Pathogen News and Research

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New study may lead to more effective and powerful COVID-19 vaccines

A new study looking at the way human cells activate the immune system in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection could open the door to even more effective and powerful vaccines against the coronavirus and its rapidly emerging variants keeping the global pandemic smoldering.

17 Jun 2021

Reducing coronavirus-related mortality through senolytics

A study recently published in the journal Science explores the concept of senescent cells (SnC) having a hyperinflammatory response and the use of a class of small molecules called senolytics to combat this.

16 Jun 2021

SNPRC at Texas Biomed awarded $37 million NIH grant to continue operations into 2026

The Southwest National Primate Research Center at Texas Biomedical Research Institute has been awarded more than $37 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue operations into 2026.

15 Jun 2021

Adapting COVID-19 vaccination strategies based on SARS-CoV-2’s evolution

Given the risk of SARS-CoV-2 developing new variants in unvaccinated individuals, vaccination sites are crucial. However, new research from the University of Michigan, USA, shows current vaccination programs may be worsening regional outbreaks when viral strains and SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations outdo vaccination rates.

15 Jun 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 show seasonal variation in transmission in temperate countries?

The need to understand how and why such spread occurs is vital to containing it. A new medRxiv* preprint describes a significant reduction in transmission during the summer (by 42%), which is comparable to the impact of the most effective non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI).

15 Jun 2021

Immune memory responses differ between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

Researchers in Canada have shown that the long-lasting immunity that develops following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by different T cell responses than those observed for influenza A virus-specific immune memory.

14 Jun 2021

Robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 with Pfizer vaccine is mediated by memory B cells

A reassuring study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, from a multi-institutional team of researchers in Italy suggests that with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, post-vaccination immunity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is both robust and durable.

14 Jun 2021

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Surfaces with anionic block copolymers can inactivate different viruses within minutes by making the polymer-microbe interface very acidic. Such surfaces can continuously disinfect surfaces without the need for reapplication of disinfectant.

14 Jun 2021

Role of traditional medicine against SARS-CoV-2

A group of researchers at Kannur University reviewed selected papers and in silico work on potential drug leads that could be used to manage COVID-19.

13 Jun 2021

Long-range airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

In an early release copy of a short commentary paper recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by Addleman et al. (June 8th, 2021), the impact of, and possible solutions to, the short- and long-range airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 are explored.

13 Jun 2021

Has COVID-19 vaccine confidence dropped following the pause of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen?

A new study, which was conducted by Vishala Mishra and Joseph P. Dexter at Madras Medical College, Chennai, India, suggests that the infamous pause in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, advised by the FDA, has left doubt about the veracity of vaccine safety claims. This is a development that may have engendered vaccine hesitancy in a segment of the population.

11 Jun 2021

Scientists detect delayed and reduced antibody responses after BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination in older adults

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detected delayed and reduced antibody and T cell responses after immunization with BNT162b2 or the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in older adults compared with healthcare workers in Germany.

11 Jun 2021

The longevity of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and their cross-neutralization against variants of concern

In a new study by researchers in the UK, the activity of neutralizing antibodies collected from the sera of individuals that contracted COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic is tested against variants of concern the B.1.1.7 (or UK) variant and the B.1.351 (or South African) variant, demonstrating somewhat reduced potency of neutralization towards these strains.

10 Jun 2021

Study reports on the immunogenicity of single-shot COVID-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants

In the three months since Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, more than 10 million Americans have received the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

9 Jun 2021

Researchers review the therapeutic potential of resveratrol nasal formulations in COVID-19

In a recently published article in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, scientists have reviewed the existing literature on antiviral and anti-inflammatory efficacy of resveratrol-based inhaled formulations in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and reducing COVID-19 severity.

9 Jun 2021

Structural analogs of triterpenoids show strong inhibitory activity against coronaviruses

In a recent study published in the journal Pathogens, researchers carried out a molecular docking study for 17 structural analogs prepared from natural maslinic and oleanolic acids and screened them against SARS-CoV-2 main protease. They also experimentally validated the data by determining the half-maximal cytotoxic and inhibitory concentrations of each of the 17 compounds. The researchers investigated whether the compound with antiviral activity affected viral adsorption, replication, or viricidal effect using a plaque infectivity reduction assay.

9 Jun 2021

Fish oil may help fight against superbugs

For the first time, Australian scientists have confirmed a link between the role of regular fish oil to break down the ability of 'superbugs' to become resistant to antibiotics.

9 Jun 2021

TSMC grant could boost TGen's efforts to track SARS-CoV-2 variants

The Translational Genomics Research Institute, an affiliate of City of Hope, today announced a substantial grant from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer chips, to help TGen sustain Arizona's fight against COVID-19.

8 Jun 2021

The potential of mRNA vaccines for a wide range of diseases

A new review article published in the journal Briefings in Functional Genomics focuses on the general characteristic features and mechanisms of mRNA vaccines. Further, this review has summarized the current progress of mRNA vaccines that have been developed for wide-ranging diseases, including COVID-19 disease.

8 Jun 2021

Boeing tested air purifiers like those widely used in schools. It decided not to use them in planes.

Aerospace giant Boeing tested two kinds of ionization technologies — like those widely adopted in schools hoping to combat covid — to determine how well each killed germs on surfaces and decided that neither was effective enough to install on its commercial planes.

8 Jun 2021

Pathogen News and Research

New study may lead to more effective and powerful COVID-19 vaccines

Reducing coronavirus-related mortality through senolytics

SNPRC at Texas Biomed awarded $37 million NIH grant to continue operations into 2026

Adapting COVID-19 vaccination strategies based on SARS-CoV-2’s evolution

Does SARS-CoV-2 show seasonal variation in transmission in temperate countries?

Immune memory responses differ between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

Robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 with Pfizer vaccine is mediated by memory B cells

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Role of traditional medicine against SARS-CoV-2

Long-range airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Has COVID-19 vaccine confidence dropped following the pause of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen?

Scientists detect delayed and reduced antibody responses after BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination in older adults

The longevity of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and their cross-neutralization against variants of concern

Study reports on the immunogenicity of single-shot COVID-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers review the therapeutic potential of resveratrol nasal formulations in COVID-19

Structural analogs of triterpenoids show strong inhibitory activity against coronaviruses

Fish oil may help fight against superbugs

TSMC grant could boost TGen's efforts to track SARS-CoV-2 variants

The potential of mRNA vaccines for a wide range of diseases

Boeing tested air purifiers like those widely used in schools. It decided not to use them in planes.

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