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FDA issues guidance for medical product developers to address the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued guidances for medical product developers, specifically covering vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics products, to address the emergence and potential future emergence of variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

22 Feb 2021

An overview of spike protein antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidates

A new paper in the journal Reviews in Medical Virology provides a perspective on current vaccine development strategies and tools, which may allow the production of safe and effective vaccines.

22 Feb 2021

Some nutritional supplements may help prevent or mitigate COVID-19 severity

A new study in the Journal of dietary supplements shows that nutritional supplements, including several vitamins and the mineral zinc, may be useful in preventing the infection or reducing its severity if caught.

22 Feb 2021

Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

News-Medical speaks to Professor Robert Bragg about disinfectants and how they could be helping bacteria to become resistant.

22 Feb 2021

Mucosal delivery of IFNs a good strategy for COVID-19 prophylaxis post-exposure

Researchers from the UK and Germany recently reported a comprehensive characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 response of human nasal epithelial cells, revealing a response dominated by IFN-I/IIIs. Also, recombinant IFN-I/III treatment was found to efficiently block the replication of SARS-CoV-2, which suggests that mucosal delivery of IFNs may be a good strategy for prophylaxis post-exposure.

22 Feb 2021

Cissampelos pareira L. extracts demonstrate anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

A team of scientists from India has recently investigated the antiviral potency of a traditional medicinal plant Cissampelos pareira L. in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The findings reveal that both whole-plant extracts and bioactive compounds can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication by modulating estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) activity.

21 Feb 2021

Study shows real-world effectiveness of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the recently approved Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines at protecting against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21 Feb 2021

Researchers test the therapeutic efficacy of potential COVID-19 interventions in mouse models

Aarthi Narayanan, Associate Professor, and Lance Liotta, Co-Director, Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, are conducting three studies to assess the therapeutic efficacy of candidate interventions for COVID-19 in mouse models.

20 Feb 2021

Interval between doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine can be safely extended to 3 months, suggests study

A 3-month interval between doses of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine results in higher vaccine efficacy than a 6-week interval, with the first dose offering 76% protection in the 3 months between doses.

20 Feb 2021

Antimicrobial resistance to critical drugs spirals in low- and middle-income countries

As antibiotic use grows in lower-income countries so does antibiotic resistance, says report.

20 Feb 2021

Live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows protective efficacy in vivo

A new preprint on the bioRxiv* server describes the development of a live attenuated vaccine candidate to counter the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 Feb 2021

Chicken-derived antibody shows potent neutralizing capacity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Researchers report on a Chicken-derived antibody against SARS-CoV-2, offering preliminary data on a potential therapeutic for COVID-19 warranting further research.

19 Feb 2021

Hydrogel injection could help repair damage to the heart muscle after heart attack

Researchers at CÚRAM, the SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices based at NUI Galway, and BIOFORGE Lab, at the University of Valladolid in Spain, have developed an injectable hydrogel that could help repair and prevent further damage to the heart muscle after a heart attack event.

19 Feb 2021

Researchers use zebrafish to study cancer-immune interactions

Cancer researcher Rita Fior uses zebrafish to study human cancer. Though this may seem like an unlikely match, her work shows great promise with forthcoming applications in personalized medicine.

19 Feb 2021

How does the SARS-CoV-2 E484K mutation increase viral fitness?

How do mutations benefit SARS-CoV-2? To explore this, a team of researchers from China took a closer look at the physical interactions that occur between the proteins after viral mutation.

19 Feb 2021

Cologne University professor heads new consortium on EU vaccine research network

The European Union is funding the establishment of the new vaccine research network VACCELERATE with a total of 12 million euros for three years.

18 Feb 2021

Immune response to SARS-CoV-2 may be limited by a set of genes

Neutralizing antibodies develop within two weeks of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, but their durability and intensity can vary by individual, prompting concerns about the prospects of long-lasting immunity and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

18 Feb 2021

Combination therapy produces clinical benefit for early stage non-small cell lung cancer

The first randomized Phase II clinical trial to report on single and combined neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) found combination therapy produced a significant clinical benefit, as assessed by major pathologic response (MPR) rate, as well as enhanced tumor immune cell infiltration and immunological memory.

18 Feb 2021

Could measles virus vectors be used for a new COVID-19 vaccine?

A research team at the Institut Pasteur in France describes the successful development of such a vaccine utilizing a measles virus vector.

18 Feb 2021

UC San Diego researchers launch clinical trial to test gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have launched a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a gene therapy to deliver a key protein into the brains of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes full-blown dementia.

18 Feb 2021

Efficacy News and Research

FDA issues guidance for medical product developers to address the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants

An overview of spike protein antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidates

Some nutritional supplements may help prevent or mitigate COVID-19 severity

Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

Mucosal delivery of IFNs a good strategy for COVID-19 prophylaxis post-exposure

Cissampelos pareira L. extracts demonstrate anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

Study shows real-world effectiveness of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines

Researchers test the therapeutic efficacy of potential COVID-19 interventions in mouse models

Interval between doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine can be safely extended to 3 months, suggests study

Antimicrobial resistance to critical drugs spirals in low- and middle-income countries

Live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows protective efficacy in vivo

Chicken-derived antibody shows potent neutralizing capacity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Hydrogel injection could help repair damage to the heart muscle after heart attack

Researchers use zebrafish to study cancer-immune interactions

How does the SARS-CoV-2 E484K mutation increase viral fitness?

Cologne University professor heads new consortium on EU vaccine research network

Immune response to SARS-CoV-2 may be limited by a set of genes

Combination therapy produces clinical benefit for early stage non-small cell lung cancer

Could measles virus vectors be used for a new COVID-19 vaccine?

UC San Diego researchers launch clinical trial to test gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease

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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