NIAID Now
182 Results
Trio of Hepatitis C Researchers Wins 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine
November 06, 2020
Winners of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine included an NIH scientist and a long-time NIAID grantee.
Childhood Pneumonia Study Shows Short-Course Antibiotics Superior to Standard of Care
October 23, 2020
A NIAID-sponsored study has shown that short-course antibiotic treatment is superior to standard treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children.
NIAID-Supported Research Unveils Characteristics of Key Steps in HIV Life Cycle
October 19, 2020
New research answers longstanding questions about key steps in HIV replication. The scientists who conducted the research are the first to create an environment in a test tube where they could watch the unfolding of early events in the HIV life cycle that typically take place deep inside a cell, obstructed from view.
NIH Awards Will Advance HIV Implementation Research in U.S. Communities
September 24, 2020
NIH has awarded approximately $10 million to support implementation science research to advance the goals of Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, which aims to reduce new HIV diagnoses in the United States by at least 90% by 2030. Some of the awards continue and expand on pilot projects funded in 2019, while others support new projects.
Q&A—Why Researchers are Turning Up the Heat on Valley Fever
September 22, 2020
Coccidioidomycosis (also known as “cocci” or “Valley fever”) is a growing cause for concern in southwestern states such as Arizona and California. The University of California, Berkeley received NIAID awards to support Valley fever research efforts led by Justin Remais, Ph.D. NIAID Now spoke to Dr. Remais about his research and why it’s so important better understand the epidemiology of this disease.
Cell by Cell, a New Map of Mosquito Cellular Immunity to Malaria Parasites Emerges
August 28, 2020
NIAID researchers and their colleagues have developed the first detailed “atlas” of the insect’s immune cells, and discovered a new cell type that may play a role in helping mosquitoes resist infection by malaria-causing parasites. The information contained in this immune atlas may lead to new ways to prevent mosquitoes from transmitting malaria parasites to people.
Large NIH Clinical Trial Illuminates Long-Term Health Effects of HIV
August 14, 2020
With 7,770 participants enrolled in 12 countries across five continents, the REPRIEVE study is evaluating the ability of a statin medication to reduce the risk of heart disease among people with HIV. By leveraging data collected from this diverse group of study participants, researchers also are learning more about the long-term health effects of HIV.
NIAID and Partners to Develop Antibody-Based Products for HIV Prevention and Treatment
July 20, 2020
NIAID and IAVI, a nonprofit scientific research organization, recently announced a collaboration to develop combinations of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies that could be produced on a large scale at low cost to prevent and possibly treat HIV. This initiative also will leverage IAVI’s existing partnership with the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. to develop an affordable and globally accessible antibody-based HIV prevention product.
NIAID Zika Virus Studies Reveal Potential Therapeutic, Fetal Protection Methods
July 13, 2020
Two new Zika virus studies provide greater detail about how the virus spreads in hosts, with one study offering new therapeutic targets and the other explaining how certain cells protect a fetus from infection.
Final HIV Research Highlights from AIDS 2020
July 10, 2020
In his final interview with HIV.gov at AIDS 2020: Virtual, NIAID's Dr. Carl Dieffenbach discussed HIV vaccine development, a new partnership to expedite development of HIV antibody combination products, NIH’s engagement in the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, and a look to what’s on the horizon in HIV research in the year ahead.
More HIV Research Highlights from AIDS 2020
July 09, 2020
Presentations and discussions about the latest HIV research continued at AIDS 2020: Virtual yesterday. HIV.gov shared an interview with Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., director of NIAID's Division of AIDS. He discussed additional data from the Tsepamo study on the prevalence of neural tube defects among infants born to women taking the HIV drug dolutegravir at the time of conception, 96-week findings from the South African ADVANCE trial comparing three first-line HIV treatment regimens, and evidence of weight gain caused by different HIV drugs.
HIV Research Highlights from AIDS 2020
July 08, 2020
The 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020: Virtual) moved online this year. After the first full day of sessions at which HIV researchers from around the globe shared new scientific findings, HIV.gov spoke about some of the highlights with Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., director of the Division of AIDS at NIAID.
