Latest Adenoviridae Stories

Sensory neuronopathies, nerve dysfunction that affects nerves outside the brain and spinal chord, are extremely painful. They include shingles and can be caused by anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin. In many sensory neuronopathies, the nerves that are dysfunctional are those in a region of the body known as the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), and these conditions are particularly difficult to treat.Dr. Lawrence Chan and colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, have developed an...

Medical conditions that affect sensory nerves outside the brain and spinal cord are known as sensory neuronopathies. These conditions, which are extremely painful, include shingles and can be caused by anticancer drugs such as cisplatin. In many sensory neuronopathies, the nerves that are dysfunctional are those in a region of the body known as the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), and these conditions are particularly difficult to treat. However, Lawrence Chan and colleagues, at Baylor College of...

Human trials of a virus that kills cancer cells in mice without harming healthy cells is at least two years away, British researchers said. An adenovirus that causes chest infections was modified to deliver genetic therapy to liver tumors in mice without poisoning healthy tissue, said Leonard Seymour, a cancer researcher at the University of Oxford. The approach we developed is easy to use and flexible, Seymour said. It may help in the development of future therapeutic viruses that are...

Scientists have determined how to produce replication-competent viruses with key toxicities removed, providing a new platform for development of improved cancer treatments and better vaccines for a broad range of viral diseases.Cellular microRNA molecules regulate the stability of mRNA in different cell types, and this newly-understood mechanism provides the possibility to engineer viruses for cell-specific inactivation. Cancer Research UK scientists at the University of Oxford, United...

 Many proteins do not function by themselves as stand-alone units. Instead, multiple proteins associate to form larger structures called protein complexes. The May issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (www.cshprotocols.org/TOCs/toc5_09.dtl) features a set of methods that can be used to analyze protein complexes. An additional featured article details the generation of viral vectors for gene transfer."Systematic Monitoring of Protein Complex Composition and Abundance by Blue-Native...

Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a method of gene delivery that appears safe for regenerating tooth-supporting gum tissue"”a discovery that assuages one of the biggest safety concerns surrounding gene therapy research and tissue engineering.The figures show microcomputed tomographic images of regenerated periodontium (tooth supporting structures) following delivery of PDGF genes.Gene therapy is an accepted, viable therapeutic concept, but safety is a major hurdle,...

Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia can be a consequence of myocarditis "“ an inflammation of the cardiac muscle that can be caused by the Coxsackievirus. In mice, Dr. Yu Shi, Chen Chen, and Professor Michael Gotthardt of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now abolished the infection by blocking the receptor which is required for virus entry. "We did not detect a single cardiomyocyte that was infected by the virus. Inflammation of the...

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Iowa have turned a relatively benign virus into a highly infectious form that is ideal as a carrier for gene therapy.In its first gene therapy test, it completely cured human cystic fibrosis lung tissue in culture.This success with the benign adeno-associated virus (AAV), published this week in the online early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, overcomes a major problem of...

Common colds typically cause a week of sneezing, aches and pains and then fade away leaving only a sore nose and a few used sick days behind. But what if that cold turned out to be something more?Human adenovirus type-3 is known as the "uncommon cold" because the infection's symptoms"”runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever"”are eerily similar to those of the common cold which is caused by the rhinovirus. The difference is that, unlike the common cold, the symptoms of the uncommon cold...

MONTVALE, N.J., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: BRL) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s Adenovirus Types 4 and 7 Live Oral Vaccines Biologics License Application (BLA). These oral vaccines represent Barr's first in-house biologics development initiative and demonstrate the Company's ability to develop, manufacture and conduct clinical trials for biologic products. The...