Vaccine Weekly articles from July 2000

Vaccine Weekly archives from July 2000

Phase III Trials Underway in Several Countries.(HIV vaccines )
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Phase III trials of multivalent gp120 HIV vaccines are underway in several countries. "Virus variation is one of the greatest challenges in HIV-1 vaccine development," observed P. Berman and colleagues...

Anti-ICAM-1 Blockade Does Not Improve Early Graft Function.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Anti-ICAM-1 blockade did not improve early graft function in a rat liver transplantation model, according to a recent study. "The present in vivo study investigated the impact of a monoclonal antibody...

Multiple Herpes Simplex Vectors Efficiently Cotransduce Tumors.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Multiple herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors with one gene each are more effective for immunizing tumors than is a single vector with multiple genes. "Many gene therapy strategies would be enhanced by...

Chickenpox Vaccination Could Prevent Invasive GAS Disease.(group A streptococcal )
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Universal chickenpox vaccination would help reduce the incidence of invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) disease, suggest researchers in Canada. Their study aimed to "describe the incidence and clinical...

Patient Subset Indicates Remune and Antiviral Drugs May Stimulate 'Killer' T-Cell Activity.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR), Carlsbad, California, announced preliminary interim clinical results that indicate Remune (HIV-1 Immunogen) may stimulate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) or "killer" T-cell...

Anti-CD40L Monoclonal Antibody Overcomes CD4-Mediated Graft Rejection.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment with anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody (MAb) prevents CD4 T-cell mediated resistance to allogeneic bone marrow engraftment. "We previously reported that costimulatory blockade can eliminate the need...

Graft Survival Improved with Anti-CD71 Monoclonal Antibody.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Solid organ graft survival can be improved by using anti-CD71 monoclonal antibody (MAb), researchers reported at a recent conference. "Expression of CD71 on lymphocytes is greatly upregulated during...

Many Factors Influence Success of Antibody-Based Immunotherapy.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Two factors are extremely important for determining the potential efficacy of antibody-based cancer immunotherapy, according to AltraRex Corp. researchers: * The xenotypic nature of the antibody...

Allogeneic Tumor Cell Vaccine Attacks Colon Carcinoma.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- A CD80 gene modified allogeneic colon cancer vaccine has been developed by collaborating academic and industry researchers. "We developed a practical allogeneic tumor cell vaccine for the immuno-gene...

RNA-Based Strategy Inhibits HIV.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States have developed a RNA-based gene therapy strategy for the control of HIV. "We have developed multiple inhibitory RNA-based strategies targeted to various steps of the HIV...

DNA Vaccine Reverts Anergy in HIV Infected Patients.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vaccination with DNA or protein immunogens can revert anergy in HIV infected patients. "Recent studies have highlighted the importance of T-helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to contain the early...

Recombinant Yeast Delivers Antigen to Dendritic Cells.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- A recombinant yeast vaccine efficiently delivers antigen (Ag) to dendritic cells (DC), researchers in the United States have found. "Vaccine strategies that primarily elicit cellular immune responses are...

SBIR Grant Awarded to Study Anti-Factor D Antibody.(Small Business Innovative Research )
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Tanox, Inc. (TNOX) announced that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Grant to study the use of its anti-Factor D monoclonal antibody, 166-32, in an in vivo model of cardiopulmonary...

Vaccine Enters Phase I Clinical Trials.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Cantab Pharmaceuticals plc (CNTBY) (CTB), Cambridge, United Kingdom, announced the commencement of a Phase I clinical trial of TA-CIN, its novel vaccine candidate for the treatment of cervical dysplasia, an...

Collaboration Signed to Develop DNA-Based Cancer Products.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Wellesley, Massachusetts, and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Hilden, Germany, have established a clinical research collaboration for the development and evaluation of CpG...

FDA Seizes Drugs and Vaccines.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized hundreds of doses of prescription drugs and vaccines from a Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories shipping center, citing violations of federal quality standards,...

