immunity News and Research

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Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

The ability to detect potentially fatal illness early on in the course of the disease would enable a swift prioritization of these high-risk individuals for treatment. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server presents an array of biomarkers that may help achieve this laudable goal.

15 Mar 2021

Research looks at inflammatory nature of lipid nanoparticle component in mRNA vaccines

In a recent bioRxiv preprint research paper, Botond Z. Igyártó and colleagues from Thomas Jefferson University demonstrated the inflammatory nature of the lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).

15 Mar 2021

Dual-action monoclonal antibodies from an original SARS survivor show promise against COVID-19

A recent study, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, indicates that a pair of dual-action monoclonal antibodies derived from an original 2003 SARS survivors could play an important role in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their broadly neutralizing activity and the engagement of the immune system via effector function capabilities.

14 Mar 2021

Study maps crucial component of long-term immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have found that protective antibodies generated against the original strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)– the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – also protect against viral variants.

14 Mar 2021

Researchers investigate digital contact tracing's ability to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Informing how COVID-19 response plans may incorporate digital contact tracing, a model of COVID-19 spread within a simulated French population found that if about 20% of the population adopted a contact tracing app on their smartphones, an outbreak could be reduced by about 35%. If more than 30% of the population adopted the app, the epidemic could be suppressed to manageable levels.

13 Mar 2021

New vaccination method aims at comprehensive protection against all known influenza mutations

One shot, protected forever: This would be a dream come true regarding influenza vaccinations. So far, vaccination against influenza did not provide a lasting protection.

13 Mar 2021

Neutralizing antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines less effective against new variants

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has mutated throughout the pandemic. New variants of the virus have arisen throughout the world, including variants that might possess increased ability to spread or evade the immune system.

13 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 did not change much when it jumped from bats to human hosts

How much did SARS-CoV-2 need to change in order to adapt to its new human host? In a research article published in the open access journal PLOS Biology Oscar MacLean, Spyros Lytras at the University of Glasgow, and colleagues, show that since December 2019 and for the first 11 months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic there has been very little 'important' genetic change observed in the hundreds of thousands of sequenced virus genomes.

13 Mar 2021

Could horse-derived antibodies promote immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Researchers based in India have demonstrated that horses inoculated with an inactivated dosage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are able to produce large amounts of strong antibodies that can neutralize multiple variants

12 Mar 2021

Single-dose vaccines may provide sufficient immunization for individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2

A group of researchers based at the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Italy have submitted evidence to suggest that individuals previously infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may adequately benefit from a single dose of mRNA vaccine, rather than requiring the current two-vaccine regimen.

12 Mar 2021

Natural virus-induced immunity protective against UK and South African SARS-CoV-2 variants in hamster study

As new variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to emerge, fueling the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study offers encouragement.

12 Mar 2021

Impact of type I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies in critical COVID-19

A new preprint discusses the pathogenesis of this critical COVID-19 with reference to autoimmune phenomena involving the key antiviral type I interferon pathway.

12 Mar 2021

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD detected in saliva of mRNA-vaccine recipients

A team of researchers from the US and the Netherlands recently reported that antibodies to the spike protein and the RBD are detected in saliva samples from healthcare workers vaccinated with mRNA vaccines.

12 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment, study finds

Researchers have found that SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment. Therefore, strategies such as focusing on limiting the production of IFN, rather than its function, could restrict the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 that increases its viral load with delayed or absent symptoms.

12 Mar 2021

Living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and poverty alters gene activity

The chronic stress of living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and poverty alters gene activity in immune cells, according to a new study of low-income single Black mothers on the South Side of Chicago.

12 Mar 2021

Delaying second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may be feasible in some cases

Researchers in Spain have conducted the most extensive study to date investigating the effectiveness of vaccinating healthcare workers with a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Mar 2021

Study addresses glycosylation concerns in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine design

An international team of researchers has found that glycosylation patterns are conserved across the native spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – and the recombinant spike proteins made in laboratories for use in vaccines.

11 Mar 2021

People previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 may achieve immunity after one mRNA vaccine dose, finds study

A team of researchers led by Thomas W. McDade of Northwestern University suggests people who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, may require only one dose of the mRNA vaccine to obtain immunity.

11 Mar 2021

Researchers develop assay for qualitative assessment of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

To address the need for a high-quality neutralization assay against SARS-CoV-2, researchers from the NIAID modified and optimized a previously established fluorescence reduction neutralization assay (FRNA) to provide a quantitative assessment of a large number of infected cells through the use of a high-content imaging system.

11 Mar 2021

Nanobody works against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in animal model

Researchers based in Belgium have developed a new antibody drug that is highly successful at neutralizing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Syrian hamsters. The new biologic was administered to the rodents and was found to be equally successful at neutralizing the original severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strain, and also the new mutant variants, such as the South African and UK strains.

11 Mar 2021

immunity News and Research

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

Research looks at inflammatory nature of lipid nanoparticle component in mRNA vaccines

Dual-action monoclonal antibodies from an original SARS survivor show promise against COVID-19

Study maps crucial component of long-term immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers investigate digital contact tracing's ability to reduce the spread of COVID-19

New vaccination method aims at comprehensive protection against all known influenza mutations

Neutralizing antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines less effective against new variants

SARS-CoV-2 did not change much when it jumped from bats to human hosts

Could horse-derived antibodies promote immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Single-dose vaccines may provide sufficient immunization for individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2

Natural virus-induced immunity protective against UK and South African SARS-CoV-2 variants in hamster study

Impact of type I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies in critical COVID-19

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD detected in saliva of mRNA-vaccine recipients

SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment, study finds

Living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and poverty alters gene activity

Delaying second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may be feasible in some cases

Study addresses glycosylation concerns in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine design

People previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 may achieve immunity after one mRNA vaccine dose, finds study

Researchers develop assay for qualitative assessment of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

Nanobody works against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in animal model

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