July 18, 2022 | Heide Aungst
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Heide Aungst
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Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Leading Computational Scientist and Oncology Researcher Elana Fertig, PhD, Appointed as New Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, announced today the appointment of Elana J. Fertig, PhD, FAIMBE, as the new Director of the School’s Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS). She is an internationally-recognized researcher known for her work in integrating spatial multi-omics technologies with mathematical models to develop a new predictive medicine paradigm in cancer. Spatial technologies allow researchers to learn about any cell type inside of natural tissue, including gene activity and cell interactions.
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
University of Maryland School of Medicine Launches Vaccine Development Program to Prevent Sepsis in Newborns
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) have been awarded up to $3.96 million over three years to develop and test a vaccine in an animal model that could eventually be used in pregnant women to prevent sepsis in newborns and infants.
Wednesday, April 05, 2023
UM School of Medicine Researchers Chart Path Forward on Developing mRNA Vaccines for Infections Beyond COVID-19
After helping to develop and test new mRNA technologies for COVID-19 vaccines, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers and scientists are turning their attention to utilizing this innovative technology to ward off other infectious diseases like malaria and influenza. Last month, UMSOM faculty in the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) launched a new clinical trial to investigate the use of mRNA technologies to create a vaccine against malaria. CVD Director Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA also provided commentary in the nation’s leading medical journal on the feasibility of using mRNA to develop a universal influenza vaccine that could eliminate the need for seasonal shots.
Thursday, December 22, 2022
A Three-Dose Malaria Vaccine Shows Safety, Efficacy in West African Adults
A three-dose regimen of a whole-parasite vaccine against malaria – called Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (PfSPZ) vaccine – demonstrated safety and efficacy when tested in adults living in Burkina Faso, West Africa, which has endemic malaria. That is the finding of a new study published Dec. 7 in Science Translational Medicine. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) led the work.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
UM School of Medicine Study Finds a New Way to Optimize Treatment Success for Fecal Transplants
Fecal transplants have been successful in treating serious diarrheal infections but have often failed when tried with other diseases. Up until now, no one could predict why these treatments sometimes failed to help restore healthy bacteria in the colon. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) have discovered important clues that could lead more personalized approaches to optimize treatment success. They published their findings in Cell Reports Medicine online earlier this month.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Trial Co-led by University of Maryland School of Medicine Scientist Confirms Safety of “Mix-and-Match” COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dosing
A University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), expert is co-leading an ongoing study that was pivotal in recommending adults and teens receive booster COVID-19 shots of their choosing starting in fall 2021. The preliminary clinical trial results, reported today in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that is safe and effective to receive boosters that are the same or a different one from the person’s primary vaccine(s).
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
Unexpected Antibody Type Found in People with Malaria Infections
Malaria, a pathogen transmitted into blood by mosquitoes in tropical climates, is typically thought of as a blood and liver infection. However, in a newly published study, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have detected antibodies primarily made in response to infections in the mucous membranes — in such areas as the lungs, intestines, or vagina — in study participants with malaria.
Thursday, March 18, 2021
UM School of Medicine Helps Maryland Conduct State-Wide Sequencing of Variants in Positive COVID-19 Test Specimens
In an effort to monitor the spread of COVID-19 variants in the State of Maryland, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced that UMaryland Genomics at UMSOM will perform genome sequencing of variants in at least 10 percent of COVID-19 test samples, reaching an important benchmark set by the federal government to help control the spread of these variants.
Thursday, February 25, 2021
UM School of Medicine Researchers Participate in Landmark Study Detailing Sequencing of Full Human Genomes to Better Capture Genetic Diversity
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) co-authored a study, published today in the journal Science, that details the sequencing of 64 full human genomes. This reference data includes individuals from around the world and better captures the genetic diversity of the human species. Among other applications, the work will enable population-specific studies on genetic predispositions to human diseases as well as the discovery of more complex forms of genetic variation.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Researchers Develop First Catalogue of Genes that Comprise Community of Microbes in Vaginal Microbiome
University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) researchers have created the first catalogue of genes that comprise the community of microbes, which inhabit the human vagina. The catalogue, called human vaginal non-redundant gene catalog (VIRGO), was recently released as a public resource that can be used by researchers to facilitate a more in-depth understanding of the role of vaginal microorganisms in women’s health and to potentially develop future treatments for certain gynecologic conditions.
