AIDS Vaccine Week articles from June 2009

AIDS Vaccine Week archives from June 2009

New contraceptive device is designed to prevent sexual transmission of HIV.
June 1, 2009... Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have published results showing that a new contraceptive device may also effectively block the transmission of the HIV virus. Findings show that the device prevents infection by the HIV virus in...

Study data from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases update knowledge of allergies.
June 1, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Friend virus (FV) is a murine retrovirus that causes acute disease leading to lethal erythroleukemia in most strains of mice. Strains of mice that mount strong and rapid immune responses can recover...

Reports from A.J. Donayretorres et al highlight recent research in HIV/AIDS.(Report)
June 1, 2009... "Gag protein from HIV-1 is a polyprotein of 55 kDa, which, during viral maturation, is cleaved to release matrix p17, core p24 and nucleocapsid proteins. The p24 antigen contains epitopes that prime helper CD4 T-cells, which have been...

Reports from D. Ruchansky et al highlight recent research in HIV/AIDS.(Report)
June 1, 2009... According to recent research published in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, "Recombination has been shown to be an important force in HIV-1 evolution. Recombination contributes to an increase in genetic variation and hinders...

Studies from AIDS Center have provided new data on HIV/AIDS.
June 1, 2009... "We previously reported that cynomolgus monkeys vaccinated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 Tat protein controlled infection after challenge with the simian human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) 89.6P(cy243) for up to 2 y of...

Research from National Taiwan University in the area of immunization published.
June 1, 2009... "We aimed to assess the impact of nationwide hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination program on the seroprevalence of HBV infection among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive persons in a country where most HBV exposure occurs during the...

New gene therapy findings from Paul-Ehrlich-Institute published.
June 1, 2009... Investigators publish new data in the report 'Pseudotyping lentiviral vectors with the wild-type measles virus glycoproteins improves titer and selectivity.' "We pseudotyped HIV-1 vectors with cytoplasmic tail-truncated envelope glycoproteins...

National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable Observes World Hepatitis Day and Calls for Increased Federal Action.(Discussion)
June 1, 2009... Today, on the second annual World Hepatitis Day, more than 200 viral hepatitis groups around the world have planned observances to raise global awareness, and calling for international and national support for improvements in prevention,...

AIDS Action Observes HIV Vaccine Awareness Day: Reason to Hope.
June 1, 2009... Every nine and a half minutes someone in the United States is infected with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 56,300 individuals became infected with HIV in 2006 alone. There are over 1.1...

Chuck Panozzo, Founder of Rock Band Styx, Joins GeoVax Labs, Inc. as an Advocate for Its HIV/AIDS Vaccine.
June 1, 2009... GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: GOVX), an Atlanta-based, publicly traded biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other infectious agents, announced that Chuck...

Novel Vaccine Approach Offers Hope in Fight Against HIV.
June 1, 2009... A research team may have broken the stubborn impasse that has frustrated the invention of an effective HIV vaccine, by using an approach that bypasses the usual path followed by vaccine developers. By using gene transfer technology that...

Piecing Together the HIV Prevention Puzzle.
June 1, 2009... "It's an exciting time in HIV prevention research. We will see results from a number of critically important HIV prevention research trials this year, as well as see the start of new trials around the world that will yield important answers in...

New Advances on the Long Road to the Development of an AIDS Vaccine.
June 1, 2009... World AIDS Vaccine Day, May 18, marks the occasion in 1997 when U.S. President Bill Clinton challenged researchers to come up with an AIDS vaccine within the following decade, stating that such a vaccine was the only way to eliminate the threat...

Research from University of California, Medical Department yields new findings on DNA vaccines.
June 8, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaques is a valuable animal model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 vaccine development. Our laboratory recently described the...

New HIV/AIDS study findings have been reported by D. Promkhatkaew and co-researchers.
June 8, 2009... According to recent research published in the Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, "We have previously reported that live vector-based HIV-1 gag vaccine candidate using BCG as a vector was achievable in BALB/c mice....

New HIV/AIDS study results reported from G. Koopman et al.
June 8, 2009... According to a study from Rijswijk, Netherlands, "Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in humans and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in macaques are accompanied by a combined early loss of CCR5 (CD195)-expressing CD4(+)...

Report summarizes HIV/AIDS study findings from N. Scotti and co-researchers.(Report)
June 8, 2009... According to recent research from Portici, Italy, "Plants have been recognized as a promising production platform for recombinant pharmaceutical proteins. The human immunodeficiency virus Gag (Pr55(gag)) structural polyprotein precursor is a...

