Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Economy.bg: The year through the eyes of scientists
Economy.bg asked scientists in our country and around the world what they think is the most important of the past 2021
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Washington Post: Remdesivir can help keep unvaccinated, high-risk people with covid-19 out of hospitals, study finds
The antiviral drug remdesivir can help keep unvaccinated people at risk of severe covid-19 out of hospitals, according to a study that found the treatment reduced hospitalization and death by 87 percent when given soon after diagnosis.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Ren TV (Russia): Virologist who discovered HIV urged to vaccinate children
Robert Gallo, director and co-founder of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Global Virus Network, discussed why it is important to vaccinate children against coronavirus.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Conversations on Health Care: Robert Gallo, Scientist Who Co-Discovered HIV Offers Guidance to Patients as Omicron Increases
Dr. Gallo says their network of scientists knew early in the COVID-19 pandemic that the mRNA vaccines would be effective, but for a limited time, and that boosters will be required until the global outbreak is brought under control. He says it’s too soon to predict the full impact of the omicron variant, but that it is likely to overwhelm many countries.
Monday, December 13, 2021
Reuters Health via Medscape: Passive Exposure to Oral Polio Vaccine May Protect Against COVID-19 for at Least 6 Months
Mothers of children immunized with the oral polio vaccine, which is made from a live attenuated virus, seemed to be protected against symptomatic COVID-19 for at least six months based on a study in Iran.
Wednesday, December 01, 2021
$6.5M Grant Awarded to Develop Treatment for Alcoholic Liver Disease-Associated Kidney Dysfunction
The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and MitoPower LLC (“MitoPower”) were awarded an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant of up to $6.5 million over five years from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The funds will support the development of MitoPower’s lead compound, MP-04, for the treatment of kidney dysfunction due to alcoholic liver disease, a condition known as alcoholic liver disease-associated hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). The IHV, a Center of Excellence member of the Global Virus Network (GVN), will conduct first-in-human single and multiple ascending dose studies to test the safety of the compound, followed by a Phase 1b study in patients.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Omaha World-Herald: UNMC researchers develop 'molecular scissors' to target HIV
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have used a new method they’re calling a “molecular scissors” to nearly eliminate HIV embedded in the genetic material of human cells.
Thursday, November 04, 2021
University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology Researchers Receive $6.5M to Create African Big Data Hub Designed to Address Public Health and Pandemic Preparedness
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)’s Institute of Human Virology (IHV), a Global Virus Network (GVN) Center of Excellence, have received $6.5 million from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to streamline big data collection in Nigeria and South Africa in addressing public health needs of the COVID-19 and HIV pandemics.
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
CNN: Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine is 73.6% effective, according to new real-world study
In an accompanying commentary, Dr. Mohammad Sajadi of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, argued that the findings are part of a growing body of work that suggests "room for improvement" with the J&J vaccine.
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Correio Braziliense: "It's obvious that no vaccine causes AIDS," says one of the virologists who discovered HIV
The virologist, and one of the discoverers of HIV, speaks to Correio about statements by President Bolsonaro live on social media
Friday, October 22, 2021
Healthline: Why Unvaccinated People Are Being Denied Organ Transplants
Experts say there are a number of reasons they prefer organ transplant recipients receive vaccinations against COVID-19 as well as other diseases before surgery.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
A Statement from the Leadership of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology on Maryland Treasurer Nancy Kopp’s Retirement
The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine congratulates Treasurer Nancy Kopp on her five decades of public service, including since 2002, as the Maryland State Treasurer. She is a pioneer overseeing the State’s financial responsibilities, holding one of three seats on Maryland’s powerful Board of Public Works, overseeing procurement contracts.
Friday, October 15, 2021
WebMD: Vaccine hesitancy has always been around
Even as the fourth wave of COVID-19 cases trends downward, one aspect of the pandemic remains strong: differing opinions on the value of COVID-19 immunization and vaccine mandates across the U.S.
