immunity News and Research

RSS

Genetically engineered T cells can target, attack pathogenic T cells that cause Type 1 diabetes

A new study has found that a novel T cell genetically engineered by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers is able to target and attack pathogenic T cells that cause Type 1 diabetes, which could lead to new immunotherapy treatments.

3 Dec 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Who will run the Biden health effort?

The quadrennial guessing game about who will get what health job in a new presidential administration has taken on a new urgency in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage.

3 Dec 2020

Can melatonin help prevent severe COVID-19?

A team of researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada has found that melatonin can be an adjuvant to augment the efficacy of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. They believe that the drug is a potential “silver bullet” to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

3 Dec 2020

Nanoparticles with neutralizing antibodies can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Using nanoparticles conjugated with SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies, researchers demonstrated that intense local heating could inactivate the virus.

3 Dec 2020

School children with no malaria symptoms could be super-spreaders of the disease

School-age children with no malaria symptoms could serve as super-spreaders of the disease, an observation that could open a new chapter on malaria control, a meeting has heard. The new findings from a study that was conducted in Uganda were reported at the virtual annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene last month (18 November).

3 Dec 2020

Novel “multitope” vaccine shows promise in the fight against COVID-19

Researchers have demonstrated the potential of a protein-peptide vaccine to protect against infection with SARS-CoV-2, the agent that causes COVID-19.

3 Dec 2020

Immune system differences, better blood vessel health could protect children from severe COVID-19

Differences in the immune systems and better blood vessel health were among the factors protecting children from severe COVID-19, according to a new review.

2 Dec 2020

The UK approves Pfizer vaccine for December 2020 roll out

The UK approves Pfizer vaccine and schedules phased vaccination process, commencing December 2020.

2 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 D614G mutation does not affect performance of serological assays

In a new study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, US researchers considered the emergence of a new SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant. They compared spike G614-based assay to the original D614-based assay – pointing towards the development of recognizable, cross-responsive humoral immunity.

2 Dec 2020

Modeling study predicts 90 percent drop in COVID-19 deaths following vaccination in US

A new modeling study of the United States suggests that vaccination could markedly reduce the rate of infection, hospitalizations and mortality in the current COVID-19 pandemic – even if confined to adults alone.

2 Dec 2020

A new potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate: YF-S0

A recent study published in the journal Nature describes the safety and efficacy of a live-attenuated yellow fever 17D (YF17D) vector-based vaccine candidate expressing a non-cleavable form of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2).

2 Dec 2020

Nanomedicine's giant step into the fight against the COVID-19

A recent editorial in Nature Nanotechnology discusses the enormous feat of scientific innovation, with messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccines developed to deliver the gene sequence of specific SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins into host cells using nanotechnology platforms.

1 Dec 2020

KU Leuven vaccine candidate works against yellow fever and SARS-CoV-2 infection

Virologists at the Rega Institute at KU Leuven (Belgium) have developed a vaccine candidate against Covid-19 based on the yellow fever vaccine, which as a result also works against yellow fever. Results published today in Nature show that the vaccine protects hamsters from infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus after a single dose.

1 Dec 2020

How COVID-19 highlights the uncertainty of medical testing

Dr. Jacqueline Chu considered the man with a negative coronavirus test on the other end of the phone, and knew, her heart dropping, that the test result was not enough to clear him for work.

1 Dec 2020

COVID-19 restrictions have led to 86 percent drop in norovirus infections in US, finds study

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the imposition of several non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) across the world. While citizens in the USA have been chafing over the advice to wear masks in public, restricted social interactions, and limited attendance at schools, colleges and workplaces, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020 reports that these NPIs were linked to a steep reduction in the incidence of the non-respiratory pathogen, noroviruses.

1 Dec 2020

Low endorsement among doctors worldwide for COVID-19 ‘immunity passports’

A cross-sectional survey conducted in September 2020, aimed at assessing the views of a randomly selected, stratified physician sample on this matter, drawing names from physicians registered with the global networking platform called Sermo. This offers its registration service to verified licensed physicians.

1 Dec 2020