Prevnar Voted for Inclusion in Vaccines for Children Program.
July 5, 2000... 2000 JUL 5 - (NewsRx.com) -- American Home Products (AHP), Madison, New Jersey, announced that its vaccine Prevnar has been included in the U.S. government's Vaccines for Children program (VFC). Based on this vote all VFC-eligible...

Concern Erupts as Russian Children are Accidentally Exposed to Vaccine.(smallpox )
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) downplayed reports of illness among eight young children in Vladivostock, Russia, who had played with discarded ampoules of smallpox vaccine. In some reports, there...

Treatment with Nucleoside Analogue Followed by Hepatitis Vaccine Shifts Serologic Phenotype.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Treatment with the nucleoside analogue, L-FMAU, followed by vaccination changed hepatitis B infection status from chronic to recovering in the WHV/woodchuck model, researchers in the United States reported....

Monoclonal Antibody Induces Neuronal Apoptosis.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A monoclonal antibody (MAb) that binds to beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) induces neuronal cell death, researchers discovered. "Although there is considerable evidence suggesting that altered...

Monoclonal Antibody Induces Transplantation Tolerance.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Blockade of CD86 and CD40 with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) has been reported to induce allograft tolerance in an animal model. "The generation of immunoregulatory T cells that block the B7...

Platelet Glycoprotein Has Antithrombotic Effect.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A platelet glycoprotein Ib-blocking monoclonal antibody (MAb) Fab fragments had an antithrombotic effect in a baboon study. "Platelet adhesion in arterial blood flow is mainly supported by the platelet...

Tumor-Specific Antibody Eradicates Brain Tumors in Mice.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new monoclonal antibody that targets a mutated protein found only in cancer cells can eradicate tumors in mice without the aid of additional toxic substances, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers...

Reactive CD4(+) T Cells Necessary for Protective Immunity.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Reactive CD4(+) T cells are necessary for the development of gene therapy-mediated long-term immunity against glioma, indicates a recent study. "Tumor cells genetically modified to secrete cytokines...

Scientists Identify Family of Natural Cancer-Fighting Proteins in Mice.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has identified five proteins in mice that trigger the immune system to attack cancer. The research greatly increases the...

Fruit Fly Model Could Explain How Mosquitoes Carry Disease.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- For the first time, scientists have found a way to turn a fruit fly into a surrogate mosquito, able to carry malaria and infect chickens with the deadly disease. Their approach, reported in the June 30...

DNA Vaccine Produces Immune Response in Mice.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vaccination with genes from the nematode Onchocerca volvulus induced immune responses in mice, researchers in England report. "The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the distinct immune...

How E. coli Put a Death Grip on Intestinal Cells.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A team of molecular biologists and X-ray crystallographers has produced the first detailed picture showing how pathogenic Escherichia coli bacteria achieve a molecular death grip on intestinal cells. The...

Early BCG Vaccination Reduces Atopy in Children.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Children vaccinated early in infancy with bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) have a reduced tendency toward genetically predisposed allergic reactions, or atopy, researchers in Denmark report. "It has been...

Antibodies Against Hypervariable Region 1 Neutralize Hepatitis C Virus.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Antibodies against hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) neutralize the virus in an epitope-independent manner, researchers in Japan and the United States have found. "Antibodies...

Intracellular Immunization Approach Harnesses Diphtheria Toxin A-Chain.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- An intracellular immunization approach to AIDS therapy harnesses the diphtheria toxin A-chain in a recombinant adenoassociated virus (rAAV) vector under HIV control, researchers in the United States reported....

Multivalent Component DNA Vaccines Examined in vivo.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Sweden have evaluated multivalent component DNA vaccines against HIV-1 in vivo. "DNA vaccination shows great potential for creation of multivalent component vaccines capable of evoking both...