Research from S. Gaseitsiwe and co-researchers in the area of HIV/AIDS published.
June 8, 2009... "Identification of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II binding peptides is a crucial step in rational vaccine design and immune monitoring. We designed a novel MHC class II molecule-peptide microarray binding assay and evaluated 346...

Researchers from University of California report on findings in simian immunodeficiency virus.(Report)
June 8, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "The potential benefit of using unmethylated CpG oligoribodeoxynucleotides (ODN) as an adjuvant in a therapeutic simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) vaccine consisting of AT2-inactivated SIVmac239...

Biotech Leaders, Patient Advocates Highlight Cutting-Edge HIV/AIDS Therapies, Need for Next Generation Treatments.
June 8, 2009... Leaders in biotechnology research and patient advocacy joined forces today at the 2009 BIO International Convention to discuss the latest breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS treatments. Following a keynote speech by Sir Elton John focused on the needs of...

Sir Elton John Delivers Keynote Today at 2009 BIO International Convention.
June 8, 2009... Sir Elton John delivered today's keynote address at the 2009 BIO International Convention at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. He focused on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, how biotechnology has influenced prevention and treatment of the...

Sir Elton John, Burrill, Greenwood and Health Care Leaders Headline Day Two of the 2009 BIO International Convention.
June 8, 2009... Sir Elton John addressed more than 3,000 global attendees today on the HIV/AIDS epidemic on day two of the 2009 BIO International Convention. This global event for biotechnology runs through Thursday May 21. BIO President and CEO Jim C....

ImmunoVaccine Technologies Partners With FIT Biotech to Advance a Therapeutic HIV Vaccine.
June 8, 2009... ImmunoVaccine Technologies Inc. (IVT), a Canadian vaccine development company, announced a research partnership with FIT Biotech, a Finland-based , clinical stage company that develops DNA vaccines. This research will formulate FIT Biotech's...

Scientists develop a new HIV microbicide -- and a way to mass produce it in plants.
June 15, 2009... In what could be a major pharmaceutical breakthrough, research published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) describes how scientists from St George's, University of London have devised a one-two punch to stop HIV. First the...

Reports summarize HIV/AIDS research from J. Zhao and co-authors.
June 15, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "A major challenge for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS vaccines is the elicitation of anti-Env antibodies (Ab) capable of neutralizing the diversity of isolates in the pandemic. Here,...

Research from C.A. Semeniuk and co-authors yields new data on HIV/AIDS.
June 15, 2009... "The p1 region of HIV-1 gag contains the frameshift stem-loop, gag-pol transframe and a protease cleavage site that are crucial for viral assembly, replication and infectivity. Identifying and characterizing CD8(+) epitopes that are under host...

Scientists at New York University, Medical Department target HIV/AIDS.
June 15, 2009... "Epitopes, also known as antigenic determinants, are small clusters of specific atoms within macromolecules that are recognized by the immune system. Such epitopes can be targeted with vaccines designed to protect against specific pathogens,"...

Research from E. Fukuchi and colleagues has provided new data on human papillomavirus.
June 15, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "Persistent infections with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types are causally related to cervical cancer. Little is known about the distribution of HPV types, independent risk factors...

QIAGEN to Supply Molecular Screening Solutions to Increase Safety of Blood Donations in Brazil.
June 15, 2009... QIAGEN (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) announced that it has entered into an agreement to supply molecular sample and assay technologies for a new national, PCR-based blood screening program for HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) in...

CEL SCI Collaborators Demonstrate Novel L.E.A.P.S. Vaccines Immunize Mice Against Tuberculosis Antigens and Suggest Potential to Treat Swine and Other Influenzas.
June 15, 2009... CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE AMEX: CVM) announced that its collaborators at the University of Hawaii reported on data at the annual American Society for Microbiology in Philadelphia, PA. This data demonstrates that vaccines utilizing its...

Reports outline flu vaccines study findings from University Hospital.(Clinical report)
June 22, 2009... In this recent article published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, scientists in Bern, Switzerland conducted a study "To our knowledge, no study to date has compared the effects of a subunit influenza vaccine with those of a...

Research from Rutgers University yields new findings on HIV/AIDS.
June 22, 2009... "In efforts to develop AIDS vaccine components, we generated combinatorial libraries of recombinant human rhinoviruses that display the well-conserved ELDKWA epitope of the membrane-proximal external region of human immunodeficiency virus type...

