European scientists announced they had found antibodies which attack Zika, a discovery they hope will pave the way for a protective vaccine against the brain-damaging virus. The antibodies — frontline soldiers in...
Archive - June 2016
Takeda initiates world's first norovirus vaccine field trial
Takeda announced that it has dosed the first subject in a Phase 2b field efficacy trial of Takeda’s norovirus vaccine candidate (TAK-214), the only norovirus vaccine candidate in human clinical trials. The Phase 2b...
The FDA approved the first human trials of a Zika vaccine
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first human tests of an experimental Zika virus vaccine. Called GLS–5700, the medication will be used in a clinical trial involving 40 healthy people, and...
New vaccine for herpes reduces the number of outbreaks and lowers risk of the virus being passed on through sex
A new injection can treat herpes by charging up the body’s immune system to fight the virus, scientists believe. The vaccine – which would become the world’s first for the Herpes Simplex Virus type 2...
Bug bite saliva hijacks immune cells to spread virus
A victim’s immunological defenses may rush to puncture sites and help carry pathogens throughout the body. Depending on your perspective, one of nature’s perverse ironies—or exquisite feats—is that some mosquito-borne...
Infections reveal inequality between the sexes
Stark differences between men and women’s immune responses pose medical conundrum. The immune systems of men and women respond very differently to infection — and scientists are taking notice. Research presented last...
Memory loss caused by West Nile virus explained
Study identifies targets for prevention, treatment. Thousands of people are living with memory loss and other long-term neurological problems as a result of West Nile virus, which is spread by mosquitoes such as the one...
Vanderbilt and Human Vaccines Project launch initial studies to decode the human immune system
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center this month began recruiting volunteers to participate in a clinical trial aimed at decoding the human “immunome,” the genetic underpinnings of the immune system. The...
Drones may be cheaper alternative to deliver vaccines
Using unmanned drones to deliver lifesaving vaccines in low- and middle-income countries may help save money as well as improve vaccination rates, a new study suggests. The cost savings would come from drones being able...
Yellow fever outbreak puts pressure on global vaccine supply
The virus is rapidly spreading in African countries. Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared an epidemic of yellow fever in three regions on Monday. The announcement comes amid an outbreak that is...