ROTC Cadets Issued Improper Dose of Vaccine.(anthrax )
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Twenty-five ROTC cadets at an Army training camp in Fort Lewis, Washington, were given nearly double the proper dose of the anthrax vaccine, the U.S. Army reported. Madigan Army Medical Center officials...

Drug Resistance Threatens to Reverse Medical Progress.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Increasing levels of drug resistance are threatening to erode the medical advances of recent decades, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). "We currently have effective...

U.S. Government Agency to Fund Vaccine Development Efforts.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced four public-private partnerships to accelerate development of promising HIV/AIDS vaccines for use around the world. The...

Study Tests Shingles Vaccine.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- A national study is under way in the U.S. to test the effectiveness of a vaccine to prevent herpes zoster, or shingles, in older people. "Shingles, which is caused by the same virus that causes...

Report Urges Improved Vaccination Rates.(Statistical Data Included)
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Vaccinations of America's toddlers may be at a record high, but the immunization system is under critical strain and the country risks disease outbreaks if it isn't strengthened, a new report says. Some...

U.S. Government Warned of Possible Flu Vaccine Shortage.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Influenza vaccines could arrive a month later than usual this fall and shortages are possible, the U.S. government reported June 22, 2000. A notice was sent to health care agencies asking them to plan...

Aviron and NIH Extend FluMist Agreement.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- Aviron (AVIR), Mountain View, California, announced that it has extended its cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) for the development of FluMist with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy...

Children More Chicken About Pox than Shot.
July 12, 2000... 2000 JUL 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- When asked if they would rather have chickenpox or a shot, most kids say "Mom I want the shot," according to survey results released by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners...

Scientists Trigger Human Immunity to Virus Using an Edible Vaccine.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Human immunity to a virus has been triggered for the first time by a vaccine genetically engineered into a potato. The specific virus involved is the pervasive Norwalk virus - the leading cause of...

Researchers Create Blueprint for Vaccine Development.(tuberculosis vaccine under development)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- In an effort to control the alarming spread of tuberculosis (TB) across the globe, a team of researchers has created a strategic plan or "blueprint" that sets guidelines for developing an effective TB...

Test Measures Neutralization of HIV-1 Subtype B and E Primary Isolates.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Flow cytometry can be used to detect intracellular HIV-1 p24 to assess neutralization of HIV-1, researchers in Thailand suggest. "Clinical trials testing candidate human immunodeficiency virus type 1...

TB Vaccine Expresses a Ubiquitin-Conjugated Tuberculosis Protein.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- A novel DNA vaccine expresses a ubiquitin-conjugated tuberculosis protein that enhances immunity to mycobacteria, researchers in the United States reported. "Genetic immunization is a promising new...

Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 Molecule a Useful Vaccine Adjuvant in Mice.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Using both a particulate antigen (hepatitis B surface Ag) and a soluble antigen (OVA) to vaccinate mice, researchers in France have determined that lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) can be used to enhance...

Antibodies Against Thrombospondin-Related Anonymous Protein are Ineffective.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Antibodies against thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) are unable to inhibit Plasmodium sporozoite infection in vivo, researchers in the United States reported. "TRAP, a candidate malaria...

Polynucleotide Vaccine from Melanoma Antigen Under Development.(MART-1)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States are developing a polynucleotide vaccine from melanoma antigens, which recognize MART-1, for evaluation in clinical trials. "MART-1, a melanoma antigen recognized by T...

Truncating Blood Curves Enhances Imaging and Therapy.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Truncation of blood curves enhances imaging and therapy with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), according to a study published in Medical Physics. "Targeting of MAb to solid tumor sites is a function of the...

Scientists Announce Initial Results of Alzheimer Vaccine Treatment in Humans.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Initial results of a Phase I clinical trial of a potential vaccine for Alzheimer's disease have shown that the vaccine is safe and well tolerated in humans, according to scientists at Elan Pharmaceuticals, a...

