Seattle startup HDT Bio lands $1.8M U.S. Army grant to develop nasal spray against viruses

GeekWire

Seattle startup HDT Bio will develop a nasal spray designed to counteract a wide range of respiratory viruses with a nearly $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Army.

Michael Gale, Adjunct Professor of Global Health and Professor of Immunology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted. Steven Reed, Affiliate Professor of Global Health and CEO of HDT Bio, is featured.

A COVID mystery: Some people never get sick even after being exposed to the virus

Komo News

A big mystery of the COVID-19 pandemic that researchers are baffled by is that some people are exposed to the virus but never get sick even as others are diagnosed with it multiple times, despite being vaccinated. Researchers say figuring out why that happens is an important question, and they're working to find the answer. Dr. Michael Gale, professor of global health, was quoted. 

Wound Healing in Mucous Tissues Could Ward off AIDS (EurekAlert - Features Michael Gale Jr.)

Wound healing events in mucous tissues during early infection by Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, or SIV, guard some primate species against developing AIDS, a recent study has learned. The research looked at why certain species can carry the virus throughout their lives, and still avoid disease progression.

SIV is closely related to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is used as a laboratory model for many studies seeking AIDS and HIV cures and preventions.

Zika Brain Damage May Go Undetected in Pregnancy

By Leila Gray / UW Medicine

“Current criteria using head size to diagnose Zika-related brain injury fail to capture more subtle brain damage that can lead to significant learning problems and mental health disorders later in life,” said Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, Professor Global Health and Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of Washington's Schools of Public Health and Medicine, who specializes in maternal and fetal infections. “We are diagnosing only the tip of the iceberg.”

What We're Doing to Combat the Zika Virus

More than 2.7 billion people live in areas where the Zika Virus may soon spread, with potentially devastating effects for infants born in those areas. In response, faculty from across the University of Washington are working to stop the spread and effects of the Zika virus using a variety of approaches and disciplines. Here are some examples of their work, some of which is funded and some of which has not yet been funded.

KOMO: Local Research Could Cure Zika Virus and the Common Cold

By Molly Shen

SEATTLE -- On the heels of the World Health Organization declaring a public health emergency related to the Zika virus, local scientists said they are already working on a cure. And if they're able to treat Zika, it could also mean a cure for viruses ranging from West Nile to Ebola, to the common cold.

Scientists at biotech company Kineta and the University of Washington are developing the compound. Just like antibiotics treat bacterial infections, their antiviral drug would fend off a range of viruses.