immunity News and Research

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First cases of B.1.1.7 variant with E484K mutation in Pennsylvania

The E484K mutation has also been found on the B.1.351 and P.1 variant, contributing to their status as variants of concern. In February 2021, Public Health England published a report of 11 B.1.1.7 genomes that also had the E484K spike mutation. Currently, there are 247 isolates of B.1.1.7 + E484K reported globally, and new research finds the first reports of it in southeastern Pennsylvania.

27 Apr 2021

Triple mutation in SARS-CoV-2 seen in second wave of COVID-19 in India

Researchers sequenced the viral genome from samples in the state of Maharashtra and found a unique combination of three mutations that suggest the SARS-CoV-2 virus is continually evolving to evade the human immune response.

27 Apr 2021

Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine provide similar immunity

Researchers in Israel have conducted a study showing that the immunity provided against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – is similar following natural infection or immunization with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine.

26 Apr 2021

Commonly-prescribed drug for IBD blunts COVID-19 vaccine response

People who take a commonly-prescribed drug for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should not assume they are protected after a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, after a large-scale study found many had poor antibody responses.

26 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 antibody response robust in nursing home residents after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

However, with the waning of the immune response, it is not clear if these older people respond to the vaccine as well as younger individuals do. A recent study explored this question and found that though the antibody levels were somewhat lower in this group, they were still robust. This is a promising observation.

26 Apr 2021

Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with more adverse events following mRNA vaccination

The phase 3 trials of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines did not include those with a known previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recent evidence indicates that mRNA vaccines may induce more adverse events in these individuals. In a recent study, 947 individuals, 265 of which have previously reported SARS-CoV-2 infection, were monitored post-vaccination for adverse events, finding that there could be a link between previous infection and greater incidence of these events.

26 Apr 2021

Single dose of J&J's Ad26.COV2.S vaccine effective against SARS-CoV-2 including in South Africa variant

One of these vaccines, the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine by Johnson & Johnson and Janssen, is a recombinant, replication-incompetent human adenovirus type 26 vector that encodes full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a prefusion-stabilized conformation.

26 Apr 2021

Potential new COVID vaccine from Australia

Phase 1 trial results published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found a new subunit vaccine —an MF59-adjuvanted subunit vaccine using recombinant spike glycoprotein stabilized in a prefusion conformation by a novel molecular clamp — targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was safe and effective in producing an antigen-specific response in healthy adults.

26 Apr 2021

The potential of CRISPR-based diagnostic assays and treatment approaches against COVID-19

In their review paper recently published in the Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, a group of authors discusses currently available and forthcoming CRISPR-based diagnostic assays, as well as the possibility of using the CRISPR/Cas system as a salient treatment or prevention strategy in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

25 Apr 2021

A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

In a recent brief report published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Rockefeller University in New York described a case of two fully vaccinated individuals in whom they found subsequent breakthrough infections with variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), carrying a number of substitutions of interest.

25 Apr 2021

Single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces immunity in CML patients

Researchers in the UK have shown that a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced antibody and cellular responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who were taking tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

25 Apr 2021

Researchers create a cell library to study how various sugars bind to and interact with receptors

Most infectious bacteria and viruses bind to sugars on the surface of our cells. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have created a library of tens of thousands of natural cells containing all the sugars found on the surface of our cells.

23 Apr 2021

Only one vaccine is OK for older teens. It’s also the hardest to manage in rural America.

As states expand covid-19 vaccine eligibility to allow shots for 16- and 17-year-olds, teens in rural America may have trouble getting them.

23 Apr 2021

The Native Antigen Company Launches SARS-CoV-2 Neutralisation Assay Development Kit

The Native Antigen Company today announced the launch of its SARS-CoV-2 Neutralisation Assay Development Kit.

From The Native Antigen Company 23 Apr 2021

Researchers identify natural molecule that blocks the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have found that a natural molecule can effectively block the binding of a subset of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The discovery may help explain why some COVID-19 patients can become severely ill despite having high levels of antibodies against the virus.

23 Apr 2021

DNA vaccine candidate induces potent immunity, offers protective efficacy in non-human primate models

A synthetic DNA vaccine candidate for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) developed at The Wistar Institute induced potent immune responses and afforded protective efficacy in non-human primate (NHP) models when given intradermally in abbreviated, low-dose immunization regimen.

23 Apr 2021

Striking difference identified between mRNA vaccination vs. SARS-CoV-2 infection immune responses

A team of scientists from the United States has recently compared the immune response elicited by natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Their findings reveal that, unlike vaccination, natural SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a robust interferon response together with an induction of cytotoxic gene expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

22 Apr 2021

Preclinical study from NIH/Moderna: Correlates of SARS-CoV-2 immunity in non-human primates

Researchers in the United States have shown that the antibody response induced by the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a correlate of immune protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in non-human primates.

22 Apr 2021

Researchers discover molecule that provides dual protection against vascular inflammation

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore discovered a new mitochondrial peptide called MOCCI that plays an important role in regulating inflammation of blood vessel and immunity.

22 Apr 2021

New mathematical model predicts the spread of COVID-19

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed a new mathematical model for predicting how epidemics such as COVID-19 spread.

22 Apr 2021

immunity News and Research

First cases of B.1.1.7 variant with E484K mutation in Pennsylvania

Triple mutation in SARS-CoV-2 seen in second wave of COVID-19 in India

Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine provide similar immunity

Commonly-prescribed drug for IBD blunts COVID-19 vaccine response

SARS-CoV-2 antibody response robust in nursing home residents after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with more adverse events following mRNA vaccination

Single dose of J&J's Ad26.COV2.S vaccine effective against SARS-CoV-2 including in South Africa variant

Potential new COVID vaccine from Australia

The potential of CRISPR-based diagnostic assays and treatment approaches against COVID-19

A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

Single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces immunity in CML patients

Researchers create a cell library to study how various sugars bind to and interact with receptors

Only one vaccine is OK for older teens. It’s also the hardest to manage in rural America.

The Native Antigen Company Launches SARS-CoV-2 Neutralisation Assay Development Kit

Researchers identify natural molecule that blocks the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

DNA vaccine candidate induces potent immunity, offers protective efficacy in non-human primate models

Striking difference identified between mRNA vaccination vs. SARS-CoV-2 infection immune responses

Preclinical study from NIH/Moderna: Correlates of SARS-CoV-2 immunity in non-human primates

Researchers discover molecule that provides dual protection against vascular inflammation

New mathematical model predicts the spread of COVID-19

Exploring Strategies for Targeting Kinases in Innate Immunity eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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