Immunization News and Research

RSS

A biomaterial vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 - quick and scalable

A recent 'tour-de-force' research endeavor, led by scientists from Harvard University, explored the propensity of a biomaterial vaccine based on mesoporous silica rods to spawn highly protective humoral responses against relevant antigens of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

8 Jul 2020

ACS publishes updated guideline for HPV vaccination

The American Cancer Society has updated its guideline for HPV vaccination, adapting a 2019 update from the Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

8 Jul 2020

New technology can rapidly disrupt existing biofilms that account for chronic diseases

Chronic and recurrent bacterial diseases are treatment-resistant due to the ability of the pathogens to establish biofilms, which act as fortresses built of extracellular DNA and proteins to protect populations of the bacteria.

8 Jul 2020

Research suggests protective effect of influenza vaccine against COVID-19 severity and mortality

A new study involving over 92,000 patients with COVID-19 in Brazil shows that the odds of severe disease, ventilatory support requirement, and death are reduced with a recent trivalent flu vaccine. This seems to indicate that these vaccines should be used as widely as possible to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, especially among high-risk groups. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020.

5 Jul 2020

Novavax SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows promise in animal models

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 shows that a candidate spike protein vaccine can induce neutralizing antibodies, antiviral T cell responses, and protection against infection.

2 Jul 2020

Coronavirus immunity is higher than previously thought, study finds

Now, a team of researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden has found that the number of people immune to COVID-10 may be higher than previously thought, and that antibody testing may no longer be the appropriate tool to trace it.

1 Jul 2020

Important new findings on T cell immunity in COVID-19

Researchers at the Karolinska University Hospital and University Hospital of Wales report that people who have recovered from asymptomatic or mild cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may have long-term T-cell immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

1 Jul 2020

Hollowed-out public health system faces more cuts amid virus

The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century.

1 Jul 2020

HPV vaccine policies may lead to higher vaccination rates, reduce cancer rates

A UCLA-led study has found that in 2 of 3 states and jurisdictions with policies that require students entering school to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, vaccination rates among 13-to-17-year-olds were significantly higher than in surrounding states without such policies.

30 Jun 2020

First clinical trial in South Africa for Covid-19 vaccine begins

The first clinical trial in South Africa and on the continent for a Covid-19 vaccine was announced today, 23 June 2020, at a virtual press conference hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits).

23 Jun 2020

Single-dose Israeli vaccine candidate protective against SARS-CoV-2

Now, a new Israeli study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports a new recombinant vaccine expressing the S or spike protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to be highly protective with a single dose in an animal model. This could be a gamechanger in the fight to contain the outbreak.

23 Jun 2020

Reassuring news on the Oxford vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2

A new paper from the UK vaccine research group, currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server, reveals that a single dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) can induce antigen-specific antibody and T cells responses against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and a booster shot additionally enhances antibody production with an increase in neutralizing titers – particularly in pigs.

22 Jun 2020

AFFiRiS AG announces results of phase 1 trial with PD01A in Parkinson's

AFFiRiS AG, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel disease-modifying specific active immunotherapies (SAITs), today announced that detailed results of the phase 1 clinical program with its lead candidate PD01 in early Parkinson's disease (PD) patients were published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Neurology.

18 Jun 2020

Novel SARS-CoV-2 antibody cocktail impeccably mimics human antibody response

By using both humanized mice and convalescent patients, the researchers from the US and Singapore successfully generated non-competing and highly potent monoclonal antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein that could potentially be combined to form antibody cocktails. Their groundbreaking paper is published in the leading research journal Science.

18 Jun 2020

Tuberculosis and polio vaccines may offer temporary protection against SARS-CoV-2

As the world grapples with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, scientists race to develop an effective vaccine to protect against the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus. While potential vaccines are still being developed and tested, researchers propose that existing vaccines could give the immune system a temporary boost to ward off infection.

14 Jun 2020

Females mount stronger T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 shows that immune cells, antibody levels, cytokine levels, and viral loads contribute to the sex difference seen in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

10 Jun 2020

Scientists investigate immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike immunogens

The coronavirus pandemic is actively spreading across the globe, with millions of people infected. Amid the global health crisis, scientists race to develop an effective vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

10 Jun 2020

Convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 is safe and effective

A new systematic review available on medRxiv preprint server shows that using convalescent plasma in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is well-tolerated and may prompt the clearance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as decrease disease severity; however, these effects are more pronounced in younger patients.

9 Jun 2020

Census of viral spike protein antigens could benefit development of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics

A group of researchers has determined how different proteins associated with SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - generate immune responses when given to rabbits as immunizations.

8 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