Vaccine Weekly articles from April 2002

Vaccine Weekly archives from April 2002

Vaccines and low daily doses of interleukin 2 may hold key to cure.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new clinical trial testing an HIV vaccine together with low daily doses of interleukin 2 (IL2) - led by Dr. Kendall Smith, chief of immunology in the department of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical...

DNA vaccine can provide mucosal protection.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - DNA vaccines may represent a safer and equally effective alternative to live, attenuated HIV vaccines, researchers in the United States argue. "An...

Phase III trial to determine correlates of protection will not proceed.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Two recent decisions will substantially contribute to a coordinated and comprehensive U.S. government effort to develop preventive HIV vaccines, according to the National Institute of Allergy and...

Institut Pasteur enters agreement to research treatments for hemorrhagic fever viruses.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Novirio Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., has announced that the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, has set up a program to evaluate Novirio's extensive library of compounds for antiviral activity against several...

Two viruses team up to develop vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. government scientists have developed a hybrid vaccine that protects mice from West Nile virus (WNV) infection, as reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. The...

VaxGen to establish joint venture in South Korea to manufacture AIDS vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- VaxGen, Inc., a U.S. biotech company, has signed an agreement to set up a joint venture with South Korean firms to manufacture an AIDS vaccine currently in clinical trials. The new company,...

Vaccine development ends after complications arise in subjects.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The maker of a highly touted experimental Alzheimer vaccine has ended development of the compound after 15 patients suffered serious brain inflammation. But Elan Corp. said it still is pursuing...

Research sheds new light on potential bioterrorist agent.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- By studying how to unlock the secrets of bubonic plague, Matthew Nilles is not only learning how infectious diseases kill but also helping to combat the threat of bioterrorism. Nilles is developing...

Novel cancer trial seeking patient volunteers.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Human research studies of a new treatment strategy for colorectal cancer using a therapeutic cancer vaccine technology have begun enrolling patients at several trial sites around the United States and...

CDC to test flu strain that shut down Grand Island Veterans home.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will test samples taken from Grand Island (Nebraska) Veterans Home residents after an outbreak of the flu there forced a quarantine. ...

Panel advises flu shots for babies.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A U.S. government advisory panel decided to encourage flu shots for children ages 6-23 months - a group not previously on the recommended list for the vaccine. The government currently recommends...

FDA clears the way for phase I trial of DCVax-Lung.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc., (NWBT) announced that its investigational new drug (IND) application for its third dendritic cell-based immunotherapy, DCVax-Lung, has been cleared by the U.S. Food and...

Simian virus found in human lymphoma samples.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Evidence of simian virus 40 (SV40) infection found in 42% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma samples could shed new light on the genesis of these blood cancers that have become more common over the past 30 years,...

Indian parents stay away from immunization campaign.(Brief Article)
April 3, 2002... 2002 APR 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Paramedics in an Indian state have gone door-to-door to give antipolio doses to children after parents stayed away from a United Nations immunization campaign, fearing side effects. Officials said...

Tat protein alone does not protect animals.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Vaccines based solely on the HIV Tat protein may not provide sufficient protection from the virus, researchers report. "The regulatory proteins Nef, Rev,...

Three new targets found for cancer vaccines.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Investigators at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have discovered three new genes that may prompt the immune system to seek out and destroy cancer cells. The genes belong to a specialized group...

First European trial under way for new vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- European clinical trials are under way in Denmark and the U.K. testing a new breast cancer vaccine targeted against the HER-2 growth factor. HER-2 is overexpressed in about a quarter of all breast...

Dendritic cells may lead to development of better vaccines.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More effective vaccines may be developed as a result of research that is harnessing the skills of special cells in the body's immune response process. The work is being conducted at the Unviersity of...

Combined vaccines effective, may mean better vaccine program adherence.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The results of a Latin American study suggest it is safe and effective to administer diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae...

New type of AIDS vaccine shows promise in tests.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first preliminary human testing of a highly anticipated AIDS vaccine offers tantalizing hints it may ultimately protect against the killer virus. The study of Merck & Co.'s experimental vaccine...

Hand Brand Distribution acquires control of veterinary biotech company.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hand Brand Distribution, Inc., (HDBI) announced today its acquisition of GeneThera, Inc., a veterinary biotechnology company that has developed technology for recombinant DNA vaccine production and...

BioPort working on new vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An estimated 20 companies, federal organizations and universities are working toward finding a new anthrax vaccine. So is BioPort Corp., the Lansing, Michigan, company that now is the sole U.S....

MediGene receives U.S. patent regarding cervical cancer vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The German-American biopharmaceutical company MediGene AG (MDG) announced that the U.S. patent office has issued U.S. patent No. 6,352,696, "Papillomavirus truncated L1 protein and fusion protein...

