45 Results
NIH Statement on World Asthma Day 2023
May 1, 2023
Today, the National Institutes of Health recognizes World Asthma Day and the innovative research that is helping to shed light on the disease, pave the way for effective treatments and improve the lives of people who have asthma.
NIAID Appoints Ted Pierson as New Vaccine Research Center Director
April 25, 2023
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has named Theodore (Ted) C. Pierson, Ph.D., as the new director of its Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (VRC) in Bethesda, MD.
NIAID Marks World Malaria Day
April 25, 2023
World Malaria Day is an opportunity to reflect on continuing challenges posed by malaria and reaffirm a commitment to overcoming them. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, joins with the global health community in recognizing this year’s theme of “Time to Deliver on Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement.”
Study Shows Most Children Recover from Lyme Disease within Six Months of Treatment
April 21, 2023
A majority of parents of children diagnosed with Lyme disease reported that their kids recovered within six months of completing antibiotic treatment, according to a new joint study from Children’s National Research Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, published in Pediatric Research.
The Potential and Challenges of Mucosal COVID-19 Vaccines
April 13, 2023
In November 2022, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) co-hosted a virtual workshop on the importance and challenges of developing mucosal vaccines for SARS-COV-2. The highlights of this workshop have now been published as a report in npj Vaccines.
Daily Statin Reduces the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in People Living with HIV, Large NIH Study Finds
April 11, 2023
A National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial was stopped early because a daily statin medication was found to reduce the increased risk of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV in the first large-scale clinical study to test a primary cardiovascular prevention strategy in this population.
NIH-Funded Study Finds Doxycycline Reduces Sexually Transmitted Infections by Two-Thirds
April 6, 2023
The oral antibiotic doxycycline prevented the acquisition of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when tested among study participants who took the medication within 72 hours of having condomless sex. The post-exposure approach, termed doxy-PEP, resulted in a two-thirds reduction in the incidence of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia among the study participants.
NIH Researchers Discover New Autoinflammatory Disease, Suggest Target for Potential Treatments
March 28, 2023
Scientists have identified an autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations in the LYN gene, an important regulator of immune responses in health and disease.
World TB Day 2023 – ‘Yes! We Can End TB!’
March 24, 2023
Each year, on March 24, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, joins people and organizations from around the globe in marking World Tuberculosis Day. On this day, more than 140 years ago, Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery that most human tuberculosis (TB) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Although our scientific insight into this disease has grown over the past century, TB is still one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet. Today, NIAID joins the world in a message of hope: “Yes!
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Weakens Immune-Cell Response to Vaccination
March 20, 2023
The magnitude and quality of a key immune cell’s response to vaccination with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were considerably lower in people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to people without prior infection, a study has found. In addition, the level of this key immune cell that targets the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was substantially lower in unvaccinated people with COVID-19 than in vaccinated people who had never been infected. Importantly, people who recover from SARS-CoV-2 infection and then get vaccinated are more protected than people who are unvaccinated.
Temperature-Stable TB Vaccine Safe, Prompts Immune Response in NIH-Supported Study
March 6, 2023
A clinical trial testing a freeze-dried, temperature-stable experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine in healthy adults found that it was safe and stimulated both antibodies and responses from the cellular arm of the immune system. The Phase 1 trial was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. A non-temperature stable form of the candidate previously had been tested in several clinical trials.
Forgoing One Food Treats Eosinophilic Esophagitis as Well as Excluding Six
February 27, 2023
Eliminating animal milk alone from the diet of adults with eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, is as effective at treating the disease as eliminating animal milk plus five other common foods, a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health has found. For people with EoE whose disease remains active after they forgo animal milk, a more restrictive diet may help them achieve remission, according to the researchers. These findings were published today in the journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
NIH Trial to Evaluate Shionogi Antiviral in Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19
February 15, 2023
The National Institutes of Health has initiated a multi-site clinical trial evaluating an investigational antiviral for the treatment of COVID-19. The therapeutic, known as S-217622 or ensitrelvir fumaric acid, was discovered by Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; and Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan. The trial is assessing whether S-217622 can improve clinical outcomes for patients who are hospitalized for management of COVID-19 as compared to a placebo and will enroll approximately 1,500 people at sites worldwide.
NIH Scientists Develop Mouse Model to Study Mpox Virulence
February 14, 2023
Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have removed a major roadblock to better understanding of mpox (formerly, monkeypox). They developed a mouse model of the disease and used it to demonstrate clear differences in virulence among the major genetic groups (clades) of mpox virus (MPXV). The research, appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, was led by Bernard Moss, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Genetic Engineering Section of NIAID’s Laboratory of Viral Diseases.
Experimental NIH Sudan Virus Vaccine Protects Macaques
February 2, 2023
A National Institutes of Health research group with extensive experience studying ebolavirus countermeasures has successfully developed a vaccine against Sudan virus (SUDV) based on the licensed Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine. SUDV, identified in 1976, is one of the four viruses known to cause human Ebolavirus disease. The new vaccine, VSV-SUDV, completely protected cynomolgus macaques against a lethal SUDV challenge. The findings were published in the journal The Lancet Microbe.
Marburg Vaccine Shows Promising Results in First-in-Human Study
January 30, 2023
A newly published paper in The Lancet shows that an experimental vaccine against Marburg virus (MARV) was safe and induced an immune response in a small, first-in-human clinical trial. The vaccine, developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, could someday be an important tool to respond to Marburg virus outbreaks.
Experimental HIV Vaccine Regimen Safe but Ineffective, NIH Study Finds
January 18, 2023
An investigational HIV vaccine regimen tested among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people was safe but did not provide protection against HIV acquisition, an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) has determined. The HPX3002/HVTN 706, or “Mosaico,” Phase 3 clinical trial began in 2019 and involved 3,900 volunteers ages 18 to 60 years in Europe, North America and South America.
Probiotic Markedly Reduces S. aureus Colonization in Phase 2 Trial
January 17, 2023
A promising approach to control Staphylococcus aureus bacterial colonization in people—using a probiotic instead of antibiotics—was safe and highly effective in a Phase 2 clinical trial. The new study, reported in The Lancet Microbe, found that the probiotic Bacillus subtilis markedly reduced S. aureus colonization in trial participants without harming the gut microbiota, which includes bacteria that can benefit people.
Developing Mucosal Vaccines for Respiratory Viruses
January 11, 2023
Vaccines that provide long-lasting protection against influenza, coronaviruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have proved exceptionally difficult to develop. In a new review article in Cell Host & Microbe, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, explore the challenges and outline approaches to improved vaccines. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., former NIAID director, is an author along with Jeffery K. Taubenberger, M.D., Ph.D., and David M. Morens, M.D.
NIH Study Links Specific Outdoor Air Pollutants to Asthma Attacks in Urban Children
January 4, 2023
Moderate levels of two outdoor air pollutants, ozone and fine particulate matter, are associated with non-viral asthma attacks in children and adolescents who live in low-income urban areas, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health has found. The study also identifies associations between exposure to the two pollutants and molecular changes in the children’s airways during non-viral asthma attacks, suggesting potential mechanisms for those attacks.
