IT system protection

Jessica P. — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:49:06 +0000

The broad diffusion of technologies such as computers, databases, mobile phones and so on, has determined a considerable change in our life. We usually use this kind of instruments at the work or school, at home and in other situations of everyday life.
It’s really important that the global IT system would be safe and protected from hacking attacks. Last year, an important mobile phone manufacturer company found vulnerability in its system and phone calls could be listen by everyone knew this failure. This first episode started an intensive research on security system in order to preserve IT and our privacy. Scientists were called to identify flaws into algorithms, acting like legal hackers, and were invited to share their skills and experiences with the community. So, manufactures changed their habits to reject the possibility to reveal flaws in their systems and choose an ethic approach to improve the worldwide knowledge. Also manufacturers that produce IT systems for pharmaceutical companies must consider the opportunity to look for new devices to protect all sensible data regarding the clinical study. Indeed, personal details of patients contained in clinical study are usually shared between centres involved in the trial and become more sensitive of possible attacks. Thus, it’s ethic that these data should be preserved.

Malaria vaccine soon on the market

Jessica P. — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:13:25 +0000

In 2009 malaria vaccine enters in clinical phase III after a long term clinical study performed in Tanzania. Thousands of children die everyday in Sub-Saharan Africa because of malaria and men and women spend a lot of time and money to care this disease. The vaccine should be a great promise and hope for these populations.
The clinical trial of malaria vaccine involves 16000 children aged from two years to eleven in seven different African countries. The vaccine is a fusion of a protein from malaria parasite and surface antigen form hepatitis B virus. The main goal is block symptoms of malaria (fever, weakness, death) and maintain protection for several years. If everything goes well, vaccine will be submitted for regulatory approval by 2011 and it will be on the market by 2012. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunizations ensure vaccine to reach the market.
This clinical trial open new opportunities to care malaria. This terrible disease kills a lot of children in poor countries every year also because anti-malaria drugs are very expensive and government cannot pay them. We have to keep our finger crossed for this clinical trial!

Bioinformatics and Genomics News and Views » clinical trials

IT system protection

Malaria vaccine soon on the market