Recent News

By Region: North America

Update to Interim Guidance for Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for the Prevention of HIV Infection: PrEP for Injecting Drug Users

(CDC) On June 12, 2013, the Thailand Ministry of Health and CDC published results from a randomized controlled trial of a daily oral dose of 300 mg of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) that showed efficacy in reducing the acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among injecting drug users (IDUs) (1). Based on these findings, Read More »

June 14, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

(WHO) The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has announced an additional three laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The first patient is a 63-year-old woman with underlying medical conditions from the Eastern region, the second patient is a 75-year-old man with underlying medical conditions from Al-Ahsa governorate and Read More »

June 14, 2013
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South Asia, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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Supreme Court Decision Opens the Doors to A Boom in Synthetic Biology

(CoExist) Today’s Supreme Court ruling on the patenting of human genes was a boost to the field of synthetic biology. While human genes cannot be directly patented, the Court found, so-called complementary DNA can. This is DNA that is synthesized from the rNA in a genetic template and then cloned. The Court found that while Read More »

June 14, 2013
| Filed under North America, Biotechnology, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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No anthrax found on ‘suspicious’ letter received by Napa business Tuesday

(KTVU) A “suspicious” letter that caused a scare at a medical malpractice insurance company in Napa on Tuesday contained no anthrax, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI said Thursday. An employee at The Doctors Company at 185 Greenwood Road who opened a package around 7:50 a.m. saw the word “anthrax” and a substance Read More »

June 14, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Bioterrorism
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The eighth wonder: developments in synthetic biology

(ScienceOmega) The UK life science industry has become a significant focus area for research and development in recent years, which is hardly surprising given that the industry generates a turnover of just over £50bn. Recognising the significance of the sector, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) published the ‘Strategy for UK Life Sciences’ Read More »