Attaching To T Cells (2/24/2008)
Scientists Make First Map of Emerging-Disease Hot Spots (2/24/2008)
Scientists Reactivate Immune Cell Production in HIV-Infected Adults (2/24/2008)Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found that therapy can be used to stimulate the production of vital immune cells, called "T- cells," in adults with HIV infection. ...> Full Article Lab Engineers Virus That Can Kill Deadly Brain Tumors (2/23/2008)A laboratory-engineered virus that can find its way through the vascular system and kill deadly brain tumors has been developed by Yale School of Medicine researchers, it was reported this week in the Journal of Neuroscience. ...> Full Article Emerging infectious diseases are on the rise: Next target 'hotspot' predicted (2/21/2008)It's not just your imagination. Providing the first-ever definitive proof, a team of scientists has shown that emerging infectious diseases such as HIV, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus and Ebola are indeed on the rise. The team - including University of Georgia professor John Gittleman and scientists from the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, the Institute of Zoology (London) and Columbia University - recently published their findings in leading scientific journal Nature. ...> Full Article Antibody Can Potently Neutralize Two Viruses (2/18/2008)In laboratory experiments, scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and their colleagues supported by the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), have discovered an antibody that neutralizes two viruses classified as henipaviruses. Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are highly infectious agents that transitioned from infecting flying foxes in the mid-1990s to causing fatal disease in humans and livestock in Australia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, and Singapore. Recent outbreaks have resulted in encephalitis and acute respiratory distress, person-to-person transmission, and up to 70 percent fatality rates. The finding appears in the Feb. 15, 2008, issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. ...> Full Article Genetic breakthrough supercharges immunity to flu and other viruses (2/17/2008)Researchers discover way to boost cells' natural anti-virus defences ...> Full Article HIV Persists in the Gut Despite Long-Term HIV Therapy--Second Study Finds that B-Cell Abnormalities Also Persist (2/17/2008)Second Study Finds that B-Cell Abnormalities Also Persist ...> Full Article Scientists Confirm Discovery of New Virus Responsible For Deaths of 3 Transplant Recipients From Single Donor in Victoria, Australia (2/17/2008)Establishes high throughput genetic sequencing as powerful tool for pathogen discovery; technology enables improvements in screening for transplant safety ...> Full Article New picture of HIV-1's protein jacket identifies attractive target for antibody-based vaccine (2/16/2008)By coaxing the HIV-1 protein to reveal a hidden portion of its protein coat, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School have provided a newly detailed picture of how protective, or so-called broadly neutralizing, antibodies block HIV-1 infection. ...> Full Article Researchers discover new compounds active against tuberculosis and malaria (2/16/2008)Researcher has discovered new compounds active for treating tuberculosis and malaria. Her thesis, defended at the School of Sciences, describes the synthesis and characterisation of 65 derivatives of quinoxaline, the structure of which is similar to a number of antimalalarial and antituberculosis pharmaceutical drugs currently on the market. Of the molecules prepared, four stand out for their antimalalarial activity and 15 for their antituberculosis activity. ...> Full Article Mutant parasites offer researchers hope in fight against malaria (2/15/2008)
Experimental HIV vaccine gets a boost from '70s-era discovery (2/14/2008)Although science is known for being a forward-looking field, researchers have found that they can often benefit from a glance over their shoulders. By combining an experimental AIDS vaccine with a long-neglected molecule called poly-IC, Rockefeller University scientists discovered that they were able to significantly improve its effectiveness. Their new, bolstered vaccine not only stimulated the production of HIV-attacking immune cells in mice, but also allowed the rodents to maintain immunity over a significantly longer period of time. ...> Full Article Scientists identify new cellular receptor for HIV (2/11/2008)A cellular protein that helps guide immune cells to the gut has been newly identified as a target of HIV when the virus begins its assault on the body's immune system, according to researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ...> Full Article 'Good Bacteria' in Women Give Clues for Slowing HIV Transmission (2/10/2008)Beneficial bacteria found in healthy women help to reduce the amount of vaginal HIV among HIV-infected women and might make it more difficult for the virus to spread, boosting the possibility that "good bacteria" might someday be tapped in the fight against HIV. ...