HIV vaccine trial shows promising results Aug 18, 2008
The three organizations further said that the response levels of volunteers suggested that the vaccine, whose trail was relied on a Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) based AIDS vaccine candidate (TBC-M4), holds promise to fight the virus effectively. The two doses of the Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) were used on trial basis. (TopNews)
India continues to progress in AIDS vaccine development efforts Aug 16, 2008
The vaccine candidate, TBC-M4, is based on a vector built from recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA). It was designed by a biotech firm in the U.S. in collaboration with Dr. Sekhar Chakrabarty from the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED). (EurekAlert!)
GeoVax Partners with Vivalis for Use of Its Revolutionary EBx(R) Technology to Manufacture Its MVA HIV/AIDS Vaccine Jul 22, 2008
MVA stands for Modified Vaccinia Ankara, a smallpox viral vaccine that was attenuated (made more safe) by replicating the vaccine virus over 500 times in chicken cells. This long series of replications resulted in a derivative of the smallpox vaccine virus which could grow in chicken cells but that had limited ability to grow in human cells. (PR Newswire)
Different Type Of Colon Cancer Vaccine Reduces Disease Spread, Scientists Show Jun 27, 2008
D., and their colleagues engineered viruses -- adenovirus, vaccinia and rabies -- to express the protein guanylyl cyclase C (GCC), which is normally found in the intestinal lining (and in metastatic colon cancer). The researchers injected the animals with colon cancer cells before or after immunization. (Science Daily)
Small Pox Vaccine Jun 3, 2008
Until the scab falls off, a person who has been vaccinated can spread vaccinia virus to other people ... Vaccinia is spread by touching the vaccination site before the scab has fallen off, or by touching items like bandages, clothes, sheets, or towels that have touched the site ... The Center for Disease Control provides tips for preventing the spread of the vaccinia virus to other people. (KWTX.com, TX)
Ugandan Monkeys Harbor Evidence Of Infection With Unknown Poxvirus Apr 23, 2008
An initial screening for antibodies to the vaccinia virus yielded positive results in about one-quarter of the monkeys tested. This was not clear evidence of infection with vaccinia, however ... Whatever had infected the monkeys looked a little bit like monkeypox virus, a little bit like vaccinia virus, a little bit like cowpox virus, but not exactly like any of them, he said. (Science Daily)
Most People Believe Smallpox Not An Extinct Disease, Survey Shows Apr 1, 2008
31, 2008) The vast majority of Scottish people interviewed in the streets of Edinburgh are unaware of one of the greatest achievements of medical science -- the eradication of smallpox from the world over 40 years ago. A poll sponsored by the Society for General Microbiology (SGM), in conjunction with the Edinburgh International Science Festival, has revealed that 87% of 200 individuals questioned did not know that the horrendous, killer disease is now extinct. (Science Daily)
Nanoemulsion vaccines show increasing promise Feb 27, 2008
The smallpox results, which appear in the February issue of Clinical Vaccine Immunology, could lead to an effective human vaccine against smallpox that is safer than the present live-vaccinia virus vaccine because it would use nanoemulsion-killed vaccinia virus, says Baker ... D., a research assistant professor in internal medicine at the U-M Medical School, and others on Bakers research team developed a killed-vaccinia virus nanoemulsion vaccine which they placed in the noses of mice to... (EurekAlert!)
