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Biohazards to be studied in Memphis
The University of Tennessee at Memphis inaugurates a new Level 3 Biohazard lab to develop new vaccines and antibiotics
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New method for combating the flu
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s researchers develop a new tool to combat the flu; the discovery is a one-two punch that targets the illness on two fronts, going one critical step further than any currently available flu drug
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Swine flu kills by binding to cells deeper in the lungs
Unlike seasonal flu, which binds almost exclusively to cells in the nose, swine flu binds deeper, in the lung’s trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles; the pandemic virus also replicated more, and caused more damage
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Drug-resistant swine flu strain killed with Tamiflu alternative
A Danish patient came down with swine flu, but the strain proved resistant to Tamiflu, which is produced by Roche; doctors used the drug Relenza from rival GlaxoSmithKline to kill the resistant strain
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DARPA wants to stop biothreats before they spread
DARPA is looking to accelerate the response to pathogens, stopping the bugs before they even start; the goal: persistent, universal immunity by speeding up long-term resistance to new and unknown pathogens
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First batch of swine flu vaccine shipped
Connecticut-based company ships first batch — 100,000 doses — of its swine flu vaccine; Protein Sciences Corporation uses insect cell technology to develop the vaccine
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Scientists block Ebola infection in cell-culture experiments
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered two biochemical pathways that the Ebola virus relies on to infect cells; breakthrough could lead to first therapy for deadly disease
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New lethal virus discovered in Africa
Scientists identify a lethal new virus — called Lujo — which has already killed four people in Zambia and South Africa; the bug comes from a family of viruses found in rodents
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DHS develops medical scanner-at-a-distance device
The first task of first responders arriving on a scene of a disaster is quickly and accurately to sort the living casualties by priority order for medical care; new device assesses — from a distance — the medical condition of those injured in the disaster; it does so by using laser doppler vibrometry and a camera to measure pulse, body temperature, and muscle movements such as breathing
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Swine flu vaccine is not going to be ready for a while yet
Even if the World Health Organization declares the current swine flu to be a pandemic, vaccine will arrive too late for many
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World's swine flu cases top 6,000
There are now 33 countries reporting an estimated total of 6,080 confirmed swine flu cases, including 3,009 in 45 U.S. states, 2,446 in Mexico, and 358 in Canada; the death total is relatively low — 65, of which 60 were in Mexico, three in the United States, one in Canada, and one in Costa Rica
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UCI awarded $45 million for infectious disease research
Research facility receives finds to improve detection, treatment, and vaccine development
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Personal air-purification system to fight epidemics
London-based Tri-Air develops a personal air-purification system — it may be attached to one’s belt — which simulates the natural purification properties of fresh air; it creates airborne cascades of hydroxyl radicals, which naturally occur outdoors, to destroy microbes that could include viruses
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Swine flu spread justifies treating it as a pandemic
The spread of the swine flu justifies treating it as an epidemic; researchers calculate that, in Mexico, on average, each person who contracts flu passes it on to between 1.4 and 1.6 other people; whenever this number — called the reproductive number — is more than 1, it means that a disease is transmissible
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Eating your flu vaccine
Researchers put flu vaccines into the genetic makeup of corn, allowing pigs — and humans — to get a flu vaccination simply by eating corn or corn products
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The long view
Combatting the Measles Threat Means Examining the Reasons for Declining Vaccination Rates
Measles was supposedly eradicated in Canada more than a quarter century ago. But today, measles is surging. The cause of this resurgence is declining vaccination rates.
Social Networks Are Not Effective at Mobilizing Vaccination Uptake
The persuasive power of social networks is immense, but not limitless. Vaccine preferences, based on the COVID experience in the United States, proved quite insensitive to persuasion, even through friendship networks.
Vaccine Integrity Project Says New FDA Rules on COVID-19 Vaccines Show Lack of Consensus, Clarity
Sidestepping both the FDA’s own Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), two Trump-appointed FDA leaders penned an opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine to announce new, more restrictive, COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Critics say that not seeking broad input into the new policy, which would help FDA to understand its implications, feasibility, and the potential for unintended consequences, amounts to policy by proclamation.