> Full Article HIV drugs, Abacavir and Didanosine, increase the risk of heart attack (2/10/2008)A study to assess the adverse effects of anti-retroviral drugs shows that two of the widely-used HIV drugs are associated with an increased risk of heart attack/the formation of blood clots in the heart. With the use of Didanosine; the risk of developing a heart attack increases by 49%, with Abacavir; the increased risk is 90%. The effect is most pronounced in patients with a high underlying cardiovascular risk. The research findings also show that the adverse effect is reversible, if patients discontinue use of these particular drugs. ...> Full Article Researchers Discover New Battleground for Viruses and Immune Cells (2/8/2008)Finding Should Aid Those Developing Anti-Virus Vaccines ...> Full Article Herpes medication does not reduce risk of HIV infection in individuals with HSV-2, international study finds (2/7/2008)An international clinical trial has found that acyclovir, a common medication for treating herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), the most common cause of genital herpes, does not reduce the risk of HIV infection when taken by people infected with HSV-2. Multiple studies have shown that people with HSV-2 have a higher risk of acquiring HIV. Researchers had hoped that acyclovir's ability to suppress the herpes virus, and its associated genital sores and breaks in the skin, could cut down on the likelihood of HIV being transmitted to a person with HSV-2 during sexual intercourse. ...> Full Article Lower Transmission Rates Can Increase Dengue Deaths (2/7/2008)Researchers have answered a puzzle about why efforts to lower the transmission of dengue virus in Thailand have not resulted in decreases in the life-threatening form of the infection. ...> Full Article Novel Molecules Developed at UB Can Boost Vaccine Potency (2/6/2008)Two novel proteins studied by a University at Buffalo professor of microbiology and immunology appear to have the potential to enhance the production of antibodies against a multitude of infectious agents. ...> Full Article Poxvirus Potency Uncovered in New Atomic Map (2/5/2008)Scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Saint Louis University used X-ray crystallography to uncover new details about the infectious potency of poxviruses, furthering the understanding of how viral infections can subvert the body's immune system. ...> Full Article Chemists track how drug changes, blocks flu virus (2/5/2008)
Cracking The Code Of Bird Flu Time Bomb (2/4/2008)
Malaria vaccine trials begin using 'chimpanzee virus' (2/4/2008)Trials are underway for a new vaccine to combat the most deadly form of malaria. For the first time ever, researchers will use a virus found in chimpanzees to boost the efficacy of the vaccine. The trials will take place at the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute, led by its Director, Professor Adrian Hill, and are funded by the Wellcome Trust. ...> Full Article New Insights Into Vaccination For HIV (2/3/2008)A group of Australian researchers at the Universities of Melbourne and New South Wales have developed new tools and paradigms to understand immune evasion from HIV. The study shows that both prior vaccination and timing influence the rates of immune escape, providing further insight into the effectiveness of T cell immunity to HIV. ...> Full Article Tobacco plants may provide virus cure (2/3/2008)
Anti-Parasite Drug Provides New Way to Attack HIV (2/2/2008)Researchers Seek to Deny HIV Its Safe Havens in the Human Body ...> Full Article New Vaccine against Deadliest Strain of Avian Flu Tested by Scientists (2/1/2008)New Vaccine against Deadliest Strain of Avian Flu Tested by University of Pittsburgh Scientists ...> Full Article Evolutionary 'battle scars' identify enhanced antiviral activity (1/29/2008)Rapid evolution of a protein produced by an immunity gene is associated with increased antiviral activity in humans, a finding that suggests evolutionary biology and virology together can accelerate the discovery of viral-defense mechanisms ...> Full Article Early Promising Results in Malaria Vaccine Trial in Mali (1/27/2008)A small clinical trial conducted by an international team of researchers in Mali has found that a candidate malaria vaccine was safe and elicited strong immune responses in the 40 Malian adults who received it. The trial was the first to test this vaccine candidate, which is designed to block the malaria parasite from entering human blood cells, in a malaria-endemic country. Based on these promising results, the research team is now conducting trials of this vaccine in 400 Malian children aged 1 to 6 years. Malaria is a leading killer in Africa and other developing countries, claiming more than 1 million lives each year, most of them children. ...> Full Article Can Hantavirus Infection Spread Among Humans? (1/25/2008)In connection with last year's epidemic, a research team at Umeå University in Sweden has managed for the first time to show that hantavirus exists in human saliva. This raises the question of whether this contagion can spread among humans. ...> Full Article Cigarette Smoke May Enhance HPV And Increase Risk Of Cervical Cancer (1/24/2008)
Immunologists find better way to boost the immune system (1/23/2008)
Ebola virus disarmed by excising a single gene (1/23/2008)
Protein discovered that prevents HIV from spreading (1/21/2008)
Researchers Reveal HIV Peptide's Possible Pathway Into the Cell (1/20/2008)
