Disease/Infection News

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Thymosin β4 exhibits potential as new therapeutic agent for liver failure due to chronic HBV infection

REGENERX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC. announced today that researchers have correlated Tβ4 levels with the clinical course of patients with hepatitis B virus-related liver failure. It was reported that serum thymosin β4 levels were significantly lower in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection and that the magnitude of the reduction of thymosin β4 was closely related to the severity of the hepatic injury and to patient death. Since patients with higher Tβ4 levels survived the disease, changes in Tβ4 values could reflect outcome in some liver failure patients.

9 Feb 2010

USPTO awards NexBio patent covering sialidase pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treating influenza

NexBio, Inc. today announced the issuance by the United States Patent and Trademark Office of United States Patent No. 7,645,448 entitled "Class of Therapeutic Protein Based Molecules". This patent covers NexBio's sialidase pharmaceutical compositions, including its lead compound DAS181 (Fludase®), and methods of treating or preventing viral infection by influenza and parainfluenza with such compositions.

9 Feb 2010

Debiopharm Group signs exclusive licence agreement with Novartis for alisporivir

Debiopharm Group, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, today announced the signature of an exclusive licence agreement with Novartis for the development, manufacture and commercialisation of Debio 025 (alisporivir), a selective, first-in-class cyclophilin (Cyp) inhibitor with a potent anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) effect. The product is currently in phase 2b clinical development for the treatment of hepatitis C. Debiopharm granted Novartis worldwide commercialisation rights to Debio 025 except for Japan.

9 Feb 2010

NIH awards over $15M for Tulane University's collaborative effort to combat VHF

Corgenix Medical Corporation, a worldwide developer and marketer of diagnostic test kits, and Tulane University, today announced a major extension of the collaborative effort to combat viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), an effort that will generate an additional $800,000 in contract revenue for Corgenix over the life of the contract.

9 Feb 2010

FDA accepts Psyadon Pharmaceuticals' ecopipam IND for treatment of LND

Psyadon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to study ecopipam in patients with Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND). The first center at which the drug will be evaluated is Emory University under the direction of Dr. Hyder A. Jinnah, MD, PhD. The study is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of different doses of ecopipam in adults (group 1), adolescents (group 2) and children (group 3) with LND.

9 Feb 2010

Novavax announces new data from trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine study

Novavax, Inc. announced today new data from a clinical study that began in May of 2009 among healthy adults 18 to 49 years of age with Novavax's trivalent seasonal influenza Virus-like Particle (VLP) vaccine. The vaccine matched the influenza strains recommended for the 2008-2009 influenza season including H1N1 A/Brisbane/59/2007, H3N2 A/Brisbane/10/2007, and B/Florida/04/2006 strains.

9 Feb 2010

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute sign license agreement with Genentech

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have signed a license agreement with Genentech, a wholly owned member of the Roche group, and Roche, that grants the companies exclusive rights to manufacture, develop and market human monoclonal antibodies to treat and protect against group 1 influenza viruses. These viruses include the strains for the current seasonal and H1N1 influenzas. Genentech and Roche also have a non-exclusive right to manufacture, develop and market diagnostic tests for group 1 influenza.

9 Feb 2010

Phase 1 trial of Cerus' INTERCEPT red blood system meets primary endpoint

Cerus Corporation announced today that its Phase 1 trial of red blood cells treated with the INTERCEPT Blood System met its primary endpoint, with preliminary analysis demonstrating that greater than 75 percent of treated cells continued to circulate 24 hours following transfusion. The INTERCEPT red blood cell system is a pathogen inactivation treatment the company is developing to protect against transmission of infectious diseases through red blood cell transfusions. An estimated 70 million units of red blood cells are transfused worldwide each year.

9 Feb 2010

GeoVax Labs provides updates on HIV-1 vaccine trials

GeoVax Labs, Inc., an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other infectious agents, today provided an update on its vaccine trials progress.

9 Feb 2010

Study indicates women receiving antiretroviral therapy are more likely to become pregnant

In PLoS Medicine this week a study conducted in a multi-country HIV treatment program in sub-Saharan Africa has found that pregnancy rates increase in HIV-infected women after they start antiretroviral therapy (ART).

9 Feb 2010

Plant-produced antibodies can help prevent infection

The first head-to-head comparison of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies produced from plants versus the same antibodies produced from mammalian cells has shown that plant-produced antibodies can fight infection equally well.

