New research from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) may pave the way toward more effective seasonal influenza vaccines. Traditionally, flu vaccine strains have been evaluated by their ability to induce high levels of one type of antibody. The new study, published this April in the journal mBio, suggests another type of
Anthony M. Franchini, Ph.D., April 14th, 2016 First, let me say I’m excited and happy to contribute to the Kerafast blog and share my experiences with you all. I’m here today to talk about my time at the 55th Annual Society of Toxicology (SOT) Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, from March 13th to 17th.
This April 25 marks the 14th annual National DNA Day, an event organized by the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to commemorate the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, as well as the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953. An interactive map on the NHGRI website shows that more
When the Zika virus began making headlines several months ago, scientific knowledge of the virus and its potential impact on humans was relatively slim. Though the virus was discovered in Uganda in the 1940s, Zika did not become a significant research focus until the recent outbreak in Brazil, when the virus became linked to microcephaly
AIDS has been a major global health issue since its emergence in the mid-1900s, and currently, more than 35 million people are infected with HIV-1 with a reported 2 million new cases each year. There is no cure for AIDS, but advances in treatment, such as antiretroviral therapy (ART), have helped to prevent the onset
A team of 28 scientists from four countries has discovered a male-determining gene in the mosquito species that carries malaria. This discovery may lead to methods that aide in the control of diseases such as malaria, Zika and dengue. Male mosquitoes offer the opportunity to develop novel vector control strategies to combat these viruses because
Researchers from the University of Vermont have developed synthetic peptides that offer a potential new therapeutic target for the treatment of hypertension, due to their ability to prevent the blood vessel constriction that results in high blood pressure. Because the peptides only seem to affect damaged arterial vessels, with no effect on healthy vessels, a