An effective response of the immune system’s “killer” T cells against infection with HIV may depend on exactly which viral protein is targeted, according to an international group of researchers. A new study finds that HIV-infected individuals in whom virus-specific CD8 T cells are targeted against the Gag protein have lower viral levels than do those with CD8 responses directed against other viral proteins.
When it comes to an immune response against HIV, research funded by the Wellcome Trust in the UK and the National Institutes of Health in the US has found that bigger is not necessarily better, contrary to conventional medical wisdom. The research may have a profound impact on the development of a vaccine against the disease.
Between 1 January and 31 October 2006, 106 cases with evidence of chikungunya infection, have been reported by the HPA Special Pathogens Reference Unit (SPRU).
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and its Cosponsors, WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank, note with considerable interest today?s announcement by the US National Institutes of Health that two trials assessing the impact of male circumcision on HIV risk are being stopped on the recommendation of the NIH Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB).
Abbott and Enanta Pharmaceuticals announced today that the companies have signed a worldwide agreement to develop and commercialize hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 and NS3/4A protease inhibitors. Enanta has discovered several HCV protease inhibitors that have demonstrated attractive efficacy and pharmacokinetic profiles in pre-clinical studies.
The widely used breast cancer drug tamoxifen (Nolvadex?), which can become less effective over time, might retain its full strength indefinitely if used along with a second drug, according to new research in mice conducted by investigators from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their partners. The results appear in the December 11, 2006, issue of Cancer Cell.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently working with five states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate an outbreak of norovirus which has been associated with raw, frozen oysters on the half shell from South Korea.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin have identified a novel antiviral peptide that may inhibit influenza viruses including the H5N1 strain. They report their findings in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Virology.
Researchers from Spain have developed a new test that may rapidly detect the variola virus, the etiological agent of smallpox, as well as differentiate it from other orthopoxviruses while avoiding false-negative results. Their findings appear in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
VIB and AlgoNomics have joined forces to develop a technology that verifies whether certain proteins induce an immune response in humans. The collaboration between VIB and AlgoNomics has yielded a biological test that supplements the current computer simulations. The additional data enable a more precise determination of the immune response.