Worm.com

TELECOMWORLDWIRE-6 June 2008-New variant of Gpcode virus detected by Kaspersky Lab(C)1994-2008 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com

Kaspersky Lab, a developer of Internet threat management solutions, has announced that it has detected a new variant of Gpcode, an encryptor virus – Virus.Win32.Gpcode.ak.

The virus reportedly encrypts files with various extensions including, but not limited to: .doc, .txt, .pdf, .xls, .jpg, .png, .cpp, .h and more using an RSA encryption algorithm with a 1024-bit key.

Gpcode.ak encrypts files on the victim machine it adds ._CRYPT to the extension of the encrypted files and places a text file named !_READ_ME_!.txt in the same folder. The file tells the victim that it has been encrypted and offers to sell them a "decryptor".

Kaspersky Lab said that it has previously thwarted previous variants of Gpcode, but it is currently unable to decrypt files encrypted by Gpcode.ak since the key is 1024 bits long.

((Comments on this story may be sent to tww.feedback@m2.com))

COPYRIGHT 2008 M2 Communications Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Information provided by: Findarticles.com

West Nile virus has been found in a dead bird in Kane County, the first case this season. And health officials are urging residents statewide to be vigilant and take precautions to avoid catching the mosquito-borne illness, which can be deadly.

A dead crow in Kane County tested positive for the virus. Although only Salt Lake County is actively testing dead birds as part of a study, the crow was sent to a private veterinary lab and the results were forwarded to the Southwest Utah Public Health Department (SWUPHD) and the state.

“Neither we nor the state have funding this year to test dead birds,” said David Heaton, SWUPHD spokesman.”But we usually first detect the virus in mosquito pools or sentinel chickens.” And those surveillance methods are ongoing.

Most people who become infected with the virus won’t even know it, although about 20 percent will develop some flulike symptoms, which range from moderate to severe. The most severe form of infection occurs in fewer than 1 percent of infected people, but for them, infection can be life-altering or life-ending. The illness can range from headache to paralysis and various illnesses of the brain and spinal cord, sometimes causing lengthy or permanent disability.

All ages are at risk, but severe illness is most likely in those who are older. And this year, health officials are emphasizing particular risk to people who have diabetes, regardless of their age, said Jodee Summers, an epidemiologist in the Utah Department of Health.

Weather conditions have favored mosquitoes so far, with wet weather interspersed with the hot temperatures in which they thrive.

Now that the virus is here, prevention belongs in large part to the public, said Dr. David Blodgett, director of the SWUPHD, which covers five southwestern Utah counties. Last year, that health district had three human cases and no fatalities.

Statewide in 2007, there were 70 human cases, including two deaths, and the virus was active in 19 counties. The virus was first detected in early June last year, too.

West Nile is carried by mosquitoes that bite from dusk to dawn, the hours when people who are outside are encouraged to use mosquito repellents containing DEET or picaridin. Wearing long sleeves and pants is important. And to reduce mosquito populations on your property, get rid of standing water. Other tips include keeping grass mowed back and repairing screens on windows and doors.

More information about West Nile is online at health.utah.gov or www.swuhealth.org.

E-mail: lois@desnews.com

Copyright C 2008 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

Information provided by: Findarticles.com

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari refused Friday to say how many Indonesians had died of bird flu and insisted it was no longer necessary to announce the toll on a case-by-case basis.

Asked for an updated toll in the country most affected by the virus amid unconfirmed reports of a new death, Supari said: “You have to refer that question to my staff.”

“Publicly announcing the toll every time a victim dies brings no benefit at all to efforts to contain the virus,” she said, without confirming a media report that a 15-year-old girl had become Indonesia’s 109th bird flu victim.

The minister said she had decided to end the practice of publicly updating the national toll with every new death, and the names of victims would no longer be released to protect the families.

“We will announce the toll periodically, …

Information provided by: Findarticles.com

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Genelabs Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:GNLB) announced that a presentation was made today at the 3rd International Workshop on Hepatitis C, Resistance and New Compounds in Boston, Mass. on a non-nucleoside hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase inhibitor discovered by Genelabs.

The oral presentation was given by Jill Bechtel, Ph.D. entitled, "In vitro antiviral activity and resistance profile of GL60667 (NVP-LDI133), a potent non-nucleoside inhibitor of HCV NS5B polymerase." The presentation contains studies performed by both Genelabs and Novartis scientists in connection with a license and research collaboration commenced in June 2006 between Novartis and Genelabs, covering Genelabs’ non-nucleoside HCV polymerase inhibitors.

GL60667 is one of a number of non-nucleoside HCV polymerase inhibitors discovered by Genelabs. In the presentation, Dr. Bechtel outlined the ability of GL60667 in vitro to reduce HCV RNA levels after prolonged (20 day) treatment, described combination HCV treatment studies with other HCV agents, and characterized the resistance profile of GL60667.

