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Gates Foundation announces investments to advance mRNA vaccine research and manufacturing

At the 2023 Grand Challenges Annual Meeting, Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announced new investments to advance access to mRNA research and vaccine manufacturing technology that will support low- and middle-income countries’ (LMICs) capacity to develop high-quality, lifesaving vaccines at scale.

14 Oct 2023

Newly discovered synthetic adjuvant materials could make vaccines more accessible, sustainable

New raw vaccine materials that could make vaccines more accessible, sustainable, and ethical have been discovered.

14 Oct 2023

Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine for Autumn 2023 outperforms in cost and clinical impact

Moderna's updated mRNA-1273.815 COVID-19 vaccine shows promising results in reducing symptomatic cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in high-risk and older adults in Germany. The study finds the vaccine to be more cost-effective and clinically beneficial than both no vaccination and Pfizer's XBB.1.5 BNT162b2 vaccine.

12 Oct 2023

Maternal pertussis vaccination boosts infant protection up to eight months

In a large-scale Australian study, maternal vaccination during pregnancy significantly increased pertussis resistance in infants up to eight months. While it slightly reduced the effectiveness of infants' routine vaccinations, it did not increase infection risk.

11 Oct 2023

Protein antigen from a childhood vaccine can help refocus the body's immune system against cancer

A University of Massachusetts Amherst team has demonstrated in theory that a protein antigen from a childhood vaccine can be delivered into the cells of a malignant tumor to refocus the body's immune system against the cancer, effectively halting it and preventing its recurrence.

10 Oct 2023

RSV in seniors: Less common than COVID-19, but hits harder, CDC study reveals

In a recent CDC's MMWR study, researchers found that while respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are less common than COVID-19 and influenza in Americans aged 60+ years, they result in much more severe clinical outcomes. This insight supports the CDC's recommendation for RSV vaccination in older adults, emphasizing its potential in preventing severe respiratory disease.

10 Oct 2023

Breast milk microbiome changes after COVID-19 vaccination, linked to enhanced infant protection

Study explored the association between BNT162b2 vaccine-induced antibodies and the breast milk microbiome in 49 breastfeeding mothers, revealing that post-vaccination alterations in the microbiome were linked to humoral protection against SARS-CoV-2.

9 Oct 2023

WHO experts recommend the use of Takeda's dengue vaccine QDENGA

Takeda today announced that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization shared recommendations for use of QDENGA® (Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine [Live, Attenuated]) (TAK-003).

9 Oct 2023

Next-gen intranasal vaccine takes on measles, mumps, and multiple COVID-19 variants in one shot

Researchers developed an intranasal trivalent measles-mumps-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that provides robust protection against multiple coronavirus variants. Leveraging the established measles-mumps-rubella platform, this vaccine demonstrates broad and adaptable immune responses, especially against Delta and Omicron variants.

8 Oct 2023

Breastfeeding policies may come at a steep cost for mothers

Breast is best, or so the campaign launched by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

4 Oct 2023

New meningitis vaccine safe and effective for infants in Africa

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, as part of the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC), provided an interim analysis showing that the pentavalent (NmCV-5) meningitis vaccine is safe for use in 9-month-old infants in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa.

3 Oct 2023

Novel vaccine lowers LDL cholesterol independent of statins

The effectiveness of virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines targeting epitopes in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor.

2 Oct 2023

As covid infections rise, nursing homes are still waiting for vaccines

"Covid is not pretty in a nursing home," said Deb Wityk, a 70-year-old retired massage therapist who lives in one called Spurgeon Manor, in rural Iowa. She twice contracted the disease and is eager to get the newly approved vaccine because she has chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which weakens her immune system.

27 Sep 2023

Zoonotic spillover safeguarding: computationally designed antigen targets range of coronaviruses

Researchers used an interdisciplinary approach incorporating phylogenetics, 3D protein modeling, and plasmid design to identify and computationally design an antigen representing the core of most currently known sarbecoviruses.

27 Sep 2023

Study offers new insight into immune cells critical to successful vaccination against SARS-CoV-2

A study has revealed new details about a key population of immune system cells critical to successful vaccination against the pandemic virus, SARS-CoV-2.

21 Sep 2023

American Thoracic Society partners with five new health systems to improve vaccination rates

As cities brace for a confluence of flu, COVID-19, pneumonia, and RSV infections this fall, the American Thoracic Society announced that five new health systems have partnered with the Society to improve vaccination rates.

20 Sep 2023

Flagellin immunization protects mice from detrimental effects of dietary emulsifiers

In a new study, mice whose immune systems were trained against the microbial protein flagellin did not experience the usual detrimental effects of ingesting food additive emulsifiers, pointing to a potential new way to combat various chronic inflammatory diseases.

20 Sep 2023

Age and underlying conditions increase risk of critical outcomes for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Whether vaccinated or not, having at least four disease risk factors put adults hospitalized due to COVID-19 at higher risk for critical outcomes, according to a 10-state study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) VISION Network.

19 Sep 2023

Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative receives $7M in grants to advance research to next level

Researchers at the Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative recently received grants totaling more than $7 million to build on an already impressive array of discoveries that Tufts' teams have made to combat tick-borne diseases.