Antibodies News and Research

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A backbone free energy study of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A recent study by scientist Robert Penner at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France utilizes free energy calculations to predict effective antiviral targets that are highly conserved, surface-accessible for interaction, and resistant to mutation.

1 Mar 2021

Researchers evaluate surrogate large-scale SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance test

A team of international scientists has recently evaluated a surrogate virus neutralization test for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and observed that it is highly efficacious for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in serum samples. According to the scientists, the test can be effectively used for population-level serosurveillance and evaluation of vaccine efficacy. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

1 Mar 2021

Single-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine may not be protective without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by researchers at Imperial College London, UK, discusses the effect of a vaccine dose, specifically the BNT162b2 candidate (also known as the ‘Pfizer-BioNTech’ vaccine), on neutralizing antibody titers in individuals who have already been infected with the virus.

1 Mar 2021

One in seven people in England show SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, finds study

The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) program completed its fifth round of community surveys in the days between January 26 and February 8, 2021. The findings appear in a new article in the BMJ on February 25, 2021, showing that natural infection and vaccination together account for around 14% seropositivity rates in England at present.

1 Mar 2021

Could SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests before first vaccine dose help increase coverage and protection?

A new study by scientists in the UK raises the very useful hypothesis that natural infection may help spread the vaccine thinner without loss of efficacy.

1 Mar 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effective for wide range of Covid-19–related outcomes

The Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine was shown to be 95% effective in preventing severe COVID-19 infection in clinical trials. However, given that the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread and evolve into several concerning variants, it remained unknown how the vaccine would respond in a real-life setting.

1 Mar 2021

COVID-19 CG tracks local SARS-CoV-2 mutations by geographical location

Genomic surveillance of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has varied across countries. England's increased coronavirus sequencing helped it uncover the B.1.1.7 variant last fall. In contrast, countries such as the United States have reported little sequencing data.

28 Feb 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 B.1.526 variant emerges in New York

New York has the first case of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant called B.1.526, picked up by genomic surveillance research from Columbia University. The findings come after reports of other variants have been reported worldwide — B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom, B.1.351 in South Africa, and P.1/P.2 in Brazil.

28 Feb 2021

Free-ranging minks exhibit high titers of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Utah

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report outbreaks of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on mink farms in Utah, United States. They surveyed around farms for evidence of exposure and found high SARS-CoV-2 titers, suggesting a possible viral transmission pathway to native wildlife.

28 Feb 2021

South African SARS-CoV-2 variant partly resistant to neutralization by mRNA vaccine, says study

A new study deals with the clinical and virological effects of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, especially as they affect vaccine efficacy.

26 Feb 2021

Researchers develop new tool for predicting the effects of SARS-CoV-2 missense variants

A new study by a team of researchers in the UK and US describes the use of a computational tool that generates all possible single amino acid substitutions in SARS-CoV-2 and predicts their effects.

26 Feb 2021

Inhalable nanobody shows potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vivo

Researchers have developed a stable and ultrapotent homotrimeric Pittsburgh inhalable Nanobody 21 (PiN-21) against SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian hamsters. They demonstrated the high therapeutic efficacy of this homotrimeric Nb, leveraging both intranasal and aerosol delivery.

26 Feb 2021

Researchers investigate the duration of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2

The optimal timeframe for donating convalescent plasma for use in COVID-19 immunotherapy, which was given emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration in August 2020, is within 60 days of the onset of symptoms, according to a new Penn State-led study.

26 Feb 2021

Programmed magnetic nanobeads rapidly diagnose COVID-19

COVID-19 can be diagnosed in 55 minutes or less with the help of programmed magnetic nanobeads and a diagnostic tool that plugs into an off-the-shelf cell phone, according to Rice University engineers.

26 Feb 2021

Antibody and T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 persist up to 8 months: Study of Ski Resort Ischgl

The first instance of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in Austria was observed in the Ski resort Ischgl in early March 2020. Later, the virus spread across Austria and other countries in Northern Europe.

25 Feb 2021

Pre-existing cross-reactive HCoV antibodies could protect against SARS-CoV-2

A team of researchers from Spain and Canada recently characterized the antibody kinetics and neutralization capacity at 4 cross-sectional surveys between March and October 2020 and determined the seroprevalence in the same cohort of healthcare workers.

25 Feb 2021