Efficacy News and Research

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Mice study shows that Western diet can lead to NASH, liver fibrosis

Apart from lifestyle interventions, there are currently no approved treatments for NASH. A liver transplant is sometimes the only remedy.

2 Jun 2021

Researchers identify kite-shaped molecules that block SARS-CoV-2 cell entry after attachment

They have identified a group of kite-shaped compounds that are highly specific to SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2. These compounds demonstrate high potency in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infection at early entry steps. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

2 Jun 2021

Conversations in social media platform can provide new way to communicate about vaccine efficacy

In the early days of COVID-19 vaccine development, a new social media platform provided a place for like-minded people to discuss vaccines, share misinformation and speculate about the motivations for its development.

2 Jun 2021

SWOG researchers to present practice-changing research at virtual ASCO 2021

"SWOG always brings an impressive portfolio of work to the ASCO annual meeting," said SWOG Chair Charles D. Blanke, MD, "and this year I'm particularly excited about the research our investigators are presenting because it includes results that are likely to be practice-changing."

1 Jun 2021

Implantable device more effective at detecting atrial fibrillation than standard of care

A clinical trial examining the efficacy of two devices to monitor and detect atrial fibrillation (AF), or an irregular heartbeat, in ischemic stroke patients--one an implantable device that monitors over 12 months, the other an external device that monitors over a 30-day period--found the implantable device is more than three times more effective in detecting AF, and both are a significant improvement over the current standard of care in Alberta, Canada.

1 Jun 2021

New device can increase penile length and preserve erectile function in men after prostatectomy

A new type of penile traction therapy (PTT) device can increase penile length and preserve erectile function in men who have undergone prostate cancer surgery (prostatectomy), reports a clinical trial in The Journal of Urology®, Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA).

1 Jun 2021

Scientists explain possible causes of anaphylaxis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

New research from a team of scientists at the Centre for Research in Molecular Modeling, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University in Canada, has aimed to determine the potential causes of anaphylaxis or allergic reactions reported in some individuals after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, including the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

1 Jun 2021

Moffitt Cancer Center presents new data from dozens of clinical research studies at ASCO

Moffitt Cancer Center, a national leader in cancer care and research and the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center based in Florida, is presenting new data from dozens of clinical research studies at this year's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the world's largest clinical cancer research meeting.

1 Jun 2021

Antibody cocktail effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in the rhesus macaque model

Researchers from the US tested the prophylactic potential of a combination of 2 mAbs administered 3 or 75 days before respiratory challenge in rhesus macaques. They used the rhesus macaque model to test the added benefit of combinatory parenteral administration of 2 high-affinity anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs - C144-LS and C135-LS. These mAbs were developed to neutralize the virus and tweaked to improve their pharmacokinetics.

1 Jun 2021

ALG-097111 potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in Syrian Hamster model in vivo

A team of researchers from the US and Belgium applied a structure-based approach with early monitoring of cathepsin L inhibition along with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibition. They identified a potent and selective SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitor, ALG-097111, which has proven activity against SARS-CoV-2 in SARS-CoV-2 hamster models in vivo. This study is published in the journal, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.

1 Jun 2021

FDA approves investigational monoclonal antibody therapy sotrovimab for COVID-19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light on the investigational monoclonal antibody therapy, sotrovimab, as a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment.

1 Jun 2021

Using Sotrovimab to treat COVID-19 early

A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server hypothesized that a monoclonal antibody that has the capability to neutralize all sarbecoviruses could also be used to target a highly conserved epitope. This conserved sequence has a high probability of remaining unchanged in SARS-CoV-2 variants.

31 May 2021

Report on the effectiveness of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines in Canada

The report has recently been published on the preprint server medRxiv* by Kwong et al. (May 28th, 2021) and focused on the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, confirming the supposed greater efficacy in preventing infection or severe outcomes following the administration of two doses.

31 May 2021

Diabetes remission diet can provide blood pressure control, reduce the need for anti-hypertensive drugs

New research has shown that if people achieve and maintain substantial weight loss to manage their type 2 diabetes, many can also effectively control their high blood pressure and stop or cut down on their anti-hypertensive medication.

31 May 2021

Researchers repurpose pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV antibody to develop potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the United States has recently engineered a pre-existing anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) neutralizing antibody to increase its binding affinity for the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The engineered antibody demonstrates high potency in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 and preventing infection in animals.

31 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants partially escape humoral immunity, but not T cells responses, study finds

Researchers at the Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Amsterdam UMC, and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University studied humoral and cellular immune responses to the wild type SARS-CoV-2, the B.1.1.7 variant (U.K. variant) and the B.1.351 variant (South African variant) in health care workers vaccinated with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA vaccine.

31 May 2021

Researchers identify defensins as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

A recent study conducted at the Ohio State University, USA, and the Fudan University, China, has revealed that alpha-defensin human neutrophil peptide 1 (HNP1), a cationic antimicrobial peptide, can prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from infecting cells by destabilizing the viral spike protein and disrupting spike-mediated viral envelop – host cell membrane fusion.

31 May 2021

Reusing old vaccines to boost innate immunity against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccine is currently the best form of protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants. But a new perspective article published in the journal PNAS suggests it’s not the panacea to stopping SARS-CoV-2.

31 May 2021

FDA approves targeted therapy for tumors with KRAS mutations

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lumakras (sotorasib) as the first treatment for adult patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have a specific type of genetic mutation called KRAS G12C and who have received at least one prior systemic therapy.

29 May 2021

Kinase inhibitors could provide an effective way to treat high-risk leukaemia

Australian scientists have found what could prove to be a new and effective way to treat a particularly aggressive blood cancer in children.

29 May 2021

Efficacy News and Research

Mice study shows that Western diet can lead to NASH, liver fibrosis

Researchers identify kite-shaped molecules that block SARS-CoV-2 cell entry after attachment

Conversations in social media platform can provide new way to communicate about vaccine efficacy

SWOG researchers to present practice-changing research at virtual ASCO 2021

Implantable device more effective at detecting atrial fibrillation than standard of care

New device can increase penile length and preserve erectile function in men after prostatectomy

Scientists explain possible causes of anaphylaxis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

Moffitt Cancer Center presents new data from dozens of clinical research studies at ASCO

Antibody cocktail effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in the rhesus macaque model

ALG-097111 potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in Syrian Hamster model in vivo

FDA approves investigational monoclonal antibody therapy sotrovimab for COVID-19

Using Sotrovimab to treat COVID-19 early

Report on the effectiveness of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines in Canada

Diabetes remission diet can provide blood pressure control, reduce the need for anti-hypertensive drugs

Researchers repurpose pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV antibody to develop potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 variants partially escape humoral immunity, but not T cells responses, study finds

Researchers identify defensins as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

Reusing old vaccines to boost innate immunity against COVID-19

FDA approves targeted therapy for tumors with KRAS mutations

Kinase inhibitors could provide an effective way to treat high-risk leukaemia

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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