Newly Discovered Virus Linked to Deadly Skin Cancer (1/19/2008)Novel sequencing technique used at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute reveals new cancer virus ...> Full Article Battling TB, and E. coli, centre receives increased funding (1/19/2008)Research that has led to an antidote to the E. coli toxin and a possible drug to combat Alzheimer's disease were just two of the highlights of a centre that received $12.5 million in funding today. ...> Full Article Existing Antiretroviral Drugs May Thwart Vaginal HIV Transmission, Researchers Report (1/18/2008)
T-cell 'nanotubes' may explain how HIV virus conquers human immune system (1/16/2008)String-like connections found between T-cells could be important to how HIV spreads between cells in the human immune system, according to new research published online today (13 January 2008) in Nature Cell Biology. The newly-discovered strands, named 'membrane nanotubes' by scientists, could help to explain how the HIV virus infects human immune cells so quickly and effectively. ...> Full Article Researchers find cell protein that literally nips HIV in the bud (1/15/2008)Researchers have found that a key protein in the body's dendritic cells can stop the virus that causes AIDS from "budding" - part of the virus' life cycle that is crucial to its ability to replicate and infect other cells. ...> Full Article Genomic Screen Nets Hundreds Of Human Proteins Exploited By HIV (1/14/2008)In some ways, HIV resembles a minimalist painter, using a few basic components to achieve dramatic effects. The virus contains just nine genes encoding 15 proteins, which wreak havoc on the human immune system. But this bare bones approach could have a fatal flaw. Lacking robust machinery, HIV hijacks human proteins to propagate, and these might represent powerful therapeutic targets. ...> Full Article Clinical Trial to Assess Effects of Drug Regimens on HIV-Related Neuro-Cognitive Impairment (1/9/2008)A clinical trial is being conducted by researchers at UCSD's HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC) to discern which antiretroviral treatments are most effective in treating HIV-related disease in the brain and central nervous system. The study includes the use of novel functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) techniques to non-invasively image the brain changes underlying cognitive impairment due to HIV. ...> Full Article Smallpox vaccine alternative identified (1/8/2008)Modified vaccinia virus shows potential to replace current biodefense vaccine stockpile ...> Full Article Scientists find key to avian flu in humans (1/7/2008)Researchers have uncovered a critical difference between flu viruses that infect birds and humans, a discovery that could help scientists monitor the evolution of avian flu strains and aid in the development of vaccines against a deadly flu pandemic. ...> Full Article Sea cucumber protein used to inhibit development of malaria parasite (12/27/2007)Scientists have genetically engineered a mosquito to release a sea-cucumber protein into its gut which impairs the development of malaria parasites, according to research out today (21 December) in PLoS Pathogens. Researchers say this development is a step towards developing future methods of preventing the transmission of malaria. ...> Full Article Researcher helping Estonia develop system for HIV/AIDS (12/22/2007)A researcher has received a grant from Estonia to develop a program to understand its burgeoning number of HIV/AIDS cases. ...> Full Article Team Finds a Widely Used Anti-Malarial Drug Prevents Cancer Development (12/22/2007)Study Offers Proof of Principle for Novel Anti-Tumor Therapy ...> Full Article Researchers Train the Immune System to Deliver Virus that Destroys Cancer in Lab Models (12/20/2007)An international team of researchers led by Mayo Clinic have designed a technique that uses the body's own cells and a virus to destroy cancer cells that spread from primary tumors to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system. In addition, their study shows that this technology could be the basis for a new cancer vaccine to prevent cancer recurrence. ...> Full Article Researchers Discover Virus Using Same Tools as Host Cell (12/17/2007)Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that the virus which causes Kaposi's Sarcoma encodes a molecule for controlling gene regulation nearly identical to one found normally in human cells. Both versions of the molecule, known as a microRNA, appear to play a role in the development of cancer. ...> Full Article Bringing Viruses Back to Life (12/17/2007)It's a prospect that may unnerve some-scientists bringing extinct viruses back to life to learn more about how they evolved along with humans. But when it comes to retroviruses like HIV, which take up permanent residence in our DNA, the past can provide important clues about how to treat them. ...> Full Article Researchers seeking participants for West Nile Virus study (12/13/2007)If you think West Nile Virus isn't a threat during the fall and winter months, think again. With temperatures being milder during the fall in South Texas, mosquitoes are still active, and that means they're still biting. In some cases, patients diagnosed with the illness during the winter acquire it while traveling through more tropical areas of the world. ...