The treatment of replicon cells with 0.56 uM and 2.8 uM GL60667 for 20 days resulted in a 4-5 log reduction in HCV viral RNA. In addition, combination studies showed GL60667 was additive with interferon a or ribavirin in inhibiting HCV replication, whereas the combination with an NS3 protease inhibitor or a nucleoside NS5b inhibitor was synergistic. Sequencing of the resistant clones isolated from GL60667 selection revealed an NS5b mutation previously identified as a site for resistance to earlier compounds in this series. Interestingly, several clones had no mutations in the NS5b region. Sequencing of the entire replicon revealed several amino acid changes in NS3, NS4a, NS4b and NS5a. Transient assays using replicons bearing these mutations demonstrated that an amino acid change in the NS3 helicase domain reduced the susceptibility to GL60667 by 6.7 fold. Additional experiments demonstrated that this mutation only shifted the potency of a select number of compounds in this series leading to the identification of the region of the molecule responsible for the resistance.

"The data presented today from both Genelabs and Novartis scientists demonstrate potent antiviral activity for site 1 non-nucleoside HCV polymerase inhibitors alone or in combination with other HCV agents and a favorable resistance profile," said Ronald C. Griffith, Ph.D., Genelabs’ Chief Scientific Officer. "This data clearly support the further investigation of site 1 NNI inhibitors for the future treatment of HCV infection."

About Genelabs Technologies

Genelabs is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel compounds for infectious diseases. In addition to a late-stage vaccine candidate for hepatitis E virus partnered with GlaxoSmithKline, the company is advancing multiple partnered and proprietary compounds designed to selectively inhibit replication of the hepatitis C virus. For more information, please visit www.genelabs.com.

NOTE ON FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISKS:

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding specific areas of further investigation for the treatment of HCV infection. These forward-looking statements are based on Genelabs’ current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including, without limitation, uncertainties and risks associated with the discovery and preclinical development of therapeutic compounds. Please see the information appearing in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the captions "Risk Factors," "Business Risks" and "Forward-Looking Statements" for more discussion regarding these uncertainties and risks and other risks that may cause actual results to differ from those included in the forward-looking statements. Genelabs does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements or risks to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

COPYRIGHT 2008 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Information provided by: Findarticles.com

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 6 /PRNewswire/ — AlphaVax, Inc. recently received notification from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the granting institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that it has been awarded a second grant to continue development of a smallpox vaccine based on AlphaVax’s proprietary vector platform. The grant will support additional studies in rodents and non- human primates to further characterize the high-level protection observed previously in these species.

Work completed during the first grant period demonstrated that AlphaVax’s smallpox vaccine, which expresses four, highly conserved poxvirus proteins, could provide humoral responses comparable to those obtained with a licensed vaccine. Furthermore, the AlphaVax vaccine protected mice against vaccinia virus challenge and non-human primates against a lethal challenge with monkeypox virus. The details of this work will be presented by Dr. Kurt Kamrud, Director of Discovery Research at AlphaVax and the Principal Investigator on both grants, at the XVII International Poxvirus and Iridovirus Conference in Grainau, Germany on June 7-12th, 2008.

"The work completed under the NIAID grant to date is an excellent demonstration of the potential of our alphavirus vector platform to address many different diseases as well as bioterrorism threats. We have shown efficacy of this platform in numerous animal models and safety and immunogenicity in three clinical trials to date. We look forward to working with the U.S. Government to advance a new smallpox vaccine that has an excellent safety profile and is capable of being rapidly manufactured using AlphaVax’s proprietary manufacturing process," said Dr. Jonathan F. Smith, Chief Scientific Officer at AlphaVax.

About AlphaVax

AlphaVax, Inc. is a North Carolina-based, clinical-stage company that uses a novel alphavirus vector platform technology that has proven to be highly flexible and immunogenic, and allows the same manufacturing, formulation, and delivery strategies to be applied to many different products. The company employs staff with expertise spanning vaccine design, process development, GMP manufacturing, quality assurance, and regulatory and clinical affairs. In addition to cytomegalovirus, important disease targets include influenza, cancer, HSV, RSV, and a number of biodefense vaccine products. The AlphaVax headquarters and R&D facilities are located in Research Triangle Park, and its GMP manufacturing facility is located in Lenoir, NC.

About NIH Grant Support

The work described was supported by Grant Number UC1AI067183-01 from the National Institute of Allergy And Infectious Diseases. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of AlphaVax and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Allergy And Infectious Diseases or the National Institutes of Health.

CONTACT: Dr. Jonathan F. Smith of AlphaVax, Inc., +1-919-595-0397

Web site: http://www.alphavax.com/

COPYRIGHT 2008 PR Newswire Association LLC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Information provided by: Findarticles.com

BASEL, Switzerland (AFP) — Czech captain Tomas Ujfalusi admitted his thoughts will be with crocked team-mate Tomas Rosicky as his side kick-off Euro 2008 in the tournament opener against Switzerland on Saturday.

