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Vaccinated mothers may pass on SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to newborns

A new study describes the first case of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detected in the cord blood of an infant born to a mother immunized with the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine three weeks earlier.

9 Feb 2021

A precursor to remdesivir shows therapeutic potential for COVID-19

A new study points to the potential to use the remdesivir precursor, GS-441524, as a treatment choice for COVID-19.

9 Feb 2021

Human-caused climate change plays key role in allergy outcomes

If you live with seasonal allergies and feel like the pollen seasons feel longer and longer every year, you may be right. New research shows that pollen seasons start 20 days earlier, are 10 days longer, and feature 21% more pollen than in 1990 - meaning more days of itchy, sneezy, drippy misery.

8 Feb 2021

New U.K. SARS-CoV-2 variant may cause more severe illness, study finds

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine revealed that the VOC 202012/01 variant is not only fast-spreading and easily transmissible but also may cause more severe illness.

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

History of vaccines offers guidance on COVID-19 prevention in pregnant women

Pregnant women, who are at increased risk of preterm birth or pregnancy loss if they develop a severe case of COVID-19, need the best possible guidance on whether they should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to an article by two UT Southwestern obstetricians published today in JAMA.

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

Bernese researchers develop a second generation lung-on-chip

The lung is a complex organ whose main function is to exchange gases. It is the largest organ in the human body and plays a key role in the oxygenation of all the organs.

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

Is a ten day isolation period for COVID-19 patients long enough?

In a new study researchers at the Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, reported that mild COVID-19 patients can still be infectious at day 10 from the illness onset, even in the absence of symptoms.

8 Feb 2021

Furin cleavage SARS-CoV-2 spike deletions mostly suppressed within infected airway epithelium, says study

A team of researchers recently examined the SARS-CoV-2 transcriptome and the dynamics of the S gene furin cleavage site in primary human airway epithelia.

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

Research from Israel shows mRNA vaccine is ~50% effective in reducing severe cases

In a report published on the pre-print server medRxiv, researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Trento, and the Racah Institute of Physics suggest that the shape of the outbreak in patients over 60 years old has changed because of the vaccinations.

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