Gene Therapy Technique Slows Brain Disease ALD Featured In Movie 'Lorenzo's Oil' Nov 6, 2009
Vectors are typically the backbones of viruses that have been genetically altered to carry normal human DNA. Scientists have recently turned to vectors based on the lentivirus genus of retroviruses, which includes HIV. Lentiviral vectors are a type of retrovirus that can infect both dividing and nondividing cells, and are thought to provide long-term and stable gene expression, unlike other retroviruses ... Like other retrovirus vectors, the HIV-derived lentivirus vector is tasked with inserting... (Science Daily)
Nobel laureate to speak at Claflin Nov 3, 2009
Two years after the first reports of cases of what we now know as AIDS, Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi discovered the virus that later came to be known as human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. An infective agent was suspected by many to cause the disease, and they decided to test whether it might be a so-called retrovirus. The gamble proved correct; their studies revealed retroviral activity in cells taken from a patient's lymph nodes, and demonstrated that virus from these cells could... (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Chronic Fatigue Patients No Longer Fakes? Oct 31, 2009
Retrovirus Found Among Chronic Fatigue Sufferers That May Yield Biomarker and Therapies - ABC News ... This research, announced this month in the , was led by , a 22-year veteran of the National Cancer Institute and retrovirus expert at Reno, Nev ... After the paper was published, her work showed that 98 percent of 300 patients tested positive for the retrovirus, which was found in fresh blood and plasma, as well as saliva. (ABC News)
Reno scientists prepare to address federal health officials Oct 29, 2009
Earlier this month, scientists at WPI identified an infectious retrovirus they called XMRV that could be linked to the devastating condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Dr. Peterson said the discovery by scientists at WPI holds great promise for patients all over the world. (KRNV.com, NV)
Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-related Virus May Not Be Associated With Human Prostate Cancer Oct 20, 2009
1, 2006) The Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens has published an article detailing research that identifies a new retrovirus in the tissue of human prostate tumors ... 31, 2006) Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers and their colleagues have discovered a new retrovirus in humans that is closely related to a cancer-causing virus found in mice. (Science Daily)
Hemispherx drug for chronic fatigue held up by additional FDA demands Oct 16, 2009
Earlier this week, the company announced the discovery of a novel retrovirus in chronic fatigue syndrome patients. A study published in the Oct. 8 issue of Science Express by a consortium of researchers found a new retrovirus in the blood cells of 67 percent of chronic fatigue syndrome patients and in 3. (Philadelphia Business Journal, PA)
Patients, researchers elated with medical discovery in Reno Oct 13, 2009
Just 24 hours after researchers at the Whittemore-Peterson Institute announced they had discovered the retrovirus linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, they continued to receive hundreds of emails and phone calls from grateful patients, drug companies and other researchers ... The Whittemore-Peterson Institute has conducted research for two years, led by Dr. Mikovits, that has culminated in the identification of the retrovirus that is definitively linked to the syndrome ... Dr. Mikovits says the... (KRNV.com, NV)
Study Isolates Virus in Chronic Fatigue Sufferers Oct 10, 2009
The XMRV virus is a retrovirus, like the HIV virus that causes AIDS. As with all viruses, a retrovirus copies its genetic code into the DNA of its host but uses RNA -- a working form of DNA -- instead of using DNA to do so. Known formally as xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus, XMRV has also been found in some prostate tumors and is also known to cause leukemia and tumors in animals. (Newsmax)
Retrovirus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Oct 10, 2009
(WebMD) Some 10 million Americans may carry a recently discovered retrovirus now linked to chronic fatigue syndrome ... The virus is closely related to a retrovirus that's become part of the mouse genome. (CBS News)
ME virus discovery raises hopes Oct 10, 2009
Their research in the journal, Science, suggests that a single retrovirus known as XMRV does play a role in ME. ... Retroviruses are known to cause neurological symptoms, cancer and immunological deficiencies ... Dr Judy Mikovits, who led the study, said: "It's a blood borne pathogen that we contract through body fluids and blood transmission. "The symptoms of ME - chronic fatigue, immune deficiencies, chronic infections - are what we see with retroviruses. (BBC News -- Health)
New Way to Make Stem Cells? Oct 10, 2009
The genes are delivered via a retrovirus that integrates into a cell's DNA. However, the DNA from the virus remains in the cells and, over time, may activate cancer-causing genes. In this study, the researchers substituted small chemical molecules for two of the genes. (MEDLINEplus)
CFS/ME and Retroviruses Oct 10, 2009
New study suggests it might be caused by the retrovirus XMRV.. New study, published in the prestigious journal Science, found the retrovirus XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) in 67% of patients with (CFS/ME) ... XMRV belongs to the group of gammaretroviruses and has previously been associated with prostate cancer. (Suite101.com)
New clue in understanding chronic fatigue Oct 9, 2009