Thursday, September 02, 2021
Yahoo! Finance: Adamis Pharmaceuticals Doses First Patients in Phase 2/3 Clinical Trial for Tempol in the Treatment of COVID-19
Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced the initiation of patient dosing in the Phase 2/3 clinical trial for Tempol, an oral antiviral product candidate, in adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. In preclinical studies, Tempol has been shown to have antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
Thursday, September 02, 2021
WebMD: Human Trials for HIV Vaccine Created With mRNA Technology to Begin
Over the past decade, advances in HIV treatment have yielded new drug combinations, once-daily dosing, and, most recently, the introduction of long-acting injectables for pre- and post-exposure prevention and treatment. But why has it been so difficult to make an HIV vaccine?
Monday, August 16, 2021
Maryland Public Television: On Who Needs COVID Booster Shots
Dr. Katya Prakash-Haft discusses why organ transplant recipients and other immune compromised people need COVID booster shots
Friday, August 13, 2021
WMAR: CDC Recommends Third Shot for Immunocompromised Americans
The federal agency’s decision follows the FDA’s move to authorize the additional shot of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. It comes after research has shown the vaccine isn’t as effective for immunocompromised people compared to the general population.
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Institute of Human Virology Member Joins Scientific Advisory Committee of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced that Alash'le Abimiku, PhD, Professor of Medicine of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a Global Virus Network (GVN) Center of Excellence, will join their Scientific Advisory Committee for three-years.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
The Chronicle of Higher Education: New CDC Mask-Wearing Guidance Could Alter Colleges’ Return-to-Campus Plans
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on Tuesday, recommending that vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in certain circumstances due to the highly transmissible Delta variant of Covid-19. This may throw a wrench in return-to-campus plans for colleges that aimed to resume pre-pandemic operations.
Monday, July 26, 2021
WJLA: Amid virus surge, Fauci says some might 'likely' need booster shots
As COVID-19 cases surge and the highly infectious delta variant spreads across the United States, drugmakers and federal health officials remain divided over when and if people who have been vaccinated might need booster shots to bolster their immunity.
Friday, July 23, 2021
Newswise: COVID Variants and a Surge Among the Unvaccinated
Panelists will discuss the threat posed by new COVID variants and continued vaccine hesitancy.
Friday, July 23, 2021
WUSA: VERIFY: Here's a look at Japan's vaccination plan
People online claim the Olympics are in jeopardy because the country has no plan to vaccinate its population. That's false.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Nature: Should children get COVID vaccines? What the science says
With vaccination campaigns underway in some countries while others weigh the options, Nature looks at the evidence for vaccinating younger people.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
USA Today: Fact check: Yes, viruses can mutate to become more deadly
As the U.S. faces down the COVID-19 Delta variant – now fast-becoming the nation's dominant strain – reports of a new Lambda variant that first emerged in Peru in August 2020 are gaining the attention of public health officials worldwide. News of this coronavirus variant is concerning, especially what it could mean for new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, all of which had been declining in the last few months. But one tweet being shared across social media claims new viral strains are nothing to be worried about.
Thursday, July 08, 2021
Bloomberg News: Dr. Gallo Says COVID-19 Is a Solvable Problem
Dr. Robert Gallo, The Global Virus Network Co-founder and Director at University of Maryland says COVID-19 is a solvable problem, as obviously it was easy to get a solvable vaccine.
Tuesday, July 06, 2021
UM School of Medicine Researchers Receive NIH Avant-Garde Award for Out-Of-Box Concept to Cure HIV and Treat Co-Existing Addiction
Linda Chang, MD, MS, Professor of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), received the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2021 Avant-Garde Award (DP1) for HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Disorder Research, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award. This prestigious award supports researchers with exceptional creativity, who propose high-impact research with the potential to be transformative to the field. She will work with Institute for Human Virology (IHV) researchers for this project.
Saturday, July 03, 2021
India Today: Exclusive: Virologist Dr. Robert Gallo Speaks On Third Wave, Effects On Children & Other COVID Issues
Will India and the world see a third wave, if yes then when? How much the third wave will affect children? If mRNA vaccine is the future of COVID-19 vaccines? World's top virologist, Dr. Robert Gallo, answers these and many other questions related to COVID-19 and its vaccination in an exclusive conversation with Rajdeep Sardesai.
Friday, June 25, 2021
Doctor Radio: What We Know About the Virology of COVID-19
Dr. Marc Siegel talks to the Co-founder & Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Co-founder for the Global Virus Network, Dr. Robert Gallo, as well as the President of the Global Virus Network, Dr. Christian Brechot, about COVID-19 Origin, Immunity, Vaccines, and Variants.
