On Thursday, December 19, 2019, the FDA announced the approval of Ervebo, the first FDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of the Ebola virus disease. The new vaccine protects against the Zaire species of Ebola virus, which is responsible for more than 11,000 deaths in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, and over 2,200 deaths in […]
In 2014, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Rodent Research Project to study mice in space with the goal to better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body. Using mice in space has helped researchers discover numerous things about microgravity (very weak gravity) situations. These discoveries have led to improving astronauts […]
On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced what could be the world’s first malaria vaccine as part of a large-scale trial project in several countries. The vaccine known as RTS, S will be given to approximately 360,000 children up to two years of age in three African countries: Malawi, Ghana, and […]
Eight months ago, an outbreak of Ebola was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) North Kivu province and the disease has now spread to the city of Bunia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO). Ebola is a rare and highly infectious virus, with a death rate of up to 90 percent. Health workers […]
In early January 2019, a 20-year-old former Purdue student and cancer survivor named Tyler Trent lost his years-long battle with osteosarcoma. Three times he faced the disease head-on fighting to the end with the determination of a champion. A devoted fan of his university’s football team, the Purdue Boilermakers, Tyler was honored with touching tributes […]
“I just got the biopsy results back, and my little girl has an adrenal sarcoma,” wrote the owner of an 11-year-old Shih Tzu in an online support group for people whose pets have been diagnosed with cancer. “I’m so scared—for her and for myself. She’s my baby, my best friend, my companion. I know the […]
Image depicts a rodent swimming in a natural setting. With more than 300 million people living with depression worldwide, pressure is mounting to find treatments and drugs that will help patients. However, with limited knowledge about the underlying causes of depression and anxiety, researchers are at a disadvantage. Depression diagnoses are obtained when patients exhibit a broad […]
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to American immunologist Jim Allison and Japanese immunologist Tasuku Honjo “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.” The award honors researchers for outstanding discoveries that leave a lasting impact on efforts to improve human and animal health. In an interview […]
The measles virus is untreatable. In about 30 percent of affected patients, many of whom are infants and children, complications can lead to blindness, as well as pneumonia and inflammation of the brain—both of which are potentially fatal. Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) […]
National HIV Testing Day is Wednesday, June 27 and we’re taking a look back to see all the progress that’s been made with HIV testing and treatment and the advancements yet to come. In 1984, French and American scientists discovered that a retrovirus (HIV—Human Immunodeficiency Virus) was the cause of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). […]