Blood News and Research

RSS

Researchers develop highly scalable, accurate antibody test for COVID-19

An antibody test for the virus that causes COVID-19, developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with Houston Methodist and other institutions, is more accurate and can handle a much larger number of donor samples at lower overall cost than standard antibody tests currently in use.

12 Sep 2020

Maternal psychological wellbeing during pregnancy has a positive effect on newborns

A group of researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have been able to show that maternal psychological wellbeing during pregnancy has a positive effect on newborn infants.

12 Sep 2020

New, rapid test detects ovarian cancer more accurately

The CA125 antigen, a plasma membrane glycoprotein found in the tissues of the female reproductive tract, is commonly used for the detection of ovarian cancer but works poorly on its own in identifying early stage cancers.

11 Sep 2020

Inherited variation in GATA3 gene is linked to relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are investigating the inherited genetics of childhood leukemia and how particular gene variations can affect treatment outcomes.

11 Sep 2020

Kids are missing critical windows for lead testing due to pandemic

Families skipping or delaying pediatric appointments for their young children because of the pandemic are missing out on more than vaccines. Critical testing for lead poisoning has plummeted in many parts of the country.

11 Sep 2020

New review explores the role of antibodies and T-cells towards an effective COVID vaccine

More than 100 companies have rushed into vaccine development against COVID-19 as the U.S. government pushes for a vaccine rollout at "warp speed" -- possibly by the end of the year -- but the bar set for an effective, long-lasting vaccine is far too low and may prove dangerous, according to Marc Hellerstein of the University of California, Berkeley.

11 Sep 2020

Simple blood tests can benefit women with breast cancer

A blood test that can identify a variety of mutations in advanced breast cancer can reliably match women to effective targeted treatments, early results of a major clinical trial reveal.

11 Sep 2020

Comprehensive analysis of antibody responses in COVID-19 patients can help develop effective vaccine

A comprehensive analysis of antibody responses in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could inform the development of an effective vaccine, according to a study published September 10 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Chao Wu and Rui Huang of Nanjing University Medical School, and colleagues.

11 Sep 2020

Effective, simple, safe self-amplifying RNA vaccines

A recent review paper in the journal Current Opinion in Virology in September 2020 shows how a new generation of RNA vaccines called self-amplifying RNA vaccines are more potent than conventional mRNA vaccines and could hold the key to the global production of cost-effective potent COVID-19 vaccines.

11 Sep 2020

New study brings researchers closer to a universal COVID-19 antibody test

A new study released by Houston Methodist takes researchers a significant step closer to developing a uniform, universal COVID-19 antibody test.

11 Sep 2020

Nonharmful stress promotes disease resilience in offspring, shows study

Research led by Jeff Gidday, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, and Physiology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, reports what is believed to be the first study in a mammalian model documenting the reprogramming of heritability to promote disease resilience in the next generation.

10 Sep 2020

High blood pressure awareness and control worsening in the U.S.

Published in the journal JAMA, the study finds that a growing percentage of adults in the United States have uncontrolled high blood pressure, which is known as the “silent killer” and a significant risk factor for severe illness from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

10 Sep 2020