Vaccine to Protect Broadly Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases Appears Safe in Early Trial
June 12, 2020
In a new study published this week in The Lancet, NIAID scientists describe the results of a small Phase 1 trial of a vaccine designed to provide broad protection against mosquito-borne diseases. The trial indicated that the vaccine is safe and induces a strong immune response in healthy volunteers.
In Pursuit of HIV Cure, NIAID Scientists Update Treatment Interruption Data for Modern ART
June 02, 2020
NIAID researchers found that short-term interruption of HIV treatment with modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens results in similar outcomes compared to historical “analytical treatment interruption” data from participants treated with older ART regimens. Their findings will support future HIV cure studies by updating the control group data to which experimental outcomes are compared.
NIAID Observes HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2020
May 17, 2020
Decades of scientific advances have led to development and implementation of highly effective HIV treatment and prevention tools, strengthening optimism for achieving a durable end to the HIV pandemic. Yet a safe and effective HIV vaccine remains elusive. On HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2020, NIAID honors the researchers and clinical study participants who play essential roles in advancing HIV vaccine development.
Replenishing Beneficial Bacteria Prevents Recurring Bacterial Vaginosis, Study Shows
May 15, 2020
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is inflammation caused by an overgrowth of microorganisms that normally populate a woman’s vagina. In a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, NIAID-supported researchers found that applying live beneficial bacteria could safely reduce rates of recurring BV infections.
New NIAID Study Examines Immune Responses in People Hospitalized with COVID-19
May 01, 2020
Today, a new NIAID-supported study has begun to track the immune responses of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in 10 research sites across the United States. Data collected in the IMPACC study will help inform recommendations for COVID-19 care and, hopefully, identify new targets and optimal timing for experimental treatments.
World Malaria Day 2020—Zero Malaria Starts with Me
April 24, 2020
Today NIAID marks World Malaria Day, acknowledging the profound impact of this ancient, mosquito-borne parasitic disease, which in 2018 sickened 228 million people and killed approximately 405,000 worldwide.
Experimental Chikungunya Vaccine is Safe and Well-Tolerated in Early Trial
April 17, 2020
Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease, has no treatment beyond supportive care, and no vaccine. An experimental chikungunya vaccine has been shown to be both safe and confer durable immune responses in healthy volunteers, researchers report in a paper published this week in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Michigan Study Finds Common Human Coronaviruses Seasonal, Like Flu
April 13, 2020
The four most common human coronaviruses circulate seasonally, primarily infect children under age 5 and mainly cause mild disease, according to a new University of Michigan study. The scientists hope their eight-year household infection study of the little-known coronaviruses can help colleagues around the world illuminate characteristics about the very different pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
Prickly Patch Delivery of Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise in Animal Study
April 03, 2020
A candidate vaccine delivered though a thumbnail-sized patch studded with microneedles could help address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Up Close and Personal—How NIAID Scientists Visualize Microscopic Enemies
April 02, 2020
You might have seen those beautifully colored images of viruses and bacteria in news stories and on the covers of scientific journals – particularly the SARS-CoV-2 images (the virus that causes COVID-19) appearing everywhere. While these images play a major role in the way scientists learn to counteract pathogens and cure disease, that’s not exactly how viruses and bacteria look in our bodies. These images are “colorized” from black-and-white images much like a negative from the old days of film cameras—meaning they are digitally enhanced on a computer. At NIAID, capturing and enhancing these images takes a close collaboration of science and art.
NIAID Acknowledges World Tuberculosis Day
March 24, 2020
Despite more than 100 years of dedicated research, tuberculosis is still the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious disease. To mark World TB Day this year, we at NIAID again join the world’s public health organizations in declaring that “It’s Time” to consign tuberculosis to the history books by conducting the research needed to end this disease.
Rapidly Share, Discover, and Cite COVID-19 Research Results Generated by NIAID Awards
March 23, 2020
NIAID has a vision for a modernized, integrated biomedical data ecosystem as outlined in the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science. To support this goal, it is critical to enhance data-sharing and access and to have NIAID-funded data be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR).
Promising Results in Trial of Universal Flu Vaccine Candidate
March 16, 2020
An efficacy trial of an experimental vaccine to protect against many flu virus strains has yielded promising results.