Efficacy News and Research

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FDA grants accelerated approval for first-of-its-kind Alzheimer's treatment

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Aduhelm (aducanumab) for the treatment of Alzheimer's, a debilitating disease affecting 6.2 million Americans. Aduhelm was approved using the accelerated approval pathway, which can be used for a drug for a serious or life-threatening illness that provides a meaningful therapeutic advantage over existing treatments.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers identify a bacterium with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro: Dolosigranulum pigrum

As intensive efforts are on to counter the virus, a new study by an international team of researchers reports the unexpected success of a bacterium in modulating the immune response in the airway and protecting the cells against infection with this virus.

7 Jun 2021

The great promise of antiviral peptides against SARS-CoV-2

A new study, recently published in the journal Viruses, describes the impressive evidence for the role of antimicrobial peptidse (AMPs) in the treatment of COVID-19.

7 Jun 2021

Single BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine dose reduces risk of COVID-19 by nearly 52%, matching clinical trial data

Data gathered from real-world vaccination programs following a single dose of Pfizer vaccine administration shows a reduction of 51.4% in infection risk and effectiveness of 54.4% against symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), matching clinical trial results.

7 Jun 2021

New drug reduces tumor size in lung cancer patients who have a specific, disease-causing change

A new drug reduced tumor size in patients who have lung cancer with a specific, disease-causing change in the gene KRAS, a study found.

7 Jun 2021

Comparison of immunological profiles of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Mutations to the spike protein and receptor-binding domain are responsible for these changes in immunogenic profile, and in a paper recently uploaded to the open access journal Antibiotics by Ambrose et al. (May 6th, 2021) these mutations are correlated with various disease parameters by in silico methods, finding that particular features are responsible for the increased infectiousness and lesser disease severity observed in these lineages.

6 Jun 2021

Standardizable assay detects T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers in the UK have developed a high-throughput standardizable assay that accurately detects T cell responses to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

6 Jun 2021

New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines at preventing infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 genome analysis reveals new 'Mexican variant'

A research group of the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology of the University of Bologna analyzed more than one million SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences.

5 Jun 2021

Georgia State professor receives federal grant to study seasonal and universal vaccination in elderly populations

Dr. Sang-Moo Kang, professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a five-year, $2.7 million federal grant to study seasonal and universal vaccination in elderly populations with pre-existing immunity to influenza viruses.

5 Jun 2021

New treatment may improve outcomes for patients with BRCA mutation-associated early breast cancer

Results were released this week on a new treatment with the potential to improve the outcomes for patients with hereditary BRCA mutations and high-risk, early-stage breast cancer.

5 Jun 2021

Study elucidates the use of anticoagulants to treat bleeding in patients with gastrointestinal cancers

A study by Mayo Clinic researchers provides some clarity in the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), such as apixaban and rivaroxaban, to treat acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with gastrointestinal cancers.

5 Jun 2021

Mason researchers examine the potential anti-coronavirus activities of an over-the-counter drink

Could an over-the-counter health "shot" help fight COVID-19? George Mason University researchers think it just might.

5 Jun 2021

Weight loss drug Wegovy approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Wegovy (semaglutide) injection (2.4 mg once weekly) as a chronic weight management treatment in obese or overweight adults with a weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol), when used along with calorie restriction and physical activity. Wegovy, is a more potent version of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug semaglutide.

4 Jun 2021

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 spread to bats

A recent bioRxiv* preprint offers a powerful risk assessment approach to estimate the risk of bat exposure to SARS-CoV-2 from humans during their interactions in the wild.

4 Jun 2021

FDA weighs approval of a lucrative Alzheimer’s drug but benefits are iffy

The Food and Drug Administration's decision next week whether to approve the first treatment for Alzheimer's disease highlights a deep division over the drug's benefits as well as criticism about the integrity of the FDA approval process.

4 Jun 2021

Methotrexate users fail to achieve adequate immune response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines

Up to a third of patients taking methotrexate – a common treatment for immune mediated inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis – failed to achieve an adequate immune response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in a small study accepted for publication in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

4 Jun 2021

Clinical trial evaluating mixed COVID-19 vaccine schedules begins at NIH

Vaccination efforts against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus behind the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, are well underway in many countries. Over 2 billion vaccines have been administered to date, and campaigns continue to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

4 Jun 2021

New biomaterial for pancreatic islet transplants does not trigger the body's immune response

A multidisciplinary research team led by Jonathan Lakey, Ph.D., professor of surgery and biomedical engineering at the University of California, Irvine, has developed a biomaterial for pancreatic islet transplants that doesn't trigger the body's immune response.

4 Jun 2021

People who received Pfizer-Biontech vaccine have lower antibody levels targeting the delta variant

Levels of antibodies in the blood of vaccinated people that are able to recognise and fight the new SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant first discovered in India (B.1.617.2) are on average lower than those against previously circulating variants in the UK, according to new laboratory data from the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, published today (Thursday) as a Research letter in The Lancet.

4 Jun 2021

Efficacy News and Research

FDA grants accelerated approval for first-of-its-kind Alzheimer's treatment

Researchers identify a bacterium with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro: Dolosigranulum pigrum

The great promise of antiviral peptides against SARS-CoV-2

Single BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine dose reduces risk of COVID-19 by nearly 52%, matching clinical trial data

New drug reduces tumor size in lung cancer patients who have a specific, disease-causing change

Comparison of immunological profiles of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Standardizable assay detects T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection

New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

SARS-CoV-2 genome analysis reveals new 'Mexican variant'

Georgia State professor receives federal grant to study seasonal and universal vaccination in elderly populations

New treatment may improve outcomes for patients with BRCA mutation-associated early breast cancer

Study elucidates the use of anticoagulants to treat bleeding in patients with gastrointestinal cancers

Mason researchers examine the potential anti-coronavirus activities of an over-the-counter drink

Weight loss drug Wegovy approved by FDA

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 spread to bats

FDA weighs approval of a lucrative Alzheimer’s drug but benefits are iffy

Methotrexate users fail to achieve adequate immune response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines

Clinical trial evaluating mixed COVID-19 vaccine schedules begins at NIH

New biomaterial for pancreatic islet transplants does not trigger the body's immune response

People who received Pfizer-Biontech vaccine have lower antibody levels targeting the delta variant

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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