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What do we know about the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines so far?

A new study surveys what we know so far about SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates from advanced clinical trials.

27 Jan 2021

Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 protein vaccine less immunogenic but more antigenic than expected

Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server presents preliminary results of a stabilized SARS-CoV-2 pre-fusion spike protein vaccine expressed in a baculovirus system (CoV2 preS dTM), with two different adjuvant formulations.

26 Jan 2021

Researchers develop new method for charting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycosylation

Researchers develop a novel, simple and affordable method for N-glycan fingerprinting based on enzymatic fluorescent glycan labeling and electrophoresis. This new method may help us understand important changes in glycosylation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein – something which could inform future therapeutic research.

20 Jan 2021

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Now, researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom, reveal that engineered closed S constructs may be valuable immunogens that can induce neutralizing antibodies against a different pattern of epitopes. This allows for the flexibility of vaccines at both the individual and population levels.

18 Jan 2021

Modified Vaccinia Ankara model vaccine prevents COVID-19 in transgenic mice study

A new study shows the effectiveness of a novel recombinant vaccinia virus that expresses modified SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen, in preventing the replication of the virus in the respiratory tract of transgenic mice, and to prevent lethal disease.

6 Jan 2021

Long-range allosteric influences on SARS-COV-2-ACE2 stability and detachment

The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel beta-coronavirus which has numerous spike proteins on its membrane.

3 Dec 2020

N-Glycosylation sites may contribute to spike-mediated invasion by SARS-CoV-2

The sugar residues decorating the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 are essential to the viral-receptor binding.

3 Dec 2020

Modified SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain could increase vaccine efficacy, says study

A team of researchers from the USA and China have engineered a receptor-binding domain (RBD) that they claim improves the immunogenicity of multivalent SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Their study, which was released on the bioRxiv* in November 2020, may help advance even more efficacious SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates in the future.

23 Nov 2020

New process converts crustacean shells and wood waste into nutritional supplements

The shells of crustaceans and wood waste such as branches pruned from trees usually end up in landfills. These waste materials are given a new lease of life to become nutritional supplements and medicine, with the help of a novel process developed by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

30 Oct 2020

Dietary 1H-NMR “Fingerprints” Could Help Fight Against Chronic Disease

Metabolic urine profiling could provide an approach to understand what people have been eating, without them needing to tell you. Here, researchers from Imperial College London, Prof Gary Frost, Prof Elaine Holmes, and Dr. Isabel Garcia-Perez, explain why this could be invaluable to both nutritional research and individuals.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 27 Oct 2020

Phase 1 trial results of gorilla adenovirus vaccine for COVID-19

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in October 2020 reports the development of a novel vaccine based on a simian adenoviral vector obtained from a group C gorilla isolate called GRAd32. This could help speed up vaccine development.

26 Oct 2020

Sanofi Translate Bio MRT5500 COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in preclinical trials

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to come back in greater intensity during the winter and fall. Faced with this threat, vaccine development efforts are entering a phase of renewed focus, attempting to identify antigens capable of eliciting protective levels of neutralizing antibodies. A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in October 2020 reports on a novel mRNA vaccine candidate's performance in two animal models.

16 Oct 2020

Study shows how amino acids are transported across liposome and cell membranes

The transport of amino acids and other molecules across the cell's membrane plays a crucial role in the metabolism of cells and, therefore, in human health.

6 Oct 2020

Researchers receive NCI grant to study role of collagens in breast cancer

An MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher received a $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study how patterns of collagens can serve as biomarkers of breast cancer risk and potentially reveal clues to what might be driving health disparities.

1 Oct 2020

New drug candidate suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication

Researchers at Stanford University and Utah State University have developed a novel inhibitor of the coronavirus main protease (Mpro) that effectively suppresses the viral replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

17 Sep 2020

Scientists unlock crucial molecular details regarding tau's activity

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a type of dementia that appears earlier in life than Alzheimer's disease (AD).

15 Sep 2020

Single dose nasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 shows promise in animal studies

Now researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have worked on developing a candidate vaccine against the infection that could be administered in a single dose via a nasal spray rather than an injection. In their preliminary studies using lab mice, this single dose of the nasal vaccine successfully prevented the infection with the novel coronavirus.

24 Aug 2020

Speed of Novavax vaccine development does not compromise quality of the SARS-CoV-2 immunogen

A new study by researchers from the Scripps Research Institute and Novavax Inc. in the US affirms the structural integrity of the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein immunogen. It enables the interpretation of immune responses to this multivalent nanoparticle immunogen. Their results are currently available on bioRxiv preprint server.

9 Aug 2020

Stabilized prefusion spike vaccine candidate induces powerful immune response

A new research paper by scientists at Janssen Vaccines & Prevention BV, in the Netherlands and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* is based on the assumption that an effective vaccine against these infections will induce neutralizing antibodies and an immune response favoring Th1 immunity.

3 Aug 2020

Engineered SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is more stable and can generate larger yields in the lab

A team of scientists has engineered the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus - a critical component of potential COVID-19 vaccines - to be more environmentally stable and generate larger yields in the lab.

23 Jul 2020