NIAID releases counter-bioterrorism research agenda.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has released the NIAID Counter-Bioterrorism Research Agenda for CDC Category A Agents, a document describing the Institute's...

Outbreak in Caribbean blamed on low rate of immunization mutation of virus in vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An outbreak of polio in Haiti and the Dominican Republic has been traced to a weakened virus in a vaccine that mutated and spread disease among poorly immunized children. Even though Haiti and the...

News media portrayal of vaccine changed quickly following report of adverse event.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- News media coverage about vaccines can shift abruptly from positive to negative in response to scientific research and public health reports about adverse events, according to an article in the March...

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment market will experience rapid growth according to Decision Resources.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a new report from Decision Resources, Inc., forecasts that sales of pharmaceuticals to treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), will more than triple between 2000 and 2010 in the major...

Preliminary phase I data of PER.C6-derived HIV vaccine encouraging.(Brief Article)
April 10, 2002... 2002 APR 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dutch antibody and vaccine company Crucell N.V. (CRXL) said initial data from a phase I trial involving Merck & Co., Inc.'s, experimental HIV vaccine look encouraging. The HIV vaccine, based on a...

Varicella virus vaccine effective over long term.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine provides long-term protection from severe chickenpox, researchers in the United States report. "The varicella...

Oral M. microti superior to BCG vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Tuberculosis vaccines based on Mycobacterium microti are superior to standard vaccines, researchers in the United States argue. "Mycobacterium microti is...

20 cents-a-dose vaccine safe and immunogenic.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Trials of a cholera vaccine manufactured in Vietnam at a cost of about only US$0.20 a dose have produced encouraging results, especially for children, an international team of researchers reports in...

Alphavirus vectors show promise for Ebola, Lassa virus vaccines.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Alphavirus vectors may be useful for developing vaccines against Lassa and Ebola virus infections, researchers in the United States report. "Lassa and...

Herpes simplex virus and radiation cause regression in hepatoma.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new vaccine candidate has been shown to cause tumor regression in experimental hepatoma, or liver cancer. Researchers in the U.S. say animal model...

Oral DNA vaccines administered in utero might prevent neonatal infections.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Although the delivery mechanism may be challenging, a new report has revealed giving fetuses oral DNA immunizations, in utero, can protect them from vertical...

Infected apoptotic cells can be used to promote antiviral responses.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - T cells killed by HIV infection can be used to augment the bodies' immune response to the virus, researchers in the United States say. "T-cell responses...

Governments, hospitals, researchers not ready for next bioterrorist act.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- If a U.S. city suffered a biological attack today, health officials would scramble for expertise from medical experts who wouldn't know where to offer it, a panel studying the issue said. And that...

DCV-I dendritic cell therapy product receives CE mark.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aastrom Biosciences, Inc., (ASTM), announced that it has obtained approval to affix the CE Mark to the new DCV-I Cell Therapy Kit (DCV-I), permitting its marketing and sale in Europe. The DCV-I...

Researcher identifies part of cancer cell that tells the body to fight cancer.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a presentation at the International Society of Preventive Oncology meeting at the Pasteur Institute (Feb. 2002), a U.S. researcher reported that he has identified the part of the cancer cell that...

Report supports infant vaccinations.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Institute of Medicine has reported that getting up to 20 vaccinations by the age of 2 does not increase a child's risk of developing diabetes or various infections. However, there is not...

Cell Genesys secures Memphis facility for lung cancer vaccines.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cell Genesys, Inc., (CEGE) has leased a 35,000 square-foot facility in Memphis, Tennessee, which it plans to use to manufacture the company's patient-specific GVAX lung cancer vaccines for both phase...

Whole genome shuffling open new product areas in fermentation and vaccines.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Maxygen Inc. (MAXY) reported dramatic advances in its ability to adapt entire microbial genomes for commercial uses. In a report published in the journal Nature, Maxygen scientists describe the...

CDC calls flu season a mild one, says plenty of vaccine still available.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. flu season is nearing its peak, with a rising number of cases in the past several weeks, the government said. About 14% of the specimens sent to a nationwide network of labs tested...

Hoag Cancer Center to launch phase II clinical trial in lung cancer vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NovaRx Corp. is collaborating with the Hoag Cancer Center in Newport Beach, Calif., to conduct a phase II clinical trial using an experimental cancer vaccine in patients with lung cancer. Dr....

Dartmouth researchers expose weakness of common parasite.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dartmouth Medical School geneticists in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology have discovered how to weaken a common human parasite to prevent disease in an animal model after infection by the...

Cases in the U.S. are on the rise again.(Brief Article)
April 17, 2002... 2002 APR 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Whooping cough, which dropped steadily in the United States for much of the 20th century, has made a comeback in the past 20 years, the government reported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control...