Ujfalusi, 30, was promoted to the captaincy after Arsenal midfielder Rosicky, the fulcrum of a side that edged out Germany for top spot in their qualifying group, was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury which required surgery last month.

“Of course we are all sad Tomas cannot take part in the tournament but he has been one of the biggest supporters of the team,” said Ujfalusi, who is leaving Serie A side Fiorentina despite a terrific season where he was integral to their reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals and taking the last Champions League place edging out AC Milan.

“I’ve talked to him several times. He is keeping his fingers crossed for …

Information provided by: Findarticles.com

BRISBANE, Calif., June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — InterMune, Inc. today announced that John Hodgman, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of InterMune, will present at the Goldman Sachs Twenty-Ninth Annual Global Healthcare Conference in Dana Point, Calif. on June 10, 2008 at 8:05 a.m. PDT (11:05 a.m. EDT). Mr. Hodgman will also present at the Seventh Annual Needham & Company, LLC Biotechnology and Medical Technology Conference in New York on June 12, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

To access a live audio webcast of either presentation, investors and other interested parties may log on to the investor relations page of InterMune’s corporate website at http://www.intermune.com/. The company recommends logging on to the site 15 minutes prior to the start of the presentations in order to register or download any necessary software.

About InterMune

InterMune is a biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and hepatology. InterMune has a pipeline portfolio addressing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The pulmonology portfolio includes the Phase 3 program, CAPACITY, which is evaluating pirfenidone as a possible therapeutic candidate for the treatment of patients with IPF and a research program focused on small molecules for pulmonary disease. The hepatology portfolio includes the HCV protease inhibitor compound ITMN-191 (referred to as R7227 at Roche) in Phase 1b, a second-generation HCV protease inhibitor research program, and a research program evaluating a new target in hepatology. For additional information about InterMune and its R&D pipeline, please visit http://www.intermune.com/.

CONTACT: Jim Goff of InterMune, Inc., +1-415-466-2228, jgoff@intermune.com

Web site: http://www.intermune.com/

COPYRIGHT 2008 PR Newswire Association LLC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Information provided by: Findarticles.com

Cooley
Godward Kronish LLP announced today that Jessica Wolff is joining the
Firm’s San Diego office as a partner in the Intellectual Property practice
group. Wolff is a shareholder in Heller Ehrman’s San Diego office.

Wolff is a seasoned intellectual property litigator and patent counselor
serving the life sciences industry. She has advised hundreds of biotech
and pharmaceutical companies on IP matters during her 15-year career.

“Cooley has one of the leading life sciences practices nationwide and our
San Diego office is the market leader in representing life sciences
companies,” said Fred Muto, partner in charge of Cooley’s San Diego office.
“Jessica’s arrival further strengthens our ability to advise these
companies on patent and IP matters that are critical to their success.”

“I am delighted to be joining Cooley,” said Wolff. “The Firm’s life
sciences and intellectual property practices are highly regarded both in
San Diego and nationally. I look forward to being a member of the Cooley
team and to helping further expand the Firm’s intellectual property
capabilities.”

Wolff’s practice will focus on IP litigation and patent portfolio
management within the life science industry. She has represented start-ups
and mature public companies in a wide variety of intellectual property
disputes including patent, trade secret, and breach of IP license actions.
She advises biotech and pharmaceutical companies on intellectual property
matters and has extensive experience in managing worldwide patent
portfolios, conducting freedom of use analyses for developing products,
drafting invalidity and non-infringement opinions and conducting due
diligence. She has broad experience litigating chemical and biotech patents
on antibodies, antigen assays, device calibration techniques, DNA
amplification techniques, drug formulations and genetic probes, medical
devices and viruses.

Recently Wolff successfully represented a pharmaceutical company in a
cutting edge Lanham Act litigation against five manufactures of unapproved
quinine sulfate that resulted in consent judgments, a preliminary
injunction in a separate litigation against another manufacturer, and
ultimately achieved Orphan Drug exclusivity for quinine sulfate.

Wolff earned her B.S. in Chemistry, magna cum laude, from Bryn Mawr College
in 1986, an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1988 and a J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles
School of Law in 1992. She is a frequent speaker and author on IP matters
facing life sciences companies.

About Cooley Godward Kronish LLP

Cooley Godward Kronish’s 650 attorneys have an entrepreneurial spirit and
deep, substantive experience, and are committed to solving clients’ most
challenging legal matters. From small companies with big ideas to
international enterprises with diverse legal needs, Cooley has the breadth
of legal resources to enable companies of all sizes to seize opportunities
in today’s global marketplace. The Firm represents clients across a broad
array of dynamic industry sectors, including technology, life sciences,
real estate, financial services, retail and energy.

The Firm has full-service offices in major commercial, government and
technology centers nationwide: Palo Alto, CA, New York, NY, San Diego CA,
San Francisco, CA, Reston, VA, Broomfield, CO, Washington, DC and Boston,
MA.

Contact:
Ashley Kanigher
650-843-5721
akanigher@cooley.com

Information provided by: Findarticles.com