Friday, June 25, 2021
Weather Channel: Mystery Thickens Over COVID-19's Origin; Claims of Hidden Early Genetic Information Attracts Further Scrutiny
COVID-19 pandemic has been wreaking worldwide havoc for nearly 20 months now. Yet, Its origin and early spread continue to be one of the most intriguing scientific puzzles of recent history. Claims that the earliest coronavirus strains leaked out from a lab in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China have resurfaced and subsided multiple times, throughout the course of the pandemic. While many such claims were eventually disregarded as unfounded speculations of conspiracy theorists, allegations have continued against the Wuhan lab having known about the infection and its subsequent threat, much before the world at large was aware.
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
The Washington Post: Wuhan lab’s classified work complicates search for pandemic’s origins
The Wuhan lab has drawn global scrutiny because of its research on bat coronaviruses in the city where the pandemic began. The events have shined a light on a research niche that — in China, the United States and elsewhere — operates with heightened secrecy because of the national security risks of handling deadly pathogens.
Monday, June 21, 2021
Reuters: India should brace for third COVID-19 wave by Oct, say health experts
A third wave of coronavirus infections is likely to hit India by October, and although it will be better controlled than the latest outbreak the pandemic will remain a public health threat for at least another year, according to a Reuters poll of medical experts.
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Big Biology Podcast: Old vaccines for new pandemics (Episode 66)
What has COVID-19 taught us about preparing for future epidemics? Can we trigger innate immune responses – our first lines of defense - to mitigate novel infections? Can we use live-attenuated vaccines (LAV) meant for other infections to protect us while we develop specific vaccines for new pathogens? On this episode, we talk to virologists Konstantin Chumakov and Robert Gallo about their recent paper entitled “Old vaccines for new infections”.
Monday, June 14, 2021
New York Times: China’s ‘Bat Woman,’ at the Center of a Pandemic Storm, Speaks Out
Shi Zhengli, a top virologist, said in a rare interview that speculation about her lab in Wuhan was baseless. But China’s habitual secrecy makes her claims hard to validate. To a growing chorus of American politicians and scientists, she is the key to whether the world will ever learn if the virus behind the devastating Covid-19 pandemic escaped from a Chinese lab. To the Chinese government and public, she is a hero of the country’s success in curbing the epidemic and a victim of malicious conspiracy theories.
Thursday, June 10, 2021
Suddeutsche Zeitung Magazin: 'We were all scared,' The 40-year history of the HIV- told by contemporary witnesses
At first, AIDS was called "gay cancer," then heterosexuals became infected as well. You didn't know if kissing was contagious? More and more people died, no medication helped, and there was still no vaccination. On June 5, 1981, a Californian scientist reported in the weekly newspaper of the US health authorities about unusual fungal infections and pneumonia in otherwise healthy, young men. Apparently their immune systems had collapsed. July 3rd in the New York Times an article appears about similar illnesses in New York.
Monday, June 07, 2021
POZ: Integrate Adult and Pediatric HIV Care to Ease Youth Transition to Adult Care
Embedding an adult HIV medicine clinician and care navigator into a Baltimore pediatric HIV clinic led to 95% of young people remaining engaged in adult care one year after transition, according to a report in AIDS Care.
Thursday, June 03, 2021
Slate: A Very Calm Guide to the Lab Leak Theory
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists still aren’t sure where exactly the virus that caused this mess came from, and how it was able to spread so rapidly among humans. With the origins of the coronavirus still up in the air, there’s been a lot of talk of the so-called lab leak theory—the idea that the virus spread to people in a laboratory accident, rather than jumping from a wild animal to a human. In recent days, there’s been a flurry of speculation, and it can be hard to parse what the lab leak theory is all about, how likely it is, and why it matters at all. Here’s our attempt to sort some of that out.
