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Retinal scans may provide an early sign of Alzheimer's disease

While it has been said that the eyes are a window to the soul, a new study shows they could be a means for understanding diseases of the brain.

17 May 2021

Antibody to SARS-CoV-2 inhibits complement hyperactivation

Although several monoclonal antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have been developed and clinically tested, little is known about antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein. In a paper published recently in the journal Nature Communications, researchers report a human monoclonal antibody that targets the nucleocapsid protein.

17 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp2 structure revealed by cryo-EM and AI

Researchers in the United States analyzed the non-structural protein 2 (Nsp2) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in order to better understand its function and to guide future drug discovery. The research paper is currently available on bioRxiv* preprint server.

16 May 2021

Phase 2 trial shows INO-4800 SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine safe and tolerable in adults

Preliminary clinical trial results from an ongoing Phase 2/3 trial led by Laurent M. Humeau of Inovio Pharmaceuticals suggest the two-dose INO-4800 vaccine is safe for use in adults of varying ages. The results expand on phase 1 trial results that found the vaccine was safe and tolerable in 38 participants.

16 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled the double mutant B.1.617 variant — first discovered in India —a variant of concern for its high transmission rate and ability to evade immune responses. New research posted to the preprint server bioRxiv finds B.1.617 can modestly reduce neutralizing antibody responses generated from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

16 May 2021

Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines induce robust T cell response against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing the efficacy of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at eliciting a robust T cell response against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 May 2021

Enhanced version of CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine could help address supply shortages

Researchers in Germany have demonstrated the preclinical effectiveness of a next-generation coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine at enhancing antibody responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

16 May 2021

Researchers identify new compound that may prevent cardiac arrhythmia risk from common drugs

Dozens of commonly used drugs, including antibiotics, antinausea and anticancer medications, have a potential side effect of lengthening the electrical event that triggers contraction, creating an irregular heartbeat, or cardiac arrhythmia called acquired Long QT syndrome.

14 May 2021

Unique pre-clinical model enables study of HIV infection and testing of new therapies

A team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Children's National Hospital has developed a unique pre-clinical model that enables the study of long-term HIV infection, and the testing of new therapies aimed at curing the disease.

14 May 2021

Supercarriers: Just 2% of SARS-CoV-2 positive people carry 90% of the virus

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the vast majority of the viral load in a community at any given point is present in a very small minority of the infected population, underlining the vast differences in viral loads between individuals.

14 May 2021

Do labels on commercial kefir products report microbial levels correctly?

A recent study in the journal JDS Communications reports the results of an analysis of five brands of kefir on the US market, indicating the need for stricter regulation of this field.

14 May 2021

A SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits broad immunity

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint research paper, M. Gordon Joyce et al. designed engineered nanoparticle immunogens that recapitulate the structural and antigenic properties of prefusion Spike (S), S1 and receptor-binding domain (RBD). They demonstrated that these immunogens induced robust S-binding, ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme)-inhibition, and authentic and pseudovirus neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in mice.

13 May 2021

Three-way strategy employed by SARS-CoV-2 during infection

The study, published in the journal Nature, reveals a multi-pronged strategy that the virus employs to ensure its quick and efficient replication while evading the immune system. The study elucidated how the virus can quickly, in a matter of hours, take over the cell's protein-making machinery and parallelly neutralize the cell's antiviral signaling, thus delaying and muddling the immune response.

13 May 2021

Antibodies generated by malaria cross-react with SARS-CoV-2

An international team of researchers has warned that individuals with acute malaria infection generate high levels of antibodies that cross-react with the viral spike protein of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 May 2021

Certain immune cells unexpectedly change their behavior to cause psoriasis lesions

Millions of people suffer from psoriasis, a chronic, autoimmune disorder that causes scaly patches on the skin and often precedes psoriatic arthritis. While no cure exists, treatments range from topical creams to injected medications that block inflammation.

13 May 2021

Immunity developed by SARS-CoV-2 infection can protect against E484K variants, suggests study

A team of scientists from Japan has recently investigated the neutralizing potency of convalescent sera against currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants with multiple spike mutations.

13 May 2021

Phosphatidic acid is a key common substrate for hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2 replication

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, focuses on the lipid molecule called phosphatidic acid (PA), showing its crucial role in the replication of this virus, and thus its potential as a target for therapeutic intervention.

13 May 2021

Designer SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine produces dramatically improved antibody response in preclinical trials

The importance of computational modeling in the prediction of the course of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as evaluating multiple potential drug leads, has never been more clear. Now, a new study describes a set of designer vaccine antigens that may improve vaccine stability as well as enhance the neutralizing antibody response.

13 May 2021

UMD receives new funding to stop infection from Lyme disease pathogens before it begins

The University of Maryland received new funding from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation to develop novel therapeutic strategies that have the potential to stop infection from Lyme disease pathogens before it begins.

13 May 2021

Study reports new monoclonal antibodies with broad neutralizing capabilities against betacoronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2)

In a paper published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers report new monoclonal antibodies that target the S2 subunit and that have broad neutralization activity against several betacoronaviruses.

13 May 2021

Protein C News and Research

Retinal scans may provide an early sign of Alzheimer's disease

Antibody to SARS-CoV-2 inhibits complement hyperactivation

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp2 structure revealed by cryo-EM and AI

Phase 2 trial shows INO-4800 SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine safe and tolerable in adults

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines induce robust T cell response against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Enhanced version of CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine could help address supply shortages

Researchers identify new compound that may prevent cardiac arrhythmia risk from common drugs

Unique pre-clinical model enables study of HIV infection and testing of new therapies

Supercarriers: Just 2% of SARS-CoV-2 positive people carry 90% of the virus

Do labels on commercial kefir products report microbial levels correctly?

A SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits broad immunity

Three-way strategy employed by SARS-CoV-2 during infection

Antibodies generated by malaria cross-react with SARS-CoV-2

Certain immune cells unexpectedly change their behavior to cause psoriasis lesions

Immunity developed by SARS-CoV-2 infection can protect against E484K variants, suggests study

Phosphatidic acid is a key common substrate for hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2 replication

Designer SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine produces dramatically improved antibody response in preclinical trials

UMD receives new funding to stop infection from Lyme disease pathogens before it begins

Study reports new monoclonal antibodies with broad neutralizing capabilities against betacoronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2)

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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