Clinical Virology Programs

School’s out for the summer but mono never takes a break. Cases of mono do occur in the summer as well as during the school year. We have a surveillance study (Mono 5) AND a treatment study (Mono 6) going year round. Please let us know if you or anyone you know has several of these symptoms: a very sore throat, swollen or tender neck glands, poor appetite and a headache. Call us at 612-625-1462. One of us is always available to field your calls. We want to hear from you.

It’s hard to believe it, but finals are just around the corner. That means that participants in our Mono 5 study will soon be coming in for their final visits for the 2007-2008 academic year. We’ll continue to monitor their health over the summer in case anyone comes down with mono, but for the most part we won’t see them again until classes begin for the 2008-2009 academic year.

It’s been an impressive year for the study and we want to send a heartfelt thanks to our Mono 5 study participants. We’ve amassed a small mountain of data as 148 University of Minnesota students have made more than 1,000 clinic visits since the study opened in the fall of 2006. The information we’ve gathered comes in the form of blood samples, oral washes, symptoms and lifestyle surveys that will eventually help us identify risk factors for contracting infectious mononucleosis.

We’re still open for business over the summer, however. We’re still recruiting for our Mono 6 protocol where we offer a new experimental treatment for mono that we hope will have an effect on the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)–the virus that causes mono–and alleviate the symptoms of the illness and help folks feel better, sooner. If you or anyone you know has a very sore throat, swollen or tender neck glands, poor appetite and headache, please call us at 612-625-1462. We want to hear from you.

 

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A while back Dr. Balfour spoke on WCCO radio about our new mono study (Mono 6). Click on the player above to hear Dr. Balfour speak about the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), the virus that causes mono, as well as information about the new study.

We sincerely hope you have a fantastic Valentine’s Day. Just remember that mono really is the kissing disease.

If Valentine’s Day is painful for any reason, we’re very sorry. If it’s painful because you have a bad sore throat, swollen or tender neck glands, bad appetite and headache, we want to talk to you. If you have any combination of the above symptoms, give us a call at 612-625-1462.

We’re testing a new, experimental drug to see how effective it is against the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), the virus that causes mono. Participants will receive either the drug or placebo for three weeks. We’re looking to see if the drug makes students with mono better faster by reducing the amount of EBV they carry. This study is currently open for enrollment. If you are over the age of 18 and have had any of the symptoms noted above, and the symptoms started within the last week, please call us at 612-625-1462 so we can determine whether or not you are eligible for the study. Study participants receive a $20 University of Minnesota gift card for each study visit.

DO YOU HAVE A SORE THROAT?
SWOLLEN OR TENDER NECK GLANDS?
APPETITE OFF?
HEADACHE?

IF SOME OR ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS STARTED LESS THAN A WEEK AGO, WE WANT TO KNOW.

You might have Mono and could join a research study to treat it.

Call us at (612) 625-1462 for a free screening.
$20 Bookstore gift card for each clinic visit!

This is a joint research project by the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center and the Boynton Health Service.

Mono 5, a study of the risk factors for severity of infectious mononucleosis (mono), completed the antibody testing phase (Step 1) in the Super Block last month.  Nearly 300 students were screened and 86% of those eligible have volunteered to continue with us in the surveillance program (Step 2) .  Thanks a million to all of the student volunteers, health advocates, housing and residential life staff, and BHS personnel for their phenomenal support of this important medical research.  We shall periodically report on the progress of the research as it continues during the next 4 years.

Our study to determine risk factors for the severity of mono is underway in the Super Block. So far this month, 148 students have volunteered for screening. Those who have never been infected by the mono virus (EBV) are eligible to continue on the study for up to 4 years.

Our research team will be conducting screening sessions in Pioneer (Library Lower Level) from 5 PM to 7:30 PM on September 19th and 25th and in Territorial Hall (Rooms 200 and 202) from 5 PM to 7:30 PM on September 26th (Last chance!).

All freshmen in the Super Block are welcome to join the study and help us kiss mono “goodbye.”

Mono Study Screening Dates and Times

• 9/19/2007 - Pioneer Hall (Lower Library Level) 5-7:30pm
• 9/25/2007 - Pioneer Hall (Lower Library Level) 5-7:30pm
• 9/26/2007 - Territorial Hall (Rooms 200 & 202) 5-7:30pm

As last year’s Mono 5 Study participants return to the University of Minnesota for fall semester, the Clinical Virology Research Program will intensify our efforts for the 2007-2008 academic year. We’ll continue to follow those who accepted our invitation to join the study last year until 2010.

Also, beginning on September 11, we’ll begin screening freshmen from the class of 2011 for participation in the study. Our staff will be on hand in the residence halls with information about the study. If you choose to go through the screening process–a simple blood draw that takes less than five minutes–we’ll test to see if you’ve ever been exposed to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the virus that causes mono.

We’re also developing new mono studies and we’re in the process of negotiating a study of a new drug that seems to have an effect on EBV. Please check our website periodically for more information.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (May 4, 2007) — University of Minnesota Medical School professor Henry Balfour, M.D., has been named the recipient of the Clinical Virology Award for 2007. This award acknowledges an individual whose contributions to clinical virology have had a major impact on the epidemiology, treatment, or understanding of viral diseases.

Established in 1977, the Pan American Group for Rapid Viral Diagnosis, renamed Pan American Society for Clinical Virology in 1995, now boasts more than 400 members. The society aims to aid the development of techniques for viral diagnosis, to coordinate conferences to disseminate information, and to encourage collaborative research. The Clinical Virology Award has been given annually since 1993.

Balfour graduated from medical school at Columbia University in 1966; he completed his internship and residency at the University of Minnesota and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in 1968. He served as a pediatrician at the Wright-Patterson Air Base in Dayton, Ohio. Since completing a post-doctoral fellowship in infectious disease in 1972 at the University of Minnesota, he has been on the faculty.

Balfour is professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, and pediatrics. He currently serves as medical director at the University of Minnesota, Fairview Clinical Virology Laboratory, which he established in 1972. He is widely recognized as a leader in the field of viral infections, especially those related to herpesvirus infections and HIV.

He received the award during the 23rd Annual Clinical Virology Symposium in Clearwater Beach, Florida on April 30, 2007.

On Monday, January 29, The Minnesota Daily ran an article about the closing of the ACTU.

The University’s AIDS Clinical Trials Unit opened Jan. 1, 1987, becoming one of the first federally funded research sites in the country, said principal investigator Dr. Hank Balfour.

Twenty years later, the clinic’s future remains uncertain, and it very likely may be forced to close due to lack of support.

Read more.