Toward An Effective Treatment For Monkeypox Feb 6, 2008
In their study, mass spectrometry and other sensitive lab techniques were used to compare proteins produced by both monkeypox virus (MPV) and by the vaccinia virus (VV), which is the basis for current smallpox vaccines ... The article "Comparative Proteomics of human Monkeypox and Vaccinia Intracellular Mature and Extracellular Enveloped Virions" is scheduled for the March issue of the ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. (Science Daily)
How Poxviruses Such As Smallpox Evade The Immune System Feb 2, 2008
8, 2004) Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying vaccinia virus, a close relative of smallpox, have determined that a gene necessary for virus replication also has a key role in ... 28, 2005) Mice given a relatively new cancer drug can survive an otherwise lethal dose of vaccinia virus, a relative of smallpox virus, report scientists supported by NIAID. The findings, say the. (Science Daily)
Smallpox Vaccine Alternative Identified Jan 10, 2008
Philip Felgner and Huw Davies with the Department of Medicine found that the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) produced the same antiviral response in human and animal studies as the current smallpox vaccine, Dryvax ... Both Dryvax and MVA are strains of vaccinia virus, which is related to the smallpox virus ... The antibodies created by vaccinia virus infection protect a person against a lethal smallpox infection, making it suitable for use as a vaccine. (Science Daily)
Poxvirus' Ability To Hide From The Immune System May Aid Vaccine Design Nov 20, 2007
Three decades ago, doctors eliminated the deadliest poxvirus, smallpox, using another poxvirus, vaccinia, as a vaccine ... 8, 2004) Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying vaccinia virus, a close relative of smallpox, have determined that a gene necessary for virus replication also has a key role in ... 28, 2005) Mice given a relatively new cancer drug can survive an otherwise lethal dose of vaccinia virus, a relative of smallpox virus, report scientists supported... (Science Daily)
Acambis Joins Forces With Sanofi Pasteur to Develop West Nile Virus Vaccine Nov 13, 2007
Acambis' ACAM2000 (Smallpox (Vaccinia) Vaccine, Live) vaccine for active immunization against smallpox disease for persons determined to be at high risk for smallpox infection was licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration in August 2007. Acambis has manufactured doses of ACAM2000 for emergency-use stockpiles held by the US Government and several other governments around the world. (PR Newswire)
Tumor Eradication Article Published by Cancer Research Nov 13, 2007
The article, titled "Eradication of Solid Human Tumors in Nude Mice with an Intravenously Injected Light-Emitting Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus," documents animal studies that have resulted in complete eradication of human breast tumors without any observed toxicity using a single intravenous injection of GL-ONC1 ... GL-ONC1 is based on vaccinia virus, which was used safely in millions of people as the vaccine against smallpox ... The safety and efficacy demonstrated in preclinical studies, along... (PR Newswire)
Humoral Immunity to Viral and Vaccine Antigens Nov 8, 2007
Methods We performed a longitudinal analysis of antibody titers specific for viral antigens (vaccinia, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella zoster virus, and Epstein Barr virus) and nonreplicating antigens (tetanus and diphtheria) in 45 subjects for a period of up to 26 years. In addition, we measured antigen-specific memory B cells by means of limiting-dilution analysis, and we compared memory B-cell frequencies to their corresponding serum antibody levels. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Female Plasma May Not Be As Harmful As Once Thought Oct 25, 2007
3, 2005) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Vaccinia Immune Globulin Intravenous (VIGIV) -- the first intravenous human plasma-derived product available to treat certain rare complications of. (Aug. (Science Daily)
Transgene Extends Therapeutic Vaccine Candidate TG4040 Development Program Against Chronic Hepatitis C Oct 1, 2007
The MVA vector is a highly attenuated strain of vaccinia virus that combines an extensive history of safety with the ability to stimulate a strong immune response to antigens. About Transgene: Transgene is a France-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of therapeutic vaccines and immunotherapeutic products in oncology and infectious diseases. (PR Newswire)
Acambis gets smallpox vaccine approval Sep 5, 2007
The UK-based vaccine company has developed (smallpox Vaccinia vaccine, live) under contracts with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), totalling $505m ( 370 ... ACAM2000, a live vaccinia virus smallpox vaccine indicated for the active immunisation against smallpox for persons determined to be at high risk of infection, is a single-dose vaccine administered percutaneously ... To make ACAM2000 reproducible in vero cells, it is a clonal vaccine produced from a single strain of... (In-PharmaTechnologist.com)
FDA Approves ACAM2000(TM) Vaccine for Protection Against Smallpox Sep 4, 2007
Highly Successful Collaboration With CDC to Ensure US's Preparedness Against the Threat of a Smallpox-Related Public Health Emergency CAMBRIDGE, England and CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, September 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Acambis plc (Acambis) (LSE: ACM), a leading vaccine company, announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its ACAM2000 (Smallpox (Vaccinia) Vaccine, Live) vaccine for protection against smallpox ... - The most serious adverse events associated with... (PR Newswire)
FDA approves new smallpox vaccine Sep 4, 2007
ACAM2000 is made using a pox virus called vaccinia, which is related to but different from the virus that causes smallpox. It contains live vaccinia virus, the FDA said, and works by causing a mild infection that stimulates an immune response that effectively protects against smallpox without actually causing the disease. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Health officials baffled by child’s mysterious skin rash Aug 12, 2007
Officials later believed the child had contracted the vaccinia virus from a family friend who is a Fort Sill soldier and had recently been vaccinated for the disease in preparation for reassignment to South Korea ... The vaccinia virus can be contracted through close contact with the wound that develops after the smallpox vaccination. (Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, OK)
Phase II study of therapeutic vaccine shows efficacy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer Aug 2, 2007
The study, reported in the August 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, was designed to demonstrate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine, called modified vaccinia Ankara-encoding 5T4 (TroVax), when used alongside standard chemotherapy ... The vaccine consists of an attenuated (non-disease causing) version of the vaccinia virus modified to deliver the gene for 5T4, a protein found in many tumors. (EurekAlert!)