Tuesday, December 03, 2019
UM School of Medicine Researchers Institute for Genome Sciences' Researchers Discover Potential New Treatment for Tropical Parasitic Disease Using Genomics
Using innovative RNA sequencing techniques, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Institute for Genome Sciences identified a promising novel treatment for lymphatic filariasis, a disabling parasitic disease that is difficult to treat. The potential new therapy is an experimental cancer drug called JQ1 and targets proteins found prominently in the worm’s genome; it appears to effectively kill the adult worms in a laboratory setting, according to the study which was published today in the journal mSystems.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
UM School of Medicine's Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, to Receive Prestigious Lifetime Award for Five Decades of Pioneering Vaccine Research
Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, the Simon and Bessie Grollman Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Associate Dean for Global Health, Vaccinology and Infectious Diseases, and Founder and Former Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) is a co-recipient of the 2020 Research! America Geoffrey Beene Foundation Builders of Science Award for his pioneering vaccine and infectious disease research.
Monday, October 21, 2019
UM School of Medicine's Kathleen M Neuzil Elected as Member of Prestigious National Academy of Medicine
Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), in recognition of her pivotal research that has informed and shaped global vaccine and public health policy. Her membership was announced at the annual NAM meeting in Washington, D.C., placing her among the 2,178 U.S. members of this important organization. Membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors for individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.
Monday, August 19, 2019
UM School of Medicine Researcher Warns of Need for Malaria Drug to Treat Severe Cases in U.S.
Each year there are more than 200 million cases of malaria worldwide, a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite that brings on fever and body aches and, in some cases, more serious conditions such as coma and death. While the vast majority of these cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the U.S. each year sees more than 1,500 cases, and currently there is limited access to an intravenously-administered (IV) drug needed for the more serious cases, according to a top malaria researcher at the University of Maryland School Medicine (UMSOM).
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Vaccines Tested in UM School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development Protect Children Around the World
For 30 years, the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) has collaborated with the Pediatric Center of Frederick to test vaccines used in pediatric care.
Friday, March 08, 2019
UMSOM Researchers Unveil Progress and Challenges in Introducing Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia
Each year there are nearly 11 million cases of typhoid, a disease that is spread through contaminated food, drink and water. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine are leading an international consortium that is studying the impact of a typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) in an effort to accelerate introduction of the vaccine in countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia where there is a high burden of typhoid.
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Multicenter Trial Supports Use of Topical Antibiotic as a Tool to Eliminate Staph Colonization in NICU Babies
A team of doctors led by Karen L. Kotloff, M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), has performed a clinical trial involving multiple hospitals that tested the effectiveness of applying a topical antibiotic known as mupirocin for prevention of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) infection in babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This study was published in the journal Pediatrics.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Data From Largest Global Diarrheal Disease Study Available to Scientists on Public Sites
Data collected from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS), a multi-site research project studying diarrheal diseases that was designed and coordinated by researchers in the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), are now available to scientists on two online data resources.
Monday, December 03, 2018
UMSOM and Groupe De Recherche Action En Sante Begin Second Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine Study in Africa
A new study has been launched in Burkina Faso for Bharat Biotech’s typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV). It is the second clinical study underway in Africa for the vaccine and the first in West Africa. The vaccine study is a joint effort by the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, (UMSOM) and Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS) in Burkina Faso.
Friday, November 02, 2018
UMSOM Global Health Expert Named to Prestigious World Health Organization Immunization Panel
Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been named to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene Awards Dr. Miriam Laufer the LePrince Medal for Malaria Research
Miriam Laufer, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director for Malaria Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), was awarded the Joseph Augustin LePrince Medal by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).
Thursday, May 04, 2017
UM School of Medicine Researchers Receive $9 Million Grant for Malaria Research
The University of Maryland School of Medicine has been awarded an International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) grant by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of seven ICEMRs awarded worldwide. With funding of more than $9 million over seven years, the grant will be used to research and develop new tools to help eliminate drug-resistant malaria in Myanmar and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Experimental Malaria Vaccine Provides Durable Protection Against Multiple Strains in NIH Clinical Trial
An experimental malaria vaccine protected healthy subjects from infection with a malaria strain different from that contained in the vaccine, according to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The research was conducted by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Wednesday, July 06, 2016
UMSOM Begins Malaria Vaccine Trial in Burkina Faso
Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases: it infects hundreds of millions of people every year, and kills about half a million, most of them under five years of age.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
UMSOM Researchers Develop New Way to Decode Large Amounts of Biological Data
A University of Maryland School of Medicine researcher has helped develop an innovative computing technique that, on very large amounts of data, is both faster and more accurate than current methods. To spur research, a program using this technique is being offered for free to the biomedical research community.