Tuesday, June 01, 2021
SciDevNet: ‘Old vaccines can fight new pandemics like COVID-19’
Inoculation with live attenuated vaccines (LAV) such as those used against TB, polio or measles can stimulate the immune system to provide protection against other infectious diseases, including COVID-19, says a new study. People who have been inoculated with one or more LAVs but have no access to the new, specific vaccines against COVID-19 — typically because they are expensive or in short supply — may have some protection during the current pandemic, according to the study.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Baltimore Sun: Maryland researchers study whether HIV cure can come from infusing patients with genetically modified ‘super T cells’
A week ago, a Washington, D.C., man in his 30s with HIV became the first person to be infused with a heaping load of his own genetically modified cells that a Maryland biotech firm believes one day could lead to the elusive cure for the disease. American Gene Technologies’ method involves taking T cells out of a person’s blood and genetically modifying them in the lab to resist infection before they are reinfused. C. David Pauza is the company’s chief science officer and a former professor and researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute for Human Virology. Another center evaluating entering the study is Maryland’s Institute for Human Virology, confirmed its co-founder and director, Dr. Robert Gallo, who is internationally regarded for his role in discovering HIV and developing a blood test to detect it.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Institute of Human Virology Leadership Contributes to Global Virus Network Analysis Suggesting Measles, Polio and Tuberculosis Vaccines May Boost Immunity to Coronavirus
Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Maryland scientists, who are also members of the Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition comprised of human and animal virologists from 63 Centers of Excellence and 11 Affiliates in 35 countries, and colleagues today published a perspective proposing that live attenuated vaccines (LAVs), such as those for tuberculosis, measles, and polio, may induce protective innate immunity that mitigate other infectious diseases, triggering the human body’s natural emergency response to infections including COVID-19 as well as future pandemic threats.
Monday, April 19, 2021
Bloomberg TV: Will Vaccines Protect Us From All Covid-19 Variants?
Dr. Robert Gallo, co-founder of the Global Virus Network and director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, discusses the global rollout of Covid-19 vaccines. Global cases passed 141 million, and deaths exceeded 3 million. Gallo speaks with Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn on "Bloomberg Daybreak: Australia."
Monday, April 19, 2021
China Business Network: An interview with Dr. Gallo on COVID-19, Variants and Vaccines
In an exclusive interview with CBN, Dr. Robert Gallo, a world-renowned virus expert, speculated that certain components of Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines may induce the immune system to produce an antibody, which can cause a very small number of people. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, thrombosis.
Friday, April 09, 2021
Aljazeera: Which vaccine is best? The one you can get first, experts say
As the United States ramps up its COVID-19 inoculation campaign, aiming to make vaccines available to all adults by April 19, some doctors and health workers are concerned that brand preferences among potential vaccine recipients could hurt attempts to slow the spread of the virus.
Thursday, April 08, 2021
Fox 5 DC: Experts weigh in on timing for second covid-19 vaccine doses
Just how important is timing when it comes to the second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines? Walgreens is now adjusting its vaccine scheduling process after being asked to do so by the CDC. They were spacing Pfizer vaccines 28 days apart instead of recommended 21 days, because it was just easier to schedule them the same as the Moderna shot.
Friday, April 02, 2021
Baltimore Sun: Q&A with Dr. Robert Gallo: ‘The world has to be linked to fight a pandemic’
Robert Gallo, the eminent virologist best known as co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, says the world needs a system to confront viral disease that’s free of politics and primed to quickly warn nations about new threats as if “the bad Martians are coming.” The uneven and politicized response to the coronavirus pandemic, with a worldwide toll approaching 3 million, including 553,000 deaths in the United States, proves Gallo’s point.
Thursday, April 01, 2021
A Statement from the Leadership of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology on the Passing of Dr. John Martin
The Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine mourns the passing of IHV 2014 Lifetime Achievement Public Service Awardee and 2017 Annual Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Lecturer, John Martin, PhD. Dr. Martin was a leader in supporting access to life-saving anti-HIV medications that although still under patent were made widely and affordably available to millions around the world infected with HIV, and for prevention through pre-exposure drug therapy. He was a tremendous clinical scientist, businessman, global public health leader, philanthropist, and good friend.
Thursday, April 01, 2021
Associated Press: Can I still spread the coronavirus after I’m vaccinated?
