Study vaccine protects monkeys against four types of hemorrhagic fever viruses

Health Problems

Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an investigational vaccine that protected cynomolgus macaques against four types of hemorrhagic fever viruses endemic to overlapping regions in Africa. The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and Profectus BioSciences of New York are developing and testing the candidate quadrivalent VesiculoVax vaccine, with support from NIH’s National Institute of […]

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Ancient viruses could help kill cancers

Health Problems

DNA “echoes” of viruses that infected our ancestors millions of years ago could help the immune system to identify and kill cancer cells, according to new research from Crick scientists. The new study, published in Genome Research, looked at “endogenous retroviruses,” fragments of DNA in the human genome that were left behind by viruses that infected our ancestors. Over millions […]

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Seven-country study reveals viruses as new leading cause of global childhood pneumonia

Health Problems

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other viruses now appear to be the main causes of severe childhood pneumonia in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the need for vaccines against these pathogens, according to a study from a consortium of scientists from around the world, led by a team at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Pneumonia is the […]

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Lines blurring between human herpes simplex viruses

Health Problems

The line between the human herpes simplex viruses—HSV-1 and HSV-2—is blurrier than previously thought, according to a new study published this week in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Researchers found that HSV-1 and HSV-2 are mixing together to result in several new, different recombinant versions of herpes. “The main implication is that HSV-1 and HSV-2 are continuing to recombine,” said […]

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