> Full Article Cells use Velcro-like mechanism to keep viruses from spreading (12/9/2007)Like mobsters, cells keep their friends close and their enemies - at least some of them - closer. According to new results from HIV researchers at Rockefeller University, one way that human cells prevent certain viruses from raging out of control is by blocking new viral particles from ever leaving an infected cell's surface. And, they believe, HIV thrives in part because it has evolved the ability to get around this obstacle. ...> Full Article Aerosol Launches Immune Response in Lungs to Wipe Out Lethal Infections (12/4/2007)Preclinical research presented at ASCB shows swift killing of bacteria, viruses, fungi ...> Full Article Genomic study of malaria parasite unearths surprising behaviors (12/1/2007)The malaria parasite has been studied for decades, but surprisingly little is known about how it behaves in humans to cause disease. Now an international team including scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has for the first time measured which of the parasite's genes are turned on or off during actual infection in humans, unearthing surprising behaviors and opening a window on the most critical aspects of parasite biology. ...> Full Article In blood, malaria's secrets revealed (12/1/2007)Study of malaria parasite in patients' blood uncovers biological states never before glimpsed in laboratory-based research ...> Full Article Rebuilding The Evolutionary History Of HIV-1 Unravels A Complex Loop (11/29/2007)An essential component of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) molecular machinery responsible for infecting cells consists of functionally-specialized layers, according to a study by investigators at the University of California San Diego Antiviral Research Center. ...> Full Article For treating malaria, less drugs may be best drugs (11/28/2007)The current dosage of drugs used in treating malaria may be helping the parasites become resistant to the drugs faster, without improving the long-term outcome in patients. According to evolutionary biologists, studies using mice suggest that the optimal use of the drugs might slow the spread of drug resistance while making the patient just as healthy. ...> Full Article Study shows cholera can be controlled with oral vaccines (11/27/2007)Endemic cholera, a potentially fatal diarrheal disease found in the world's most impoverished countries, could be effectively controlled by orally vaccinating half of the affected populations once every two years for only pennies per dose. ...> Full Article Viral infection affects important cell stress response (11/20/2007)Viral infection disrupts the normal response of mammalian cells to outside deleterious forces, cleaving and inactivating a protein called G3BP that helps drive the formation of stress granules, which shelter the messenger RNAs that carry the code for protein formation. ...> Full Article Virus Used to Create Experimental HIV Vaccines Directly Impairs the Immune Response (11/19/2007)Leading efforts to create an HIV vaccine have hinged on the use of viruses as carriers for selected elements of the HIV virus. Recently, however, evidence has emerged that some of these so-called viral vector systems may undermine the immune system and should not be used for vaccine development. Now, a new study from scientists at The Wistar Institute provides strong support for the idea that some viral-vector vaccines may cause more harm than good. ...> Full Article Scorpion Toxin Makes Fungus Deadly to Insect Pests (11/17/2007)Professor has discovered how to use scorpion genes to create a hypervirulent fungus that can kill specific insect pests, including mosquitoes that carry malaria and a beetle that destroys coffee crops, but does not contaminate the environment as chemical pesticides do. ...> Full Article A Dose of Radiation May Help Knock Out Malaria (11/14/2007)
A researcher is studying new strategies for treating the Hepatitis C virus (11/14/2007)Aintzane Zabaleta Azpiroz, a biologist at the Center for Applied Medical Research of the University of Navarra (CIMA), focused her doctoral studies on new strategies for fighting the Hepatitis C virus, based on treatments and vaccines derived from cellular therapy methods. ...> Full Article Decisive action could prevent spread of bird flu, says expert (11/14/2007)Dr Robert Paul Yeo, lecturer in microbiology and infectious diseases, stresses the importance of taking appropriate action to contain the disease but highlights that the outbreak may still have significant economic effects. ...> Full Article Researchers Suggest Updating Criteria for HIV-associated Neurocognitive Disorders (11/12/2007)After 10 years since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the criteria for classifying HIV-related neurocognitive disorders may need to be revised and updated, according to a working group designated by NIMH and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to study the issue. The study was published October 30, 2007, in the journal Neurology. ...> Full Article New HIV Vaccine Target Could Solve Mutation Problem (11/12/2007)Researchers have identified a potential new way of fighting against HIV infection that relies on the remnants of ancient viruses, human endogenous retroviruses (HERV), which have become part of the genome of every human cell. ...> Full Article Fine-tuning lasers to destroy blood-borne diseases like AIDS (11/9/2007)
