A research team led by Drs. Choong-Min Ryu and Hwi Won Seo at the Infectious Disease Research Center of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) has proposed a new infection-prevention strategy based on the proactive activation of innate immunity using a compound already widely used in pharmaceuticals. The study focused on n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside(DDM), a substance previously known primarily as an excipient that stabilizes active ingredients during drug formulation. The researchers investigated whether DDM could also function as an immune-modulating agent capable of activating the body’s innate immune system.

An international team of scientists have identified how to pinpoint and predict hotspots for some of the most dangerous species of scorpion in the world.

The researchers have established the key environmental conditions that determine where lethal, venomous arachnids thrive - findings that could help shine a light on flashpoints for scorpion stings in tropical regions across the globe.

Arizona State University Regents Anne Stone will present research on the evolutionary history of infectious disease at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, which takes place in Phoenix next week.

Stone’s presentation, “(Re)Emerging Pathogens: Ancient Spillovers Teach Us About Modern Plagues,” examines tuberculosis (TB), a disease that has affected humans and animals for thousands of years. Drawing on genetic analyses of ancient DNA, her research traces how TB moved between species and human populations over time and what those patterns reveal about the emergence of infectious disease today.