This flu season is especially bad. Researchers may have developed a universal vaccine.

Georgia State University researchers have created a novel nanoparticle vaccine.

Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
  • A nanoparticle influenza vaccine developed at Georgia State University proved effective in mice.
  • The researchers combined a pair of influenza proteins in a novel approach to vaccination.
  • They plan on loading it onto microneedle patches for skin vaccinations in the next phase of testing.
Keep reading
human body illness medical research medicine health vaccines

Detecting breast cancer 5 years before clinical signs

The possibility of an easy, non-invasive detection method arises.

Image source: Shutter_M/Shutterstock/Big Think
  • A blood test that spots breast cancer five years ahead of clinical signs could give new meaning to "early detection."
  • Auto-antibodies for tumor antigens predict the presence of the disease.
  • Researchers say the blood test could be clinic-ready in 4-5 years.
Keep reading
medical research illness disease health vaccines health care breast cancer cancer

One shot for life: New research brings us closer to universal flu vaccine

Researchers recently discovered an antibody that totally disrupts the influenza virus's ability to replicate; it could be used to design a universal flu vaccine.

Getty
  • Because the flu mutates so frequently, we have to get a new flu shot every year that's designed for that year's strain of flu.
  • But researchers recently discovered an antibody found in an infected patient's blood that prevents the virus from replicating, even across multiple strains. According to researchers, this effect "is just mind-boggling."
  • The antibody works by targeting a very specific part of a very specific protein on all flu virions; this piece can't change too much from strain to strain because it is fundamental to the flu's ability to replicate.
Keep reading
virus disease medical research public health vaccines

Flu season is here. Researchers may have discovered a cure.

Ferrets are not humans, but this new drug is showing promise.

Photo Illustration by Florian Gaertner/Getty Images
  • Researchers at Georgia State University and Emory University tweaked an old drug and found great results.
  • None of the ferrets given EIDD-2801 twelve hours after infection developed the flu.
  • Those given the drug a day later developed less severe symptoms than the control group or those receiving Tamiflu.
Keep reading
virus vaccines human body biology health illness

Breast cancer vaccine could be available in 8 years, says Mayo Clinic

A new immunotherapy treatment is showing positive signs in early-stage clinical trials.

BSIP / Getty
  • Clinical trials of an immunotherapy treatment for breast cancer showed positive signs, and the researchers hope to move to larger trials in coming years.
  • Immunotherapies train the body's immune system to find and kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
  • Recent trials of immunotherapies for other cancers have also showed positive signs.
Keep reading
vaccines medical research cancer