Pitt Researchers Receive Grants to Develop Dengue Fever Vaccine (11/8/2007)The Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) at the University of Pittsburgh has received two grants totaling $4.8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a new vaccine strategy for dengue fever. A major public health issue worldwide, dengue fever is caused by a virus that is a close relative to West Nile virus. The award will allow researchers Ted M. Ross, Ph.D., assistant professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Donald S. Burke, M.D., professor and dean, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and CVR director, to improve survival outcomes for people infected with dengue fever. ...> Full Article How One Virus Uses Mimicry To Replicate Successfully: Related Mechanisms May Trigger Some Cancers (11/6/2007)Both viruses and cancers subvert the growth-control machinery in a cell to serve their own needs. According to a new study, at least one virus uses mimicry to gain access to that machinery. ...> Full Article New Magnetic Separation Technique Might Detect Multiple Pathogens At Once (11/3/2007)The method could lead to new technologies for medical or environmental testing ...> Full Article Sensor Can Detect Single Molecule Of Virus Associated With Cervical Cancer In Women (11/1/2007)
Undergraduates tailor Genome Browser to aid malaria research (10/31/2007)Researchers have created a genome browser for studying the malaria parasite. A team of UCSC researchers used the new browser to discover previously unknown genes that could help in the search for antimalarial drugs. ...> Full Article Study Shows What Works In Treating HIV-Infected African Children (10/30/2007)Providing HIV combination antiretroviral drug therapy is key to saving the lives of African children infected with the disease. ...> Full Article Malaria Research Institute Sums Up Recent Progress (10/29/2007)"Breaking the Cycle" chronicles five years of scientific discovery conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. ...> Full Article Bird Flu Finds Children's Lungs Faster (10/29/2007)
Research sheds new light on how diseases jump across species (10/26/2007)Researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding a virus which poses one of the greatest global disease threats to wild carnivores including lions, African wild dogs and several types of seal. ...> Full Article New Theory Of How Viruses May Contribute To Cancer (10/25/2007)A new study suggests that viruses may contribute to cancer by causing excessive death to normal cells while promoting the growth of surviving cells with cancerous traits. Viruses may act as forces of natural selection by wiping out normal cells that support the replication of viruses and leaving behind those cells that have acquired defects in their circuitry. When this process is repeated over and over, cancer can develop. ...> Full Article Viral Infections May Be Linked To Obesity (10/25/2007)Experts don't dispute the important role that diet and activity play in maintaining a healthy weight. But can poor eating habits and a less active lifestyle fully explain the prevalence of obesity in the United States today? That question has led some researchers to ask whether there might be other causes for this serious problem. ...> Full Article Pace of AIDS progression not dependent on viral load alone (10/25/2007)Armed with genetic information from more than 3,500 HIV-1-infected subjects and healthy individuals, a large multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; the U.S. military; Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard; The University of California, San Francisco; Australia; Colombia; and Argentina reported this week that two genes influence AIDS progression rates by affecting not just the extent of viral replication but also the strength of the body's immune response. ...> Full Article Projected supply of pandemic influenza vaccine sharply increases (10/24/2007)Recent scientific advances and increased vaccine manufacturing capacity have prompted experts to increase their projections of how many pandemic influenza vaccine courses can be made available in the coming years. ...> Full Article Common Virus May Help Doctors Treat Deadly Brain Tumors (10/24/2007)A common human virus may prove useful in attacking the deadliest form of brain tumors, according to study conducted by researchers at Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. The researchers said the finding is an important step in developing a vaccine that can attack the tumors by enlisting the help of the body's immune system. ...> Full Article Researchers knock out HIV (10/22/2007)