Fever After Smallpox Vaccination Tied To Individual Genetic Variations Jun 20, 2007
It is made with a live but weakened vaccinia virus that provides immunity against smallpox but which can cause complications ranging from fever and fatigue to more serious illness. About 15 percent of those being vaccinated for smallpox for the first time develop a fever over 99 degrees. (Science Daily)
Genetic factors are linked to fever following smallpox vaccination Jun 14, 2007
In recent studies testing the safety and potency of stored smallpox vaccine, which uses live vaccinia virus, some individuals developed fevers. The authors of the study, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, and colleagues at Washington University, St. Louis University, and The Emmes Corporation, hypothesized that people who develop fever after vaccination may have genetically determined differences in their immune responses compared to those who do not. (EurekAlert!)
Danish biopharma to supply 20 million smallpox vaccines to US Jun 7, 2007
Traditional vaccines contain live replicating vaccinia viruses, a relative of smallpox, which can pose serious side effects and complications in up to 25 per cent of the population, but Imvamune is expected to be much safer. Based on the Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus, Imvamune also contains a live virus but a weakened form that does not replicate in the body and cannot be accidentally transferred to other people. (BiopharmaReporter.com)
Bavarian Nordic awarded smallpox contract Jun 6, 2007
"We are proud and delighted that we now can deliver the world's first safe and effective smallpox vaccine for the protection of US citizens against bioterrorism using smallpox virus,'' the company said in a statement. The United States currently has a sufficient stockpile of smallpox vaccine, but it uses a live version of the vaccinia virus. The Danish company's MVA vaccine contains a highly weakened form of the virus that cannot replicate in humans, making it safe for individuals with weakened... (NEWS.com.au)
HHS Awards Pioneering BioShield Contract to Bavarian Nordic to Complete Development and Deliver a Safer Smallpox Vaccine Jun 5, 2007
Imvamune(R), on the other hand, is based on the Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus, which is also a live virus but one that does not replicate in the body and is expected to be safe for both healthy as well as immuno-compromised individuals. Additionally, the MVA virus cannot be accidentally transferred to others who might be immuno-compromised, because it is administered by injection. (PR Newswire)
CDC pays for jets it rarely uses May 28, 2007
A jet made three round trips carrying vaccinia immune globulin to treat a 2-year-old Indiana boy who suffered a life-threatening viral infection contracted from the smallpox vaccination his military father received before going to Iraq. Skinner said that the stockpiled medicine is such a precious commodity that the agency only took one dose per trip. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Smallpox virus destruction delayed May 19, 2007
Like Dryvax, the Acambis vaccine is made using a relative of the smallpox virus called vaccinia. Both are live-virus vaccines, and FDA scientists who reviewed studies of the new version concluded that both pose similar risks of serious side effects. (MSNBC -- Health)
Toddler survives smallpox vaccine reaction May 18, 2007
"Multiple swab samples obtained from the home (e.g., from a bathroom washcloth, a slipper, a toy drum, a night stand, a booster seat, and an ointment container) and from items brought to the child's hospital room (e.g., an infant drinking cup and a car seat) were positive for vaccinia virus DNA," the researchers wrote ... The smallpox vaccine uses a related and usually harmless virus called vaccinia ... The treatments included an antiviral drug made by Siga Technologies Inc., vaccinia immune... (Scientific American)
Good Reviews for Smallpox Vaccine May 16, 2007
Dryvax and ACAM2000 both are made using the vaccinia or cowpox virus, which is closely related to the smallpox virus. In 1980, world health authorities declared smallpox eradicated. (Time.com)
U.S. woman gets genital rash from smallpox vaccinee May 4, 2007