9 Feb 2010

Combination of blueberries and probiotics protects against intestinal disorders

It is already known that blueberries are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. New research from the Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden shows that blueberry fibre are important and can alleviate and protect against intestinal inflammations, such as ulcerative colitis.

9 Feb 2010

HHS Secretary releases statement on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

On Sunday, February 7, the country will commemorate the tenth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. It’s a day that reminds us that HIV/AIDS is still a public health crisis in the US. And it’s a day when communities and organizations across the country come together to recognize the impact this disease has had on the African American community.

8 Feb 2010

Stronger animal disease traceability system will help minimize harm to other food animals, food producers and the public

In response to a statement by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is reaffirming its call for a strong, national animal disease traceability program to help maintain and improve the health of U.S. livestock.

6 Feb 2010

Oral care with ionic toothbrush

Smile and the world smiles with you. Well, the folks at Global Ionics LLC, makers of the Ionic ProClean toothbrush, are smiling a lot these days; especially since receiving the impressive results of a clinical evaluation conducted by THE DENTAL ADVISOR. In a clinical assessment, the Ionic ProClean was evaluated by a team of dental professionals and 107 patients in over 11,100 uses. The results? Dental professionals reported that they observed less tartar buildup and gingivitis, and believed the toothbrush contributed to good oral hygiene: earning the Ionic ProClean a 4+ rating from THE DENTAL ADVISOR.

6 Feb 2010

$1.2B needed to aid women, children in 28 countries 'in crisis,' UNICEF says

UNICEF on Thursday launched a $1.2 billion appeal aimed at providing "life saving emergency assistance to millions of children and women in dire need," VOA News reports (Schlein, 2/4). "The appeal is part of UNICEF's Humanitarian Action Report 2010, released in Geneva ... which spotlights the desperate situation of children and women in 28 countries and territories facing deep humanitarian crises," the U.N. News Centre writes (2/4).

6 Feb 2010

HPV vaccination programs may reduce genital diseases

High-coverage human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations among adolescents and young women may result in a rapid reduction of genital warts, cervical cell abnormalities, and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, researchers report in a new study published online February 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Some of these genital abnormalities are precursors of cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers.

6 Feb 2010

Study suggests environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology of Crohn's disease

Although inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [comprising mainly Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)] is thought to affect about 150 000 people in the United Kingdom, the prevalence of severe IBD is not known. Mortality following hospitalization for IBD is significant but little has been reported on long-term follow-up.

6 Feb 2010

Breakthrough research could lead to new potential treatments for malaria

Groundbreaking research done at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) School of Biological Sciences (SBS) could lead to the development of more potent drugs or a vaccine for malaria, which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes and kills up to three million people each year.

6 Feb 2010

Majority of Americans believe flu outbreak is over; levels of concern continue to decline

The latest poll from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) shows that almost half of Americans believe the H1N1 flu outbreak is over (44%), and levels of concern about getting sick with the virus continue to decline.

6 Feb 2010

Disease/Infection News

Thymosin β4 exhibits potential as new therapeutic agent for liver failure due to chronic HBV infection

USPTO awards NexBio patent covering sialidase pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treating influenza

Debiopharm Group signs exclusive licence agreement with Novartis for alisporivir

NIH awards over $15M for Tulane University's collaborative effort to combat VHF

FDA accepts Psyadon Pharmaceuticals' ecopipam IND for treatment of LND

Novavax announces new data from trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine study

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute sign license agreement with Genentech

Phase 1 trial of Cerus' INTERCEPT red blood system meets primary endpoint

GeoVax Labs provides updates on HIV-1 vaccine trials

Study indicates women receiving antiretroviral therapy are more likely to become pregnant

Plant-produced antibodies can help prevent infection

Combination of blueberries and probiotics protects against intestinal disorders

HHS Secretary releases statement on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Stronger animal disease traceability system will help minimize harm to other food animals, food producers and the public

Oral care with ionic toothbrush

$1.2B needed to aid women, children in 28 countries 'in crisis,' UNICEF says

HPV vaccination programs may reduce genital diseases

Study suggests environmental factors play a significant role in the etiology of Crohn's disease

Breakthrough research could lead to new potential treatments for malaria

Majority of Americans believe flu outbreak is over; levels of concern continue to decline

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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