Immune cells fighting chronic infections become progressively 'exhausted,' ineffective (10/21/2007)A new study of immune cells battling a chronic viral infection shows that the cells, called T cells, become exhausted by the fight in specific ways, undergoing profound changes that make them progressively less effective over time. ...> Full Article West Nile virus' spread through nerve cells linked to serious complication (10/21/2007)Scientists believe they have found an explanation for a puzzling and serious complication of West Nile virus infection. ...> Full Article Researchers battle African 'sleeping sickness' (10/20/2007)A team of researchers will attempt to identify future hotspots of "sleeping sickness" in Kenya by developing a new model that ultimately could be used to predict the path of other diseases. ...> Full Article Discovery of New Antiviral Mechanism in Mammals May Improve Treatment of Hepatitis C Infections (10/20/2007)A team of researchers have discovered a completely new mechanism that mammalian cells employ to fight infections of the Hepatitis C virus, which affects approximately 2.7 million Americans and 170 million people worldwide. ...> Full Article Researchers seek volunteers for malaria vaccine study (10/19/2007)The experimental malaria vaccine uses a type of adenovirus that does not usually infect humans, so people receiving the vaccine should not have any immune response. ...> Full Article Scientists map flu's chemical key (10/18/2007)Research on type B flu strain could yield clues about bird flu ...> Full Article Matching Pathogens To Their Antibodies: Could Lead To HIV Vaccine (10/18/2007)The search for a vaccination against HIV has been in progress since 1984, with very little success. Traditional methods used for identifying potential cellular targets can be very costly and time-consuming. ...> Full Article Researchers track genetic journey of HIV from birth to death (10/17/2007)Scientists have discovered how HIV evolves over the course of a person's lifetime into a more deadly form that heralds the onset of full-blown AIDS. The findings could pave the way for new therapeutic agents that target the virus earlier in the disease process, before it takes a lethal turn, researchers say. ...> Full Article Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus Can Replicate In Human Cells (10/15/2007)Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) - which causes mammary cancer in mice - can replicate and spread in human cells, research published this week shows. ...> Full Article New class of drug offers hope to treatment-resistant AIDS patients (10/12/2007)For the estimated millions of AIDS patients worldwide who are resistant or are developing resistance to currently available medicines, a discovery by a University of Georgia researcher may offer a new treatment option by targeting a previously elusive enzyme in the complex retrovirus responsible for the devastating disease. ...> Full Article Feline Virus, Antiviral Drug Studied To Understand Drug Resistance (10/11/2007)Researchers at Ohio State will spend the next two years testing their theories about just how an AIDS-like virus in cats is able to resist the powerful medicines that are thrown against it. ...> Full Article Students use designer virus to attack bacterial drug resistance (10/11/2007)Rice team prepares to compete at iGEM synthetic biology competition ...> Full Article Researchers identify key step bird flu virus takes to spread readily in humans (10/10/2007)Since it first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997, the H5N1 avian flu virus has been slowly evolving into a pathogen better equipped to infect humans. The final form of the virus, biomedical researchers fear, will be a highly pathogenic strain of influenza that spreads easily among humans. ...> Full Article Molecular biology brings new approach to age-old mystery of malaria (10/9/2007)
Drug Cocktail Stops Brain Damage Caused by HIV (10/9/2007)A combination of drugs widely used to treat infections caused by HIV appears to stop brain damage caused by the virus as well. ...> Full Article Innovative dual action anthrax vaccine-antitoxin combination (10/6/2007)
Misuse of Tamiflu can create resistant influenza viruses (10/4/2007)Swedish researchers have discovered that oseltamivir (Tamiflu), an antiviral drug used to prevent and mitigate influenza infections is not removed or degraded during normal sewage treatment. Consequently, in countries where Tamiflu is used at a high frequency, there is a risk that its concentration in natural waters can reach levels where influenza viruses in nature will develop resistance to it. ...> Full Article Researchers show first results from new Epstein Barr cancer vaccine (10/4/2007)Researchers are using a vaccination for a common virus as a way of stimulating the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. ...> Full Article Depression, Aging, and Proteins Made By A Virus May All Play Role In Heart Disease (10/2/2007)Researchers here have linked an increase in two immune system proteins essential for inflammation to a latent viral infection and proposed a chain of events that might accelerate cardiovascular disease. ...> Full Article New Research Shows How H5N1 Virus Causes Disease (9/29/2007)Avian Influenza H5N1 virus affects much more than respiratory system: disseminates to gastrointestinal tract, immune and central nervous systems, and can be transmitted mother to fetus through placenta ...> Full Article Researchers investigate new suspect in West Nile deaths of pelicans (9/28/2007)
