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Antibody profile and estimated seroprevalence in COVID-19 infection

A new Swedish study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 describes the results of using highly sensitive and specific anti-spike antibody tests in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 over a range of disease severity.

21 Jul 2020

China's Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine safe and induces immune response

A phase 2 trial of an Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine candidate, conducted in China, has found that the vaccine is safe and induces an immune response, according to new research published in The Lancet.

20 Jul 2020

Experimental therapy slows zika replication and prevents microcephaly in mice

An international group of researchers have discovered that inhibiting AHR (aryl hydrocarbon receptor), a protein with roles in regulating immunity, stem cell maintenance and cellular differentiation, enables the immune system to combat replication of zika virus in the organism far more effectively.

20 Jul 2020

Oxford University and AstraZeneca to publish eagerly-anticipated COVID-19 trial results today

The coronavirus pandemic is still rapidly spreading across the globe, infecting more than 14.44 million people. With more than 188 countries and territories affected, scientists are racing to develop a vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

19 Jul 2020

Hydroxychloroquine is not indicated for COVID-19 under any circumstances

The drug Hydroxychloroquine has long been studied as a treatment for malaria and autoimmune diseases. When the coronavirus pandemic spread across the globe, many countries resorted to using the drug in the hopes that it would improve outcomes of hospitalized patients affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

19 Jul 2020

Pesticide use can speed the transmission of schistosomiasis

Widespread use of pesticides and other agrochemicals can speed the transmission of the debilitating disease schistosomiasis, while also upsetting the ecological balances in aquatic environments that prevent infections, finds a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

17 Jul 2020

Findings show promise for developing vaccines against multiple strains of flu, including SARS-CoV-2

A vaccine additive known as an adjuvant can enhance responses to a vaccine containing the exotic avian flu virus H5N1, so that both rookie and veteran elements of the immune response are strengthened, according to results from an Emory Vaccine Center study.

17 Jul 2020

Study could help develop new drugs for toxoplasma infection

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered new information about how a dangerous parasite takes control of a patient's cells as it spreads throughout their body, an important finding that could help in the development of new drugs to treat this infection.

17 Jul 2020

A coronavirus vaccine: Where does it stand?

More than four months into the coronavirus pandemic, how close are the U.S. and the world to a safe and effective vaccine? Scientists say they see steady progress and are expressing cautious optimism that a vaccine could be ready by spring.

16 Jul 2020

Study shows how parasitic bacteria cause lesions in the skin and internal organs

Bacteria of the genus Bartonella are parasites that can be transmitted to humans via insect bites and animal scratches, resulting in an infection known as "bartonellosis."

16 Jul 2020

New study offers guidelines on elective orthopedic surgery

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Americans have had to delay recommended but elective orthopedic surgical procedures, such as joint replacement surgery or knee arthroscopy.

16 Jul 2020

Nanotechnology plays major role in COVID-19 vaccine development

From mRNA vaccines entering clinical trials, to peptide-based vaccines and using molecular farming to scale vaccine production, the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing new and emerging nanotechnologies into the frontlines and the headlines.

15 Jul 2020

BATM introduces three new diagnostic kits for COVID-19 and other respiratory illness

BATM, a leading provider of real-time technologies for networking solutions and medical laboratory systems, announces the launch of three new diagnostic kits to significantly advance the diagnosis of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

15 Jul 2020

Llama nanobodies block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Now, a team of scientists at the United Kingdom's Rosalind Franklin Institute may have a surprising solution for the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 574,000 people worldwide.

14 Jul 2020

Avacta and Integumen team up for detection of novel coronavirus in waste water

Avacta Group plc, the developer of Affimer® biotherapeutics and reagents, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a collaboration with Integumen plc (“Integumen”) to evaluate recently generated Affimer reagents that bind the SARS-COV-2 spike protein for the detection of the coronavirus in wastewater, to provide a real-time alert system to warn of localized COVID-19 outbreaks.

From Avacta Life Sciences Ltd. 14 Jul 2020

A new measles-based COVID-19 vaccine

Now, a new study by researchers from Germany's Paul Ehrlich Institute and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 describes a potential vaccine based on the measles vaccine, which elicits both an antibody response and cellular immunity against the virus. This also protects against the measles virus. This could be a significant weapon in the fight against these two threats.

14 Jul 2020

Researchers uncover new mechanism for designing antiviral drugs for dengue virus

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered a new mechanism for designing antiviral drugs for dengue virus. The study is currently available in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 Jul 2020

Severely injured donor lungs can be successfully recovered outside the body

Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death worldwide, and lung transplantation is still the only cure for patients with end-stage lung disease.

13 Jul 2020

Study identifies three novel broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 cell entry inhibitors

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Cornell University in the U.S. just described several new inhibitors of human coronavirus spike proteins by screening a library of approved drugs with SARS-S and MERS-S pseudotyped particle entry assays. Their exciting findings are currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

13 Jul 2020

Bat research critical to help predict and prevent the next pandemic

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too, unless scientists can quickly learn more about the thousands of viruses carried by one of the most diverse mammals on the planet.

13 Jul 2020