ADVERTISEMENT (article continues below) Tests showed she was infected with vaccinia, the virus related to smallpox that is used to make the vaccine. "After vaccinia was identified, investigators interviewed the woman more closely and learned that her new sex partner was a male U.S. military service member stationed at a local military base," the report read ... The vaccine is crude and uses a live version of vaccinia. (Scientific American)
Mo. university to lead smallpox study May 2, 2007
Imvamune is a weakened form of the vaccinia virus, used to protect against smallpox. "The main point of the study is to see if it takes less time to make antibodies against Imvamune as compared to Dryvax and if the antibody response will be at least as good," Frey said. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Smallpox Outbreak: How Long Would It Take For Vaccines To Protect People? Would It Work? May 1, 2007
The Dryvax vaccine is made from a live virus called vaccinia. The only people who presently receive this vaccine are people who work with viruses associated the risk of similar "pox" diseases; these are called by names like vaccinia, orthopox and monkeypox virus. (Science Daily)
New drug aids child sickened by dads shot Apr 14, 2007
Smallpox vaccines do not use the smallpox virus, but a closely related and weaker virus called vaccinia ... Other therapies included an intravenous form of vaccinia immune globulin developed in the 1960s to treat complications of smallpox vaccinations. (MSNBC -- Health)
Transgene and Roche Enter Partnership on Therapeutic Vaccines Against HPV-Mediated Diseases Apr 11, 2007
TG 4001 (MVA-HPV-IL2) is based on a non-propagative, highly attenuated vaccinia vector (MVA), which is engineered to express HPV16 antigens and an adjuvant. As an immunotherapy for women diagnosed with diseases caused by the HPV 16 infection, TG 4001 is designed to have a two-pronged anti-viral approach: to alert the immune system specifically to HPV16-infected cells that have started to undergo precancerous transformation (cells presenting the HPV16 E6 and E7 antigens) and to further stimulate... (PR Newswire)
FDA Approves Cangene's Hepagam B For A Second Indication Apr 10, 2007
Cangene manufactures HepaGam B in its Winnipeg facility using a process similar to that of WinRho(R) SDF, Vaccinia Immune Globulin and VariZIG, the Company's other hyperimmune products that have been approved in Canada and/or the United States. A vaccine for hepatitis B is available, yet the virus continues to cause significant disease worldwide and pose a significant public health problem. (Playfuls.com)
Child recuperating at Chicago hospital from rare infection Apr 9, 2007
The boy is not suffering from smallpox, but from the related vaccinia virus which is used to convey immunity to the much deadlier disease ... Health officials say there is no infection risk for the general population because the vaccinia virus can be spread only through close physical contact ... The child suffered from eczema, which is a known risk factor for vaccinia infection, doctors said. (International Herald Tribune)
FDA approves Cangene's HepaGam B(TM) for a second indication; for use in hepatitis B-positive liver transplant recipients Apr 7, 2007
Cangene manufactures HepaGam B(TM) in its Winnipeg facility using a process similar to that of WinRho(R) SDF, Vaccinia Immune Globulin and VariZIG(TM), the Company's other hyperimmune products that have been approved in Canada and/or the United States. A vaccine for hepatitis B is available, yet the virus continues to cause significant disease worldwide and pose a significant public health problem. (PR Newswire)
Toddler contracts rare infection from soldier father's smallpox vaccination Mar 21, 2007
Physicians stressed that the boy was not suffering from smallpox, but from the related vaccinia virus which is used to convey immunity to the much deadlier disease ... Doctors said the child suffered from eczema, which is a known risk factor for vaccinia infection ... Health officials say there is no infection risk for the general population because the vaccinia virus can be spread only through close physical contact. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Child in hospital after father's smallpox vaccination Mar 21, 2007
