Scientists develop promising antibodies to prevent Epstein-Barr infection
Dr. Andy McGuire characterized his team’s work to develop antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus as “a significant stride for the scientific community and the people at the highest risk of complications from this virus.”
HIV research has led to advances for multiple diseases
Dr. Larry Corey emphasized that “Thanks to broad U.S. investment, HIV research has opened the door to breakthroughs and treatments for diseases far beyond HIV/AIDS.”
How Seattle scientists are helping research a path to HIV cure
Drs. Lillian Cohn and Dan Reeves shared insights from two groundbreaking HIV studies published on World AIDS Day. Cohn noted: “We’re in a very paradoxical moment in the world. The science is at the best point it’s ever been.”
HIV’s most promising breakthrough has taken a hit
Dr. Jim Kublin explained that approaches using the mRNA platform for developing an HIV vaccine “are not at all dead in the water” despite mild side effects observed in a recent study.
HIV’s most promising breakthrough has taken a hit
Dr. Jim Kublin explained that approaches using the mRNA platform for developing an HIV vaccine “are not at all dead in the water” despite mild side effects observed in a recent study.
Addressing the infectious disease challenges in immunocompromised patients
Dr. Josh Hill discussed how “immune compromised patients are those that we need to study the most carefully, because they are sometimes at the most risk for the infection or worse outcomes from infectious diseases."
Addressing the infectious disease challenges in immunocompromised patients
Dr. Josh Hill discussed how “immune compromised patients are those that we need to study the most carefully, because they are sometimes at the most risk for the infection or worse outcomes from infectious diseases."
Seattle scientists make progress on cure for genital herpes
Dr. Keith Jerome explained how dormant herpes infections can emerge “from this hiding place in the nerves... reactivate themselves and come back out, transmit to a new person or they can cause visible or sometimes painful lesions.”
Seattle scientists make progress on cure for genital herpes
Dr. Keith Jerome explained how dormant herpes infections can emerge “from this hiding place in the nerves... reactivate themselves and come back out, transmit to a new person or they can cause visible or sometimes painful lesions.”
Bird flu virus isolated from hospitalized Canadian teen shows signs of human adaptation
Dr. Jesse Bloom commented on viral mutations found in a case of H5N1. He said, “It’s caught the attention of a lot of flu virologists, including myself, because some of the sequence has evidence of some of the types of mutations we worry about.”
COVID vaccine update: CDC now recommends second dose for older adults, immunocompromised
Dr. Larry Corey talked about the evolution of COVID noting, “The effects that the early vaccination had have long worn off, and the virus has escaped from them. The hope is double boosting will transfer your immunity.”
Meet the 2024 STAT Wunderkinds
STAT included Miguel Paredes in the Bedford Lab and Yapeng Su in the Greenberg Lab in its Wunkerkinds awards to 27 of the “most impressive doctors and researchers on the cusp of launching their careers.”
A viral gene drive could offer a new approach to fighting herpes
Drs. Keith Jerome and Marius Walter discussed their Nature Communications study on gene editing for herpes. Jerome explained his hope for a herpes cure: “You don’t ever have to worry about this virus again.”
What does it mean to be immunocompromised?
Fred Hutch patient Kaley Karaffa and Dr. Josh Hill explained how being immunocompromised impacts daily life. Karaffa said, “I had to become cautious about who I saw, the activities I was involved in and even the kind of food I ate.”
Was Missouri’s bird flu case a one-off or something more? Quest for answers faces testing delay
Dr. Jesse Bloom explained how virus mutations could change the accuracy of serology tests for infections: "This type of mutation could make you want to then redo the assays with a virus that contained that mutation.”
These four common infections can cause cancer
Drs. Denise Galloway and Nina Salama discussed how HPV and H. Pylori can cause cancer. Galloway said, “If you vaccinate someone who’s young, the risk goes down to zero.”
FDA authorizes updated COVID vaccines. Who should get the shot and when, according to experts
Dr. Larry Corey recommended everyone eligible for the COVID vaccine update get one. He said, “When we look at people who are currently hospitalized, they haven’t been boosted for a long time.”
Despite Gilead’s Promising HIV Prevention Drug, A Vaccine Is Still The ‘Holy Grail’
Dr. Jim Kublin characterized an effective HIV vaccine as the “holy grail of HIV prevention.”
AIDS crisis from 1980s to today: How Seattle responded with hope, healing
Ro Yoon and Dr. Larry Corey shared perspectives on HIV research, activism and public fatigue. Yoon emphasized the importance of keeping HIV “relevant to an audience that might not be aware of the long, hard history of activism.”
Herpes cure on the horizon
Dr. Keith Jerome discussed his team’s progress in developing a gene therapy for herpes simplex virus. He said, “There’s not a cure yet that everybody can go out and get, but we’re getting closer to a cure.”
Seattle virologists find promising new results for potential herpes cure
Dr. Keith Jerome described how his team’s herpes cure research could help people who want to be cured of their infection: “What we want to do is offer a tool that says if this really matters to you, we can help make your life better.”
There’s bird flu RNA in grocery store milk. How sequncing it might help fight avian influenza
Dr. Pavitra Roychoudhury described how researchers sequenced a bird flu genome from store-bought milk, noting that “this is, to our knowledge, the first time it’s been done in commercially available milk, to obtain the full genome.”
Move over, wastewater. Store-bought milk could be another way to track the bird flu outbreak in cows
Dr. Trevor Bedford noted that “separate from the sequencing for evolution [of the virus], which I think is very important, just even understanding prevalence through space and time... would be really helpful and important.”
The new horizon of HIV vaccines
Louis Shackleford emphasized that “the prospect of having a vaccine that can last for years and give us sustained protection from HIV would be an amazing boon for communities such as the Black community who disproportionately are suffering from HIV.”
A new type of bacteria was found in 50% of colon cancers. Many were aggressive cases.
Dr. Susan Bullman explained a new Nature study she co-authored with Dr. Chris Johnston and how a specific subtype of bacterium helps tumor cells hide from therapies: “It acts like a cloak.” Many medical and health news outlets also covered the study.
After decades of failures, researchers have renewed hopes for an effective HIV vaccine
Dr. Julie McElrath declared in a plenary talk at CROI that “An HIV vaccine could end HIV. So I say, ‘Let’s just get on with it.’”
Dr. Jim Boonyaratanakornkit discusses respiratory illnesses
Dr. Jim Boonyaratanakornkit encouraged people to get vaccinated for COVID, flu and RSV.
Vaginal fluid transplants hold promise but raise safety concerns
Dr. David Fredricks, a microbiome researcher, provided expert commentary on vaginal microbiota transplantation.
HIV vaccine shows signs of cross-subtype protection
FierceBiotech featured a Fred Hutch study suggesting cross-subtype immune response against HIV in South Africa.
Geek of the Week: Fred Hutch’s Steve Pergam caught a ’bug’ for infectious diseases and research
Fred Hutch researcher Dr. Steve Pergam is featured as GeekWire’s ‘Geek of the Week’. Dr. Pergam is an associate member of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at Fred Hutch.
This ring can help stop the spread of HIV in women
Quotes Elizabeth Brown from the vaccine and infectious disease division on her study on women using vaginal rings to prevent HIV infection. Brown's research follows the larger ASPIRE study that tested the monthly ring