Can I still spread the coronavirus after I’m vaccinated? It’s possible. Experts say the risk is low, but are still studying how well the shots blunt the spread of the virus. The current vaccines are highly effective at preventing people from getting seriously sick with COVID-19.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
USA Today Opinion: Why COVID-19 survivors should only get one dose of mRNA vaccine
Data seems to be indicating that survivors of COVID-19 may not need two doses of mRNA vaccine, which would free up more doses for others.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
ABC7 WJLA - 7 On Your Side: Doctor rates COVID-19 risks for activities in a partially-vaccinated world
“We see people come in, it's still with really severe disease,” said Dr. Eleanor Wilson, an infectious disease specialist and an associate professor of medicine at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Sunday, February 21, 2021
The Wall Street Journal: For COVID-19 survivors, one shot may be enough, preliminary studies show
The research, while preliminary, found that the previously infected people generated protection against the disease quickly and at dramatically higher levels after a first shot.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
The Science Advisory Board: The next generation of COVID-19 vaccines: Gallo on next steps
With emergency authorizations for several COVID-19 vaccines under our belt, the question remains if these vaccines will be enough to carry us through the end of the pandemic. Experts agree that there will likely need to be additional vaccines to achieve full recovery. In this two-part series, we discuss what a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine might look like, and which candidates are in the running for authorizations.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland sees little flu this season as researchers wonder if flu vaccine staves off COVID-19
February is typically the cruelest month for the flu with thousands of infections, hundreds hospitalized and some dying in Maryland. Not this year. Due in part to the coronavirus pandemic and preventative measures associated with it, the influenza virus is downright rare in Maryland and across the nation. But researchers are wondering if there’s a chance that the flu shot you got in the fall may yet fend off a nasty infection — of COVID-19.
Friday, February 12, 2021
The Washington Post: Scientists said claims about China creating the coronavirus were misleading. They went viral anyway.
The spread of the unverified assertions by Chinese scholar Li-Meng Yan, widely dismissed as “flawed,” show how vulnerable scientific sites are to misuse and misunderstanding.
Friday, February 12, 2021
China CDC Weekly: Commentary by Dr. Robert C. Gallo
The Great Coronavirus Pandemic of 2019−2021: the Future and the Requirement for China-America Cooperation - Over the past century, the great pandemics and most epidemics (defined as virus presence and disease induction presenting more than the expected number of infections in a population) were caused by the sudden outbreak of an RNA virus such as the pandemics of influenza, polio, and HIV/AIDS and the epidemics of influenza, Ebola, Dengue, Zika, West Nile, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and Chikungunya.
Thursday, February 04, 2021
WTOP NEWS: What a new U.Md. study says about skipping second doses of COVID-19 vaccine
None of the trials conducted on the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines tested them on people who already had been infected by the coronavirus. Now, a study involving people previously infected with COVID-19 suggests the immune response from getting sick may act like getting a first dose of those double-shot vaccines.
Tuesday, February 02, 2021
Business Insider: People who had COVID-19 may develop 10 times more antibodies after a single vaccine dose - a sign they might only need one shot
Business Insider - People who had COVID-19 developed at least 10 times more antibodies after their first vaccine dose than the average uninfected person who received two doses, new research shows. Another preliminary study similarly found that healthcare workers who had COVID-19 responded to their first shot the way most people respond to their second. The researchers both suggested that post-COVID patients may only need one shot to sufficiently protect them from the disease again.
Tuesday, February 02, 2021
The Baltimore Sun - People who’ve had COVID-19 may not need both doses of the vaccine, University of Maryland study suggests
The Baltimore Sun - A study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine suggests that people who have already had COVID-19 may not need both doses of the vaccine to be protected from the virus. The emerging research comes as states, including Maryland, face continued vaccine shortages, leaving the growing list of eligible patients to scramble for few available appointments. But experts say that withholding second doses could present logistical obstacles for an already challenged process.
Tuesday, February 02, 2021
South China Morning Post: Letter urges US Congress to hold hearings on racial profiling of Asian-Americans
A request for oversight hearings on perceived bias and excesses in the FBI’s China-influence investigations and National Institutes of Health vetting • ‘Immigrants are not a threat. Rather they are a part of the solution to the United States’ global challenges,’ letter to US lawmaker says
Friday, January 22, 2021
Getting treatment early for COVID-19
Baltimore (WBFF) — If you test positive for COVID-19, doctors are reminding you to get treatment right away even if your symptoms aren't bad in the moment. Dr. Anthony Amoroso, infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, joins the morning show to talk about why that's important.