"This suggests that several million Americans may be infected with a retrovirus of as-yet-unknown pathogenic potential," the researchers concluded. A retrovirus is a kind of virus that permanently embeds in the body. (MSNBC -- Health)
Researchers in Reno find link between retrovirus and neuro-immune disease Oct 9, 2009
Researchers in Reno find link between retrovirus and neuro-immune - Channel 4 KRNV.com: Local News and Weather for Reno-Tahoe Region ... Scientists working with a research institute at the University of Nevada, Reno announced Thursday that they have discovered a link between a retrovirus and the neuro-immune disease Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ... Researchers from the , say XMRV-only the third retrovirus known to affect humans-is found in 95 percent of patients with Myalgic... (KRNV.com, NV)
Retrovirus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Could Aid in Diagnosis Oct 9, 2009
Recently implicated in some severe prostate cancer patients, the retrovirus XMRV has now been found in many with chronic fatigue--changing the landscape for diagnosis and possible treatment ... and co-author of research on the retrovirus findings published online today in ... The xenotropic murine leukemia virus related virus (XMRV), a type of gammaretrovirus, has recently been. (Scientific American)
New Chemically-activated Antigen Could Expedite Development Of HIV Vaccine Oct 1, 2009
D., study co-author and head of the Retrovirus Diagnostic Section of the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory of the California Department of Public Health. Others contributors in the study from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UT Medical School, were: Yukie Mitsuda, Ph. (Science Daily)
New Research Strategy For Understanding Drug Resistance In Leukemia Sep 9, 2009
Then they introduced an infectious particle called a retrovirus, which produces additional mutations that work together and result in AML. The retrovirus also tags these new genetic mutations, which allows researchers to identify them later on ... In the next phase of the study, the research team set out to uncover the genes that triggered drug resistance by comparing cells from the original drug responsive AML to those of the relapsed AML. Because AML in the mouse model had been created with a... (Science Daily)
Virus linked to prostate tumours Sep 8, 2009
XMRV is a retrovirus like HIV which works by inserting a copy of its own DNA into the chromosomes of a cell they infect. We still don't know that this virus causes cancer in people, but that is an important question we are going to investigate. (BBC News -- Americas)
Retrovirus Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer Sep 8, 2009
Possibly joining the ranks of virus-linked cancers, virulent prostate cancers have shown a common thread: the XMRV gammaretrovirus ... Researchers, , found that the retrovirus xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was present in about a quarter of cancerous prostate cells and just 6 percent of control cells, which suggests a possible relationship ... The virus is a gammaretrovirus, which has been known to cause cancer in some animals, including rodents, cats and monkeys, but had... (Scientific American)
Soon, a jab to prevent prostate cancer Sep 8, 2009
The study also makes it evident that XMRV is present in malignant cells, and that XMRV is a gammaretrovirus, a simple retrovirus first isolated from prostate cancers in 2006 by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the Cleveland Clinic, known to cause cancer in animals. During the study, the researchers examined more than 200 human prostate cancers, and compared them to more than 100 non-cancerous prostate tissues. (India Times, India)
Virus may be cause of some prostate cancer Sep 8, 2009
XMRV is a retrovirus, a kind of virus that inserts its genetic map into the cells it infects. This act alone can kill a cell or turn it cancerous by affecting its genes. (MSNBC -- Health)
Brazil Proves Developing Countries Can Use Generic Medicines To Fight HIV/AIDS Epidemic Jul 31, 2009
(May 15, 2008) On the 25th anniversary of the first scientific article linking a retrovirus to AIDS, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reflects in an. (Aug. (Science Daily)
New Zealand researchers to implant pig cells in diabetics Jul 23, 2009
Elliott said Thursday that the risk of a pig endogenous retrovirus the porcine virus thought to be most contagious for humans infecting humans is largely "theoretical.". "There is no evidence of a risk" of retrovirus infection, he said ... "Nobody has developed a retrovirus.". (Honolulu Advertiser)
How Dachshunds Got Such Short Legs Jul 17, 2009
Retrogenes are formed when the mRNA encounters something often a type of virus called a retrovirus that turns it back into DNA through a process referred to as reverse transcription. This new piece of DNA, which contains the same protein-coding information as the gene that produced the mRNA, may then be inserted back into the genome, usually at a much different place than the original gene. (Science Daily)
Newsweek: Infectious diseases likely to increase Jun 24, 2009
And possibly the most diminutive of all, the retrovirus HIV emerged from the blood of wild monkeys to become the most efficient destroyer of the human immune system. With strong enough poison and infinitely transmutable genes, a single pathogen could lay deadly siege to the rest of the living world. (MSNBC -- Health)
When will we get AIDS vaccine? May 28, 2009