Using Antiretrovirals as a Prevention Strategy Could Dramatically Slow The Spread of HIV Infection in Africa (9/21/2007)Model predicts potential prevention of more than 3 million new HIV infections over 10 years ...> Full Article Flu virus trots globe during off season (9/21/2007)The influenza A virus does not lie dormant during summer but migrates globally and mixes with other viral strains before returning to the Northern Hemisphere as a genetically different virus, according to biologists who say the finding settles a key debate on what the virus does during the summer off season when it is not infecting people. ...> Full Article Disease Mechanism Found for Hantavirus Infections (9/20/2007)Researchers have discovered a mechanism by which deer mice might escape disease despite being infected with the virus. ...> Full Article Probing a Chink in the Immunological Armor (9/17/2007)Herpes simplex virus is a common pathogen - infecting about eight out of every 10 adults. Most people who are infected develop nothing more than a bothersome cold sore. But for some, infection with the virus can develop into herpes simplex encephalitis, which can lead to mental retardation, epilepsy and possibly death. ...> Full Article Immune police recognize good and bad guys in the body (9/17/2007)Immune system police are as good at recognizing bad guys, such as bacteria and viruses, as they are our own tissue, researchers say. ...> Full Article Customized Virus Kills Brain Tumor Stem Cells that Drive Lethal Cancer (9/14/2007)A tailored virus destroys brain tumor stem cells that resist other therapies and cause lethal re-growth of cancer after surgery, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Sept. 18 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. ...> Full Article Novel Virus Detection Identifies New Viruses in Study of Respiratory Infections (9/10/2007)A new study led by UCSF scientists has found an unexpected number of viruses and viral subtypes in patients with respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The technique used in the study may help identify new viruses associated with human diseases. The study is published in the September 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. ...> Full Article West Nile virus season can take a bite out of the fun (9/9/2007)Although many people think of mosquitoes as being the villain of summertime, the type of mosquito that spreads the potentially fatal West Nile virus is usually most active in Indiana from mid-August through October. ...> Full Article Research details parasitic battles (9/7/2007)Scientists at MIT and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology have for the first time recorded the entire genomic expression of both a host bacterium and an infecting virus over the eight-hour course of infection. ...> Full Article Possible Hepatitis C Vaccine (9/7/2007)Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infects up to 500,000 people in the UK alone, many of the infections going undiagnosed. It is the single biggest cause of people requiring a liver transplant in Britain. Now, in a collaborative effort with groups across Europe and the USA, scientists from The University of Nottingham have found monoclonal antibodies which may be a significant step towards a vaccine. ...> Full Article Immunology Researchers Halt Lethal Rabies Infection in Brain (9/5/2007)While rabies, an ancient scourge that still kills 70,000 every year in developing countries worldwide can be combated with a series of vaccines today, it nearly is always fatal when it reaches the brain. ...> Full Article Novel HIV Vaccine Funded for Clinical Development (9/2/2007)A promising new HIV vaccine created at The Wistar Institute has received funding for clinical development aimed at moving the vaccine into human clinical trials as soon as possible. ...> Full Article Human Papilloma Virus Vaccines May Decrease Chances Of Oral Cancer (9/2/2007)The Centers for Disease Control report that nearly 25 million women are infected with some form of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Of those, more than three million are thought to have one of the four strains known to cause cases of cervical cancer and genital warts. ...> Full Article Mutant virus causing Australian gastro epidemic (8/31/2007)
Discovery Could Help Stop Malaria at Its Source - the Mosquito (8/30/2007)As summer temperatures cool in the United States, fewer mosquitoes whir around our tiki torches. But mosquitoes swarming around nearly 40 percent of the world's population will continue to spread a deadly parasitic disease �" malaria. Now an interdisciplinary team led by researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has found a key link that causes malarial infection in both humans and mosquitoes. ...> Full Article Study confirms limited human-to-human spread of avian-flu virus in Indonesia in 2006 (8/29/2007)
