About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Feedback  |  Portfolio  |  Press  |  Advertise  |  Careers  |  Sitemap 
Medindia
   
   Google Search   Advanced Search
Web Medindia   
Health News RSSHealth news
Disease News RSSDisease News
SubscribeSubscribe
Login
Password
Forgot Password   New User
Medindia On MobileMedindia On Mobile Buy Health ProductsBuy Health Products
Medindia » Latest Health News » Yale Researcher Named HHMI Investigator
Latest Headlines
Drug 'slows Parkinson's Progression' (1 min ago)
New Gene Therapy may Harbour Deafness Cure (28 min ago)
Socially Painful Experiences Hurt More Than Physical Ones (57 min ago)
Brain Chemical Linked With Obesity Uncovered (1 hr ago)
Social Injustice Killing People on Grand Scale – Canadian Authorities (2 hrs ago)
Listeriosis Scare Overwhelms Laboratories in Canada (2 hrs ago)
US Music Star Suge Jailed on Violence and Drug Charges (17 hrs ago)
All Latest News
News - Quick Links
News Central
Latest Health News
News Category
Popular News
Health News and Press Release
Special Reports
Health Watch
Health In Focus
Breaking Health News
Celebrating Life
Medindia - Exclusive
India Special
Lifestyle and Wellness
Popular News Topics
General Health News    Subscribe
Posted online: Monday, October 15, 2007 at 2:51:31 PM
Font Size

Yale Researcher Named HHMI Investigator

Erol Fikrig, M.D., a Yale School of Medicine researcher who specializes in the study and treatment of Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and other vector-borne diseases, has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator.



HHMI is a non-profit medical research organization that invests in the support, training, and education of the nation’s most creative and promising scientists. Its investigators are chosen through rigorous national competitions. The organization was founded in 1953 by aviator and industrialist Howard R. Hughes.

Fikrig, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine, also studies human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, a newly described pathogen transmitted by ticks. His research focuses on molecular strategies the biological agent uses to survive in white blood cells.

“Erol Fikrig is an outstanding scientist who studies the important interactions between tick-borne bacteria and their vector hosts,” said Robert Alpern, M.D., dean of the medical school. “These are important scientific and medical issues, the understanding of which will save lives.”

Fikrig’s research has led to a new understanding of the relationship between the pathogens that transmit the diseases, the vectors (i.e. organisms) that carry the pathogens, and the hosts they infect. Information from his studies is suggesting new strategies to prevent and treat Lyme disease, West Nile encephalitis, and other infections, by interrupting these relationships.

His first project after coming to Yale in 1988 was developing and testing a Lyme disease vaccine with HHMI investigator Richard Flavell, chair of the Department of Immunobiology and who remains a frequent collaborator. While the vaccine was being developed, Fikrig made the first of a series of important discoveries about the life cycle of the bacterium. He demonstrated that, in moving between the tick and humans, the bacterium covers itself with a protein drawn from the tick’s saliva. That protein helps the bacterium avoid attack by the human immune system.
Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next

 Related Links
Medindia on Lyme disease DNA detection
The diagnosis of Lyme disease is difficult by serological tests but detected by DNA based tests. This tests is a valuable diagnostic tool for detection of Lyme disease.

Read More...

For More Information
West Nile Virus Can Be Tackled By New Strategy
 
 Share this News:
Digg It
Digg
Del.icio.us
Del.icio.us
Stumbleupon
StumbleUpon
Google
Google
Windows Live
Windows Live
NewsVine
Newsvine
Reddit
Reddit
Comments Posted
Erol Fikrig is a criminal. Four days after applying for the patent for LYMERix, Yale's fake vaccine which came off the market due to the unreported vaccine adverse events which were reported by the public and in two class action lawsuits against the manufacturer, SmithKline, Erol Fikrig and Richard Flavell published about how it, OspA or LYMErix, would not work as a vaccine. That is because Lyme is just a relaping fever, a disease for which there can be no vaccine, since antibodies are rendere...
(Posted by Kathleen M. Dickson, United States Date : 10/15/2007)
View All Comments
Post Your Comments

* Name :
* Comment :
* Your comment can be maximum of 1000 characters
* Email :
* Your Email address will not be displayed on the site or used to send unsolicited e-mails.
* Country :
           
General News
Socially Painful Experiences Hurt More Than Physical Ones
Social Injustice Killing People on Grand Scale – Canadian Authorities
Listeriosis Scare Overwhelms Laboratories in Canada
'Museum Therapy' may Help Speed Up Recovery in Hospital Patients
Trainee Indian Pilot Dies in Crash, but Saves Dozens of Children by Clever Manouevering
Read More

 News Archive

 Search by Keyword


Web Medindia  Advanced Search
Feedback
Last Updated - - Designed & Content Managed by Medindia Health Network Pvt Ltd. Hosted & Technical Support by FrontPoint Systems
DisclaimerThe contents of this site are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified physician for any doubts.
To Read full Disclaimer Click Here!
Best viewed with resolution 1024x768 px.
Advertise with us |  Medindia Copyright |  Privacy Policy |  © All Rights Reserved 1997 - 2008