immunity News and Research

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Risk factors for COVID-19 among US healthcare workers

Researchers from the CDC have investigated the risk posed to healthcare workers and which factors are most likely to lead to infection.

7 Dec 2021

Scientists develop and characterize variant-specific vaccines against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study conducted at Yale University, USA, scientists have investigated the immunogenicity of mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine candidates encoding the spike proteins of different severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants. The findings reveal that the vaccines induce robust immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

6 Dec 2021

Omicron variant increases risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

New surveillance data from South Africa published in the medRxiv* preprint server suggests that the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omnicron variant has the potential to escape naturally-acquired immunity. The research indicates people who previously recovered from a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at risk for reinfection with the Omicron variant. The results show that the risk of reinfection is greater with the Omicron variant versus Delta and Beta.

6 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 S2 immunization as a pan-coronavirus vaccine approach

A new mouse model suggests that prior HCoV-OC43 S immunity primes neutralising antibody responses to otherwise subimmunogenic SARS-CoV-2 S exposure as well as promotes S2-targeting antibody responses.

6 Dec 2021

Study shows COVID booster shots work

A new study investigates uses seven different COVID-19 vaccines as the third dose to boost immunity in vulnerable patients.

6 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 immune memory in mRNA vaccine recipients

Researchers measured SARS-CoV-2–specific antibody, memory B cell, and memory T cell responses in a group of healthy subjects who generated primary immune responses to two doses of mRNA vaccine compared to a group of SARS-CoV-2–recovered vaccines.

6 Dec 2021

COVID-19 vaccines shown to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in cancer patients

A study recently published in the journal JAMA Oncology has stated that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are more than 55% effective in reducing the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in cancer patients.

5 Dec 2021

UK's COVID-19 booster program accelerated, and people urged to get top-up jabs

People have been urged to get a coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccine to top-up their protection this winter as 20 million people in the UK are expected to have had their third jabs today (Sunday 5 December 2021).

5 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 ORF10 degrades mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein to suppress immune response

A novel mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the innate immune response; that is, ORF10 induces mitophagy-mediated MAVS degradation by binding to NIX.

5 Dec 2021

Preclinical data shows enhanced T-cell responses & neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants with ImmunityBio heterologous vaccination

A new study supports the hypothesis that heterologous vaccination can provide an increased immune response against virus infection, supporting several other studies that have indicated similar events.

5 Dec 2021

The emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and its VOCs

A review article discusses the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of variants of concern.

5 Dec 2021

New test can quickly and easily assess antibody effectiveness against COVID-19 variants

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised a test to quickly and easily assess how well a person's neutralizing antibodies fight infection from multiple variants of COVID-19 such as Delta and the newly discovered Omicron variant.

4 Dec 2021

Exposure to Chikungunya may offer partial cross-protection against Mayaro virus

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil suggests people previously infected by Chikungunya virus may develop partial immunity to Mayaro virus.

4 Dec 2021

'Combination' adjuvant may boost the protective power of vaccines

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have found a possible way to improve the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines - and any vaccine.

4 Dec 2021

Is it time to change the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’?

As more indoor venues require proof of vaccination for entrance and with winter — as well as omicron, a new covid variant — looming, scientists and public health officials are debating when it will be time to change the definition of "fully vaccinated" to include a booster shot.

3 Dec 2021

Minister for Equalities calls for everyone to get COVID-19 jabs

The final report into Covid-19 disparities sets out how Government research identified the key virus risk factors - such as occupation, household size and wider living circumstances - for specific groups and used that data to provide targeted, evidence-based guidance and advice on how to reduce the risk of infection.

3 Dec 2021