Research reports on HIV/AIDS from University of Sassari provide new insights.
June 22, 2009... "Purpose of review In this review, we focus on the clinical features, diagnosis and management of pneumococcal pneumonia in HIV-infected and noninfected patients, with particular attention to the most recent advances in this area. Recent...

Researchers from University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine detail new studies and findings in the area of HIV/AIDS.(Report)
June 22, 2009... New research, 'Positron emission tomography in patients suffering from HIV-1 infection,' is the subject of a report. "This paper reviews currently available PET studies performed either to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of HIV-1...

Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., Begins Role as CDC Director and ATSDR Administrator.
June 22, 2009... Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., today became the 16th director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). He was named director of CDC by the...

Unprecedented Scale-Up of Voluntary Male Circumcision Begins in Swaziland and Zambia.
June 22, 2009... In a significant move from research on male circumcision to full-scale implementation, the Male Circumcision Partnership is launching a massive scale-up of voluntary male circumcision services in Swaziland and Zambia. The Partnership is...

2009 Houston Juneteenth Multicultural Health Festival Becomes Largest Health Event in Texas: Festival Moves Indoors to the Cool George R. Brown.
June 22, 2009... The City of Houston and its Department of Health and Human Services joins the United Health Group's 3rd Annual Houston Juneteenth Multicultural Health Festival (HJMHF) on Saturday, June 13th to promote its MAN UP Initiative. The Festival moves...

NIAID leaders outline research agenda for universal, voluntary HIV testing and treatment.
June 22, 2009... Could a global program of universal, voluntary, annual HIV testing and immediate treatment for those who test positive effectively extinguish the HIV pandemic? Is such a program feasible? In the June 10 issue of the Journal of the American...

As Flu Pandemic Declared, Leaders Must Focus on Poor Countries to Avert 'Bleaker Picture'.
June 22, 2009... As the World Health Organization today raised the pandemic alert for Influenza A (H1N1) to its highest level, humanitarian specialists are calling on governments and health authorities globally to strengthen poor communities' access to primary...

Research results from J. Sun and colleagues update understanding of DNA vaccines.
June 29, 2009... "In higher eukaryotes, introns are usually required for efficient pre-mRNA processing. However, some viruses have alternative approaches involving posttranscriptional regulatory elements (PREs) to enhance intronless heterologous gene expression...

Research from University of Oxford provides new data on HIV/AIDS.
June 29, 2009... According to recent research from Oxford, the United Kingdom, "Induction of a long-term immunological memory, which can expand and defend the host upon pathogen encounter, is the ''holy grail'' of vaccinology. Here, using a sensitive cultured...

Studies from New York University in the area of immunization described.(Report)
June 29, 2009... "The authors examined hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination rates, hepatitis infection, and health care access in a gym-attending sample of 311 gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in New York City....

Research in the area of life sciences reported from A. Bergthaler and colleagues.
June 29, 2009... "CD8 T cells are recognized key players in control of persistent virus infections, but increasing evidence suggests that assistance from other immune mediators is also needed. Here, we investigated whether specific antibody responses contribute...

Research results from D. Mccoy and colleagues update understanding of life sciences.
June 29, 2009... "The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a major contributor to global health; its influence on international health policy and the design of global health programmes and initiatives is profound. Although the foundation's contribution to global...

GeoVax Signs HIV/AIDS Vaccine Proposal With Health and Hospital System of Cook County, Illinois.(Company overview)
June 29, 2009... GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: GOVX), an Atlanta-based biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by the HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), and other infectious agents, announced that it signed a proposal...

WVU Doctor Works to Reduce Cancer Burden in Africa.
June 29, 2009... In 2010, cancer will be the single leading cause of death worldwide, overtaking chronic illnesses such as heart disease and stroke. Already cancer causes more deaths than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Almost three-quarters of new...

NIAID media availability: New strategy proposed for designing antibody-based HIV vaccine.(Report)
June 29, 2009... Most vaccines that protect against viruses generate infection-fighting proteins called antibodies that either block infection or help eliminate the virus before it can cause disease. Attempts to create a vaccine that induces antibodies that...

Quintiles Increases Capacity to Manage Clinical Studies for Diseases Including Malaria, HIV and Tuberculosis.(Clinical report)
June 29, 2009... To improve efficiency and expand capacity to monitor the growing number of clinical studies being conducted in Western Sub-Saharan Africa, Quintiles announced the opening of a new office in Accra, Ghana (see also Quintiles). The opening of...