Monthly Archives: April 2010
Silencing human RSV infection
A new therapy based on RNA interference (RNAi) successfully reduces respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in humans. The study, published free online in PNAS, demonstrates that therapeutic RNAi-based drugs are clinically effective, and suggests that similar ‘silencing’ therapies could be … Continue reading
Filed under Infectious Disease, Medicine, Microbiology, Uncategorized
A gene polymorphism helps protect against malaria, but makes you vulnerable to lupus
A polymorphism in the human gene FCGR2B is associated with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but it is also associated with protection against malaria, according to a new study published in PNAS. The polymorphism was most common in people … Continue reading
Filed under Immunology, Infectious Disease, Public Health
Defence against cytosolic pathogens…it’s all in the AIM2 baby
The DNA sensor AIM2 is crucial for host defence against cytosolic pathogens and DNA viruses; it not only senses these intracellular intruders but also promotes inflammatory mechanisms as part of our innate immune system. In a research double whammy, Nature … Continue reading
Filed under Immunology, Infectious Disease, Microbiology
Sleeping sickness—a new cure for a neglected disease?
Scientists have validated a new drug target, the Trypanosoma brucei enzyme N-myristoyltransferase, in the fight against sleeping sickness, and have already identified and tested an inhibitor against this enzyme that successfully cures T. brucei infection in mice. The study, published in the … Continue reading
Filed under Infectious Disease, Microbiology, Public Health
