Childhood Chicken Pox Could Affect Oral Health Years Later You may recall as a child catching the itchy red rash, chicken pox. The unsightly infection was caused by the varicella zoster virus and was responsible for nearly 4 million cases each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), until a vaccine introduced in 1995 reduced that number by 83 percent. view more (2009-02-19)
OHSU vaccine research targets HIV in the slower, early stage of infection New research at Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute suggests vaccines that specifically target HIV in the initial stages of infection before it becomes a rapidly replicating, system-wide infection - may be a successful approach in limiting the spread of the disease. view more (2009-02-18)
Boosting its infectivity turns benign virus into good gene therapy carrier for cystic fibrosis Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Iowa have turned a relatively benign virus into a highly infectious form that is ideal as a carrier for gene therapy. view more (2009-02-17)
New research identifies faster detection of viruses A more specific and faster detection of viruses has been identified in new research by Trinity College Dublin's Professor of Physics, Martin Hegner at Trinity College's Centre of Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) and an international team of researchers. view more (2009-02-17)
Scientists uncover secrets of potential bioterror virus Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered a key tactic that the Rift Valley fever virus uses to disarm the defenses of infected cells. view more (2009-02-17)
Nanoparticle 'Smart Bomb' Targets Drug Delivery to Cancer Cells Researchers at North Carolina State University have successfully modified a common plant virus to deliver drugs only to specific cells inside the human body, without affecting surrounding tissue. view more (2009-02-13)
New test may help to ensure that dengue vaccines do no harm As vaccines against a virus that infects 100 million people annually reach late-stage clinical trials this year, researchers have developed a test to better predict whether a given vaccine candidate should protect patients from the infection, or in some cases, make it more dangerous, according to an article just published in the journal Clinical... view more... (2009-02-13)
Technology identified could reduce the spread of rice virus Building on plant virus research started more than 20 years ago, a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis and his colleague at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis have discovered a technology that reduces infection by the virus that causes Rice Tungro Disease, a serious limiting factor for rice production in Asia. view more (2009-02-11)
Scripps scientists create first crystal structure of an intermediate particle in virus assembly The structure, described February 8 in an advance online publication of the journal Nature, provides fresh insights into the elegant dance that viral proteins perform to create the infectious structure that causes all manner of misery and disease, say researchers. view more (2009-02-09)
Researchers examine role of climate change in disease spread Ever since scientists first proposed that our planet might be experiencing widespread climate change, concerns have been raised about its implications for the spread of arboviruses - viruses carried by arthropods such as mosquitoes, midges and ticks. view more (2009-02-06)
Potential new herpes therapy studied A new therapy being developed at the University of Florida could, in time, produce another weapon for the fight against herpes. view more (2009-02-04)
New Vaccine Developed for Preventing 'Uncommon Cold' Virus Common colds typically cause a week of sneezing, aches and pains and then fade away leaving only a sore nose and a few used sick days behind. But what if that cold turned out to be something more? view more (2009-02-03)
Discovery could lead to a new animal model for hepatitis C During its career, the potentially fatal hepatitis C virus has banked its success on a rather unusual strategy: its limitations. Its inability to infect animals other than humans and chimpanzees has severely hampered scientists in developing a useful small animal model for the disease. view more (2009-01-29)
Penn Study Identifies How Ebola Virus Avoids the Immune System Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have likely found one reason why the Ebola virus is such a powerful, deadly, and effective virus. Using a cell culture model for Ebola virus infection, they have discovered that the virus disables a cellular protein called tetherin that normally can block the spread of virus from... view more... (2009-01-28)
STDs disrupt genetic bottleneck that usually constrains HIV infection Scientists have shown that HIV faces a genetic "bottleneck" when the virus is transmitted heterosexually from one person to another, by way of the genital mucosa. view more (2009-01-23)
Hope for a rabies eradication strategy in Africa Most of the rabies virus circulating in dogs in western and central Africa comes from a common ancestor introduced to the continent around 200 years ago, probably by European colonialists. view more (2009-01-22)
Engineered virus targets and kills apparent cancer stem cells in neuroblastoma After identifying an apparent population of cancer stem cells for neuroblastoma, researchers successfully used a reprogrammed herpes virus to block tumor formation in mice by targeting and killing the cells. view more (2009-01-21)
Iowa State University researchers discover structure of key Ebola protein Research led by Iowa State University scientists has them a step closer to finding a way to counter the Ebola virus. view more (2009-01-13)
Evolution of new brain area enables complex movements A new area of the cerebral cortex has evolved to enable man and higher primates to pick up small objects and deftly use tools, according to neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Pittsburgh's Veterans Affairs Medical Center. view more (2009-01-13)
Avian flu becoming more resistant to antiviral drugs, says University of Colorado study A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows the resistance of the avian flu virus to a major class of antiviral drugs is increasing through positive evolutionary selection, with researchers documenting the trend in more than 30 percent of the samples tested. view more (2009-01-08)
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