RNA-Pulsed Dendritic Cells Induce Antitumor Immunity.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- RNA-pulsed dendritic cells (DC) induced antitumor immunity in a murine cancer model, according to a study from Japan. "DC are identified as the most effective antigen presenting cells," said T. Minami and...

Salmonella Mutants May be Potent Vaccine Delivery Vehicle.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Salmonella mutants can infect dendritic cells (DC) and so may be a potent vaccine delivery vehicle, researchers in Switzerland said. "Airway epithelial dendritic cells are potential targets in...

QS-21 Adjuvant Maintains Immune Response of HIV Vaccine at Low Antigen Doses.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers from the University of Rochester reported on a human study demonstrating that Aquila Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.'s (AQLA) proprietary vaccine adjuvant, QS-21, and substantially reduced amounts of the...

Tumor Necrosis Factor (alpha) Necessary to Maintain Tuberculosis Latency.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, tumor necrosis factor (alpha) (TNF-(alpha)) is necessary to maintain a state of latency...

Antibody Therapy/Sublethal Myeloablative Conditioning Induces Allograft Tolerance.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody (MAb) therapy combined with sublethal myeloablative conditioning induces allograft tolerance in a murine model, according to a recent study. "Induction of allogeneic...

Scientists Analyze Ways Mycobacterium tuberculosis Overcomes Destruction.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- New research findings from the University of California suggest that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is able to evade destruction by disrupting important interactions that would normally occur between macrophages...

Hepatitis C Vaccine Represents Major Mutations in Isolates.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- University of California at Davis medical researchers have developed a vaccine for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that includes a significant number of mutations commonly found in a specific portion of the...

First Vaccine Designed for Africa Cleared for Testing in Humans.(AIDS vaccines)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- The first AIDS vaccine candidate designed specifically for Africa will enter human trials this summer. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced on July 11 at the 13th International AIDS...

AIDS Treatment Activists Rally for Vaccine Development.(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- AIDS treatment activists from around the world rallied for acceleration of HIV vaccine research at the 13th International AIDS Conference, held in Durban, South Africa, July 9-14, 2000. "The successful...

Arcitumomab Imaging Complements Mammography in Making a Diagnosis.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Arcitumomab imaging is reported to be a safe, useful, and reliable adjunctive method for assessing the presence of or probability of primary breast carcinoma, with no documented immunogenicity, very few...

SBIR Grant Awarded to Develop Vaccine Using CD1 Technology.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Aquila Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., Framingham, Massachusetts, announced that it has been awarded a grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the development of novel vaccines to prevent...

Clinical Testing Begins for CMV Vaccine.(cytomeganovirus)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Aviron (AVIR), Mountain View, California, announced the initiation of clinical testing with its vaccine candidates to prevent infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading infectious cause of birth...

Drug Discovery Alliance Will Develop Antibody Products.(Abgenix Inc. and Lexicon Genetics Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Abgenix, Inc. (ABGX), Fremont, California, and Lexicon Genetics Inc. (LEXG), The Woodlands, Texas, announced a drug discovery alliance that will combine Lexicon's understanding of human gene function with the...

CDC Recommends Warning College Students.(against contracting meningitis)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- College freshmen living in dorms should be told about the risks of contracting meningitis, and a vaccine should be made available to those who want it. The recommendation was issued by the U.S. Centers...

Congo Vaccinations Called a Success.(polio vaccine program)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- A three-day polio vaccination campaign in Congo went ahead as planned over the July 7-9 weekend without major interruption from fighting, the U.N. Children's Fund said on July 11. The operation was the...

Antigens Licensed for Monoclonal Antibody Research.(license given to Innumex Corp.)(Brief Article)
July 26, 2000... 2000 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- In a move to develop monoclonal antibodies directed against prostate cancer, Immunex Corporation (IMNX), Seattle, Washington, has licensed rights to cancer-derived antigens from UroCor, Inc. (UCOR), Oklahoma...