Discovery may help defang viruses (8/29/2007)Researchers may be able to tinker with a single amino acid of an enzyme that helps viruses multiply to render them harmless, according to molecular biologists who say the discovery could pave the way for a fast and cheap method of making vaccines. ...> Full Article Deadly Nipah Virus Can Be Transmitted To Offspring During Pregnancy (8/27/2007)A collaborative team of scientists from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) here, and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory have demonstrated an important biological feature of the deadly Nipah virus that can infect and kill both animals and humans. ...> Full Article Epilepsy drug may 'teach' AIDS virus to become resistant (8/26/2007)A Michigan State University physician has witnessed firsthand what is a huge dilemma for many health care providers who care for patients in Africa who suffer from both AIDS and epilepsy. ...> Full Article Features Of Replication Suggest Viruses Have Common Themes, Vulnerabilities (8/17/2007)A study of the reproductive apparatus of a model virus is bolstering the idea that broad classes of viruses - including those that cause important human diseases such as AIDS, SARS and hepatitis C - have features in common that could eventually make them vulnerable to broad-spectrum antiviral agents. ...> Full Article Researchers Discover New Mechanism for Viral Replication (8/17/2007)Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new strategy that Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) uses to dupe infected cells into replicating its viral genome. This allows the virus to remain virtually undetected by the body's immune system. ...> Full Article Prevention Is Key To Avoiding Hantavirus Infection (8/10/2007)
Discovery in plant virus may help prevent HIV and similar viruses (8/10/2007)
Study Helps Explain How HIV Becomes AIDS (8/1/2007)Finding could help scientists seeking therapies to block virus progression ...> Full Article Scientists Describe How 1918 Influenza Virus Sample was Exhumed in Alaska (7/5/2007)The effort to find preserved samples of the 1918 influenza virus has been a pursuit of both historical and medical importance. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most devastating single disease outbreak in modern history, and examining the virus that caused it may help prepare for, and possibly prevent, future pandemics. When the complete sequence of the 1918 virus was published in 2005, it represented a watershed event for influenza researchers worldwide. ...> Full Article Virologists Show How Memory T Cells Curb the Spread of Viruses Throughout the Body (7/2/2007)A scientific discovery by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers helps explain how "memory" T cells protect the body from viral diseases. The research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Online Early Edition shows lymph nodes are not just organs where immune cells reside and proliferate, but also are the sites where a major fight against the spread of an invading virus occurs. ...> Full Article Mosquito Genes Could Be Controlling The Spread Of Killer Viruses (6/25/2007)The genes that make up the immune system of the Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits deadly viral diseases to humans have been identified in new research in Science. ...> Full Article Researchers Pit Novel Version of Common Virus Against Cancer (6/21/2007)With nearly $1 million in government funding, University of Rochester scientists are testing a new innovation in biotherapy by altering a common childhood respiratory virus, the adenovirus, to destroy cancer cells. ...> Full Article Crammed With Charged DNA, Pressure Rises Inside Virus (6/10/2007)
How Sneaky HIV Escapes Cells (6/9/2007)Like hobos on a train, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, uses a pre-existing transport system to leave one infected cell and infect new ones, Hopkins scientists have discovered. Their findings, published in the June issue of Plos Biology, counter the prevailing belief that HIV and other retroviruses can only leave and enter cells by virus-specific mechanisms. ...> Full Article National Clinical Trial To Uncover Long-term Effects Of West Nile Virus Begun (5/21/2007)UT Southwestern Medical Center has joined a national clinical trial to identify the long-term health effects of West Nile virus infection and to learn more about the disease's progression, symptoms and mortality. ...> Full Article Study Of Unexplained Respiratory Infections Leads Researchers To New Virus (5/19/2007)An ongoing effort to identify the microorganisms that make us sick has discovered a new virus potentially linked to unexplained respiratory infections. ...> Full Article Spreading Viruses As We Breathe (5/11/2007)Keeping at arm's length won't protect you from catching an infectious disease, according to new research by Queensland University of Technology which reveals airborne viruses can spread far and wide. ...> Full Article Insulator Helps Silence Genes in Dormant Herpes Virus (5/4/2007)By adulthood, most people have suffered at least one bout of painful cold sores brought on by the Herpes simplex virus 1, also known as HSV-1. After the initial infection, the virus usually remains in the body, hiding out in nearby nerve cells where the victim's immune defenses cannot reach it, causing no symptoms at all. ...> Full Article Flu Gene Database Speeds ID And Tracking Of Emerging Influenza Strains (4/30/2007)A Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Research Institute team in Milwaukee has created a free, searchable genetic database that will significantly improve diagnostic testing and genetic tracking of human and animal influenza viruses. The site, which is automatically updated weekly, will also facilitate rapid response as new virus strains emerge to cause either annual epidemics or the next pandemic. ...> Full Article |
