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New machine-learning algorithm estimates number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

World health experts have long suspected that the incidence of COVID-19 has been higher than reported. Now, a machine-learning algorithm developed at UT Southwestern estimates that the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. since the pandemic began is nearly three times that of confirmed cases.

8 Feb 2021

One-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine policy may lead to antigenic evolution, study finds

In a new study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, an international team of researchers found that a one-dose policy may increase the potential for antigenic evolution. The study revealed that focusing on one dose may decrease infections in the short term, but longer-term outcomes rely on this immune strength.

8 Feb 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine immune response in the elderly

In a recent medRxiv preprint publication, the team led by Professor Ravindra K. Gupta has assessed the real-world immune responses following the vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2. The team measured 1) IFN-gamma (interferon-gamma) T cell responses, 2) both total IgG Spike/ IgG Spike RBD (receptor binding domain) and 3) neutralizing antibody responses to Spike in sera.

8 Feb 2021

4th preclinical study for Novavax in non-human primates, tests SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have identified specific immune correlates that might be key to ensuring that vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protects against not only disease, but also viral transmission and emerging variants.

8 Feb 2021

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine effective against emerging variants

Researchers have conducted a study showing that the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine effectively protects against recently emerged variants of SARS-CoV-2 – the agent that causes COVID-19.

8 Feb 2021

Scientists produce active antigen in bacteria to help combat SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have developed a bacterial strategy for the expression and purification of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD).

8 Feb 2021

Can early use of colchicine reduce COVID-19 mortality?

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has caused well over 2.3 million deaths in a little over a year. A new meta-analysis reports the potential utility of colchicine in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection and forestalling severe and life-threatening inflammation of the lungs and other organs.

8 Feb 2021

Bioengineered ankyrin compounds show high in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 mutants

A new study describes the use of DARPin (designed ankyrin repeat proteins) therapeutic agents, each of which contains three different DARPin domains within the same molecule.

8 Feb 2021

Could graphene be an effective antiviral platform against SARS-CoV-2?

The urgent need for novel therapeutics has spurred investigation into broad-spectrum inhibitors of viral infection and replication. A new study describes the antiviral activity of synthesized graphene platforms, pointing to new therapeutic approaches against this virus.

8 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations identified against monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal immune sera

A recent study describes the experimental selection of SARS-CoV-2 mutants associated with resistance to antibodies, with important implications for vaccine development and therapeutic antibody use.

8 Feb 2021

Why the U.S. is underestimating Covid reinfection

Kaitlyn Romoser first caught Covid-19 in March, likely on a trip to Denmark and Sweden, just as the scope of the pandemic was becoming clear. Romoser, who is 23 and a laboratory researcher in College Station, Texas, tested positive and had a few days of mild, coldlike symptoms.

8 Feb 2021

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Writing in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, Professor Dongki Yang, from the Department of Physiology, Gachon University, South Korea, has reviewed the available knowledge on the coronaviruses, current approaches to tackle the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the innovative application of nanotechnology in the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Feb 2021

Experimental antiviral drug can significantly speed up recovery for COVID-19 outpatients

A clinical study led by Dr. Jordan Feld, a liver specialist at Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network (UHN), showed an experimental antiviral drug can significantly speed up recovery for COVID-19 outpatients – patients who do not need to be hospitalized.

8 Feb 2021

In vitro human blood-brain barrier model found to have a critical flaw

Cells used to study the human blood brain barrier in the lab aren't what they seem, throwing nearly a decade's worth of research into question, a new study from scientists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine suggests.

8 Feb 2021

Commentary on severe allergic reaction to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

A commentary by John M. Kelso, Division of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Scripps Clinic, published in the latest issue of the journal Vaccines, discusses anaphylactic reactions to these novel mRNA SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines.

8 Feb 2021

Gut fungi teach the immune system how to respond to their dangerous relatives

Common fungi, often present in the gut, teach the immune system how to respond to their more dangerous relatives, according to new research from scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine. Breakdowns in this process can leave people susceptible to deadly fungal infections.

7 Feb 2021