Scientists Complete First Global Inventory of Flu Strains in Birds
March 6th 2014A group of international scientists have completed the first global inventory of flu strains in birds by reviewing more than 50 published studies and genetic data, providing new insight into the drivers of viral diversity and the emergence of disease that can ultimately impact human health and livelihoods.
Personalized Gene Therapy Locks Out HIV, Paving Way to Control Virus Without Antiretroviral Drugs
March 6th 2014University of Pennsylvania researchers have successfully genetically engineered the immune cells of 12 HIV positive patients to resist infection, and decreased the viral loads of some patients taken off antiretroviral drug therapy (ADT) entirely-including one patient whose levels became undetectable. The study, appearing today in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first published report of any gene editing approach in humans.
Increased Investment in Vaccines Key to Reducing Sexually Transmitted Infections
March 5th 2014Increased investment in research and development for new vaccines is key to halting the spread of genital herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and trichomoniasis, according to a new special issue of the journal Vaccine, co-edited by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Health (NIH).