Although the recent sporadic outbreaks of influenza A virus H5N1 and of a new variant of H1N1 in 2009 were less serious than initially feared, public health responses gave an indication of the potential for pandemic influenza A to wreak…
Blog Archives
Natural Antiviral Proteins Discovered
Viruses are economical with their own genetic information, relying on requisition of host cellular proteins to complete their lifecycle. In a study to identify cellular proteins required by the H1N1 influenza virus, collaborators from Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical…
Immune Response to Swine Flu May Explain Disease Severity
The pandemic swine flu (H1N1) virus has proved to be less lethal than originally feared but, although most infected individuals experience relatively mild and self-limiting symptoms, some patients with no previous underlying medical condition have died. An international team of…
Blocking Host Target Stops Flu
Nexbio have recently presented an update on their new, broad-spectrum candidate for the prophylaxis and treatment of flu, DAS181 (Fludase®) [If this link is not working, please click here]. DAS181 is a recombinant sialidase fusion protein comprising the active domain…
Influenza Infection Could Lead to Neurological Complications Later in Life
Neurological complications such as encephalitis have been associated with influenza outbreaks since the middle ages but links with neurodegenerative diseases are more controversial. The association was strengthened after the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic when some patients who developed von Economo’s…
Influenza ‘Cap Snatcher’ Identified
Seasonal epidemics of the influenza virus continue to kill hundreds of thousands of people annually, and the increasing incidence of resistance to approved drugs means that there is a pressing need for new therapies. The viral polymerase is an attractive…
Sphingosine Analogue Protects Lungs from Flu Damage
In a study published in the 21st January early edition of the journal PNAS, a team led by scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have shown that sphingosine analogues may be able to prevent some of the lung damage caused…
Influenza in the News
Both bird and human flu have been in the news during December. Fresh outbreaks of bird flu have recently been reported in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Cambodia and India’s north eastern Assam state. India has also sealed off part of its…
New Targets to Fight Flu
Influenza A is a major human and animal pathogen with the ability to mutate and cross species: the recent emergence of the H5N1 strain of the Avian Influenza A virus has emphasised the need for new treatments. Between 2003 and…