The smallpox vaccine is made using a closely related virus called vaccinia ... "So I think this is one of those unfortunate events where a family member who was at risk from vaccinia ends up coming in contact with a vaccinated individual," she said. (Scientific American)
Boy sickenedby dads smallpox shot Mar 20, 2007
Physicians stressed that the boy was not suffering from smallpox, but from the related vaccinia virus which is used to convey immunity to the much deadlier disease ... Boy had eczemaDoctors said the child suffered from eczema, which is a known risk factor for vaccinia infection ... Health officials say there is no infection risk for the general population because the vaccinia virus can be spread only through close physical contact. (MSNBC -- Health)
Father's Military Smallpox Vaccination Sends Toddler to Hospital Mar 18, 2007
Doctors said the child suffered from eczema, which is a known risk factor for vaccinia infection ... Health officials say there is no infection risk for the general population because the vaccinia virus can be spread only through close physical contact ... Kahana said the boy had been treated with a potent antiviral drug, as well as with an anti-vaccinia agent supplied by the CDC and the experimental drug ST-246, which was untried as a therapy in humans. (Fox News -- Views)
Smallpox shot infects soldier's toddler son Mar 17, 2007
Doctors also said the boy appears to have passed the infection to his mother, who has a much milder case of the virus in the smallpox vaccine, which is also called vaccinia ... For that reason, experts want to study the Indiana family to learn more about treatment and transmission of the vaccinia infection ... The vaccinia virus in modern smallpox vaccines is closely related to an older form of vaccinia called cowpox, the disease English doctor Edward Jenner used in the late 1700s to develop... (FOX59, IN)
Acambis sees more proactive M&A approach under new CEO Mar 9, 2007
Cameron had been instrumental in setting up the biodefence business but the decision by US Department of Health and Human Services in November last year to remove Acambis from the US Government's Modified Vaccinia Ankara ('MVA') smallpox vaccine tender process hastened his exit from the company. At the time, the board at Acambis had instigated a review following Fellner's appointment as chairman as to whether the company had the right management mix to "build up Acambis' non-biodefence... (FT.com -- Markets)
Common cold virus may be new weapon to fight cancer Jan 14, 2007
Two viruses are likely to be examined in the first clinical trials: adenovirus, which normally causes a cold-like illness, and vaccinia, which causes cowpox and is also used in the vaccine against smallpox ... The first trials will use uncoated adenovirus and vaccinia and will be delivered locally to liver tumours, in order to establish whether the treatment is safe in humans and what dose of virus will be needed. (Scenta.co.uk)
Radical way of fighting cancer set to be tested Jan 13, 2007
Two viruses are likely to be involved in the first clinical trials - adenovirus, which normally causes a cold-like illness, and vaccinia, which causes cowpox and is also used in the vaccine against smallpox. Both will be disabled for safety to make them less pathogenic, but Prof Seymour eventually hopes to use natural viruses. (Belfast Telegraph)
Cold virus to aid cancer patients Jan 12, 2007
Preliminary research on mice shows the new treatment works well on tumours resistant to cancer drugs, and trials on liver tumours later this year will test uncoated adenovirus, which normally causes cold-like symptoms, and vaccinia, used in the vaccine against smallpox. The viruses will be disabled and delivered locally to the tumours to establish whether the treatment is in principle safe in humans, and what dose is needed. (BBC News -- Health)
Common cold virus could destroy cancer tumours Jan 12, 2007
" The therapy would be especially useful for secondary cancers, called metastases, which sometimes spread around the body after the first tumour appears. The two viruses likely to be used in the first trials are adenovirus - which normally causes a cold-like illness, and vaccinia, which is used in the vaccine against smallpox. Richard Sullivan, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical programmes, said: "We are pleased to be supporting this new and important research. "While this approach is... (Daily Mail)