Since HIV is undetectable until such time as the retrovirus mutates within the host to adapt to and change the host s DNA, is a virus feasible. Wouldn t any vaccine be most effective on the host from which the virus was extracted for the vaccine, 50% as effective on those persons the host may have infected - as they d have to be administered the vaccine after a presumed infection, but prior to their own seroconversion, as the RNA/DNA interchange of the HIV retrovirus would, at that point, be too... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Glowing monkeys 'to aid research' May 28, 2009
The new method improves on previous work using so-called "retroviruses" ... "We can just introduce genes by virus vectors," he told BBC News, "so the limitation comes from the sizes of genes that can be carried by the retroviruses." ... However, genetic regions implicated in Huntington's disease might not fit into a retrovirus. (BBC News -- Health)
* World News Quick Take Apr 13, 2009
The koala retrovirus X believed to cause leukemia and lymphoma X was detected in all 39 northeastern koalas, and in four of 11 southern koalas, the English version of the Yomiuri said. There are two main subspecies of wild koala X the northeast Australian koala and the south Australian koala. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Symptoms of Feline Leukemia Virus i... Apr 12, 2009
Feline leukemia virus is a retrovirus (a specific class of virus) and is responsible for causing the disease known as feline leukemia. It is one of the most common causes of death seen in cats. (Suite101.com)
Ghana: Govt Must Listen to These Chiefs [editorial] Apr 1, 2009
Ghana is a poor country, therefore, we cannot afford to use our scarce resources to import anti retrovirus drugs. As the adage goes 'prevention is better than cure. (allAfrica.com)
Five Inventions That Will Change Your Life Mar 28, 2009
Via a retrovirus, photosensitive genes are implanted in brain cells to make them respond to signals sent by light-emitting brain implants. "This is an earlier-stage project, but I think it's useful to see the field of neurotechnology and the emerging trends of how people are using biology and medicine," said Boyden. (Fox News)
Genomic Fossils In Lemurs Shed Light On Origin And Evolution Of HIV And Other Primate Lentiviruses Mar 25, 2009
24, 2009) A retrovirus related to HIV became stably integrated into the genome of several lemurs around 4 ... During replication, retroviruses integrate within the chromosomes of their host cells ... This 'endogenization' process has occurred repeatedly during evolution, and has involved diverse retroviruses, giving rise to a sizeable portion of the genome of many vertebrate species for example, ~8% of the human genome. (Science Daily)
What Vaccinations Does my Kitten Ne... Mar 24, 2009
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is a retrovirus (single-stranded RNA virus) and infection is rare in cats less then a year old but increases as cats age, particularly around 8 years old ... Feline Leukemia (FLV) is a species-specific retrovirus. (Suite101.com)
Keystone Symposia to Mark 25th Anniversary of its First HIV/AIDS Meeting Mar 19, 2009
Keystone Symposia's first conference on AIDS in 1984 was widely credited with catalyzing a consensus that AIDS was caused by a retrovirus. It was also the first open scientific meeting dedicated exclusively to the topic. (PR Newswire)
Protein Helps Immune Cells To Divide And Conquer Mar 16, 2009
23, 2003) Scientists here have found that a protein in the retrovirus known as human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) can cause immune cells to divide and proliferate, helping the virus spread through. (July 30, 2007) A new finding could lead to new drugs to fight the HIV/AIDS virus, as well as new vaccines to prevent infection. (Science Daily)
Dead Gene Comes Back To Life In Humans Mar 12, 2009
Evidence suggests that this change coincided with a retrovirus insertion in the ancestral genome. "The IRGM gene was dead and later resurrected through a complex series of structural events," Eichler said. (Science Daily)
HIV Antiretroviral Medications Linked To Heart Attacks Feb 14, 2009
The late-braking data was presented by researchers from the School of Medicine and Medical Sciences at University College Dublin, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland at the Retrovirus Conference in Montreal, Canada, on 11 February 2009. A major international study, published in 2008, identified a higher than expected incidence of heart attacks among patients being treated with antiretroviral drugs for HIV. Building on this research,... (Science Daily)
Weily Soong: A passion for virology translates into a career as an allergist Feb 12, 2009
Soong threw himself into the work of breaking down a retrovirus the Mason Pfizer monkey virus into its major genetic components to see which parts were necessary to create an intact virus. To do that, Soong engineered mice that were missing genes that made the capsid, or protein shell, of the virus. (Scientific American)
Pig-tissue transplants explored for curing diabetes Feb 11, 2009
In 1996, researchers discovered that viruses called retroviruses, which live inside of cells, could be transmitted from pig cells to human cells. Though all animals and humans carry retroviruses, the discovery created a shiver in the community, McGregor said ... AIDS, which originated with monkeys, is a retrovirus. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Arrest made on Quad after purse snatchings Feb 7, 2009
Two female Syracuse University employees were the victims of burglary, robbery and larceny in Sims Hall Thursday morning, said Department of Public Safety Chief Tony Callisto. At approximately 10:25 a.m., one employee found that her purse had been stolen from her second floor office in Sims Hall. (Daily Orange, NY)
