Breakthroughs Blog: Research Roundup

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. A new bill introduced in the House of Representatives aims to tighten reporting requirements for ClinicalTrials.gov, the public online registry run by the National Institutes of Health. The HIV and AIDS drug Truvada safely and effectively reduces the risk of HIV for certain at-risk populations, according to the first US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on using the drugs for prevention. Nature Medicine recently examined how several pharmaceutical companies are testing new drug candidates to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis. The Government Accountability Office has released a new report that details regulatory policies and requirements put into place under various US global health programs. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that Dr. Orin Levine has been named director of Vaccine Delivery. Levine, a member of the GHTC, is currently a professor of International Health and executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. Results from a study published in the Lancet and presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference indicate that a novel tuberculosis combination drug may be on the horizon. The World Health Organization has endorsed the use of the antiretroviral drug Truvada for HIV prevention among HIV-negative people considered at a high risk. The US Food and Drug Administration has granted fast-track designation for Idenix Pharmaceuticals' drug candidate to treat hepatitis C. Drug maker Sanofi said its experimental vaccine against dengue fever proved safe and effective in a study in 4,000 children in Thailand, raising prospects for the first-ever vaccine against the disease after decades of research. The results of scientific research that addresses global health diseases and other issues will become freely available as part of the UK government's plans to open up access to publicly funded studies.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. A recent article in VOA News reveals that a research team at Monash University has discovered a viral protein that may be used to develop an alternative to antibiotics. In a recent study in Nature Genetics, researchers say they have unraveled the genetic codes of four parasite strains responsible for the bulk of malaria cases outside Africa. The findings could have implications for malaria vaccine research and development. The military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has announced a new program to speed the development of a tool that integrates 10 human “organs-on-a-chip” to study complex human physiology outside the body. The international development network site Devex provides a sneak peek at the plans for the International AIDS Conference scheduled for 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. Researchers and policymakers recently gathered in London to champion affordable, innovative solutions to the world’s biggest health issues, such as maternal health.The meeting stemmed from a new partnership between the Qatar Foundation and Imperial College London.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of a new diagnostic test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for earlier detection of dengue fever in the United States. Research!America has launched a new ad campaign that promotes US federal investments in driving research for new global health tools. A recent article in the Journal of Medical Microbiology discusses some of the scientific, financial, and ethical challenges in vaccine development. A new report by BIO Ventures for Global Health and the Biotechnology Industry Organization found that small- and medium-sized biotechnology companies are tackling the development of treatments, diagnostics, and other tools for neglected diseases. Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) calls for a “detailed understanding of the harm” that mandatory cuts in the US federal budget to agencies such as the National Institutes of Health “pose to vital health programs upon which millions of Americans around the nation rely.”