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New study highlights the credibility of registered clinical trials

In a time when we have to rely on clinical trials for COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) brings good news about the credibility of registered clinical trials.

5 Jun 2020

Antiviral effects for COVID-19: Early is better

A new study by an international team of researchers and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 describes the possible reasons for inconsistent or null findings in clinical studies of antiviral drugs to date. It proposes a new approach to decide the sample size in light of its findings.

5 Jun 2020

Trial results show efficacy of netakimab for treating moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis

Netakimab is a humanized anti-interleukin 17A antibody approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

5 Jun 2020

U.K. doctors test lipid ibuprofen as COVID-19 treatment

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Ibuprofen is being tested as a potential treatment for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Doctors in the United Kingdom rolled out a clinical trial of the everyday painkiller to see if it reduces respiratory failure in patients experiencing severe COVID-19 disease.

4 Jun 2020

Assessing the integrity of remdesivir clinical trial during COVID-19 pandemic

As acknowledged in the first remdesivir double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial addressing treatment for COVID-19 recently published in Lancet (Wang, et al., April 29, 2020), a statistician at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey was called on to guard the integrity of that trial.

4 Jun 2020

Designing a prototype spike protein vaccine for SARS-CoV-2

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the development of a prototype vaccine containing multiple antigenic sites, based on the spike protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic. If successful, this could lead to the development of an effective, non-allergenic vaccine that induces both humoral and cellular immunity.

4 Jun 2020

Intranasal delivery of MSC-EVs shows promise for treating Alzheimer's disease

In the search for a cure for Alzheimer's disease, mesenchymal stem cells and their derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) offer much promise, thanks to their protective and anti-inflammatory properties.

4 Jun 2020

Immune responsive nanoparticles for COVID-19 vaccine delivery

Analytik reports how the renowned Quadram Institute has invested in a ZetaView Nanoparticle Tracking Analyser to help them develop a new approach for vaccine delivery based on engineering the natural ability of resident gut bacteria to generate nanoparticle sized Outer Membrane Vesicles.

From Analytik Ltd 4 Jun 2020

World’s first study of potential antibody therapy to fight COVID-19 begins in humans

Eli Lilly and Company today announced patients have been dosed in the world’s first study of a potential antibody treatment designed to fight COVID-19.

4 Jun 2020

Pre-clinical data for Celltrion’s antiviral antibody treatment shows 100-fold reduction in viral load of SARS-CoV-2

Celltrion Group today announced positive pre-clinical results for its COVID-19 antiviral antibody treatment, with data demonstrating a 100-fold reduction in the viral load of SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19.

4 Jun 2020

Health care providers urged to stop hydroxycholoroquine use for COVID-19

The sacred oath taken by physicians during graduation from medical school to "First do no harm," the first words of the Hippocratic Oath, provides a strong impetus for a commentary just published in The American Journal of Medicine.

4 Jun 2020

Trastuzumab emtansine as a preferred second-line choice after horizontal dual blockade

Volume 11, Issue 22 of Oncotarget reported that despite relevant medical advancements, metastatic breast cancer remains an incurable disease.

3 Jun 2020

Convalescent plasma therapy improves outcomes in majority of COVID-19 patients

First peer-reviewed publication on US trial results from Houston Methodist published in The American Journal of Pathology

3 Jun 2020

Mini tumors predict how cancer responds to heat treatment

Hyperthermia has shown promise in the treatment of cancer in previous studies. Now, in a new study by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, the researchers tested the effects of a combination of heat and radiation on mini tumors grown in a spheroid, where cells are placed in a three-dimensional structure. The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

3 Jun 2020

Cone snail venom produces new type of insulin

Diabetes is a global health issue affecting millions. In 2014, there were 422 million diabetics, compared to 108 million in 1989. The condition can be treated with diet, physical activity, medicines like synthetic insulin injections, and regular screening.

3 Jun 2020

Study shows Sofosbuvir alleviates COVID-19-related neurological symptoms

A group of researchers has studied the effects of an antiviral drug Sofosbuvir on human brain organoids infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

2 Jun 2020

New advance addresses a big challenge with using CRISPR in cancer patients

A mutation unique to certain cancer tumors is a potential homing beacon for safely deploying CRISPR gene editing enzymes to disarm DNA that makes cancer cells resistant to treatment, while ignoring the gene in normal cells where it's critical to healthy function, according to a new study from ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute in the journal Molecular Cancer Research.

2 Jun 2020