Assay News and Research

RSS

Vela Diagnostics' coronavirus PCR test receives Emergency Use Authorization from FDA

Vela Diagnostics announced that the manual version of its coronavirus PCR test has obtained Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

6 Aug 2020

Fujirebio announces launch of clinical testing for new SARS-CoV-2 Antigen assay

Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of H.U. Group Holdings, Inc, announced today the initiation of clinical testing needed for the submission of its new SARS-CoV-2 Antigen assay for EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

6 Aug 2020

Sanford Burnham Prebys receives NIH grant to identify new therapies for mental disorders

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute has been awarded a $4.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify new therapies for mental health disorders.

6 Aug 2020

Fast, cheap and easy COVID-19 test from Yale

As a result, a new study by Yale University researchers and published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that a new saliva test named SalivaDirect simplifies the test approach, avoids invasive samples collection, and the need for trained personnel to collect specimens.

6 Aug 2020

A SARS-CoV-2 assay using plant proteins

Researchers in South Africa have developed a serological assay that readily detects antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using recombinant viral proteins produced in plants.

5 Aug 2020

Picomolar inhibitors to SARS-CoV-2 proteins

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 reports the development of mini-inhibitors based on computational design, that are suitable for such topical use.

4 Aug 2020

Specifically designed cyclic peptide inhibitor shown to be active against SARS-CoV-2

A new bioRxiv study by a research group from the University of California Irvine shows in vitro activity and non-toxicity of the first-in-class cyclic peptide that inhibits the main protease of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – laying the groundwork for its use in the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

4 Aug 2020

Study shows high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, but low death rate in Malawi's health care workers

A study by researchers from Malawi and United Kingdom reveals a significant discrepancy between predicted coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortality in the observed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence rates in health care workers and reported deaths in urban Malawi in southeastern Africa, indicating early exposure, but a slow progression of the outbreak. Their findings are currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

3 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

Pre-COVID-19 coronavirus antibodies fail to neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in Austria have shown that antibodies with potent neutralizing activity against a well-established seasonal coronavirus had no neutralizing activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

2 Aug 2020

Synthetic riboregulators detect SARS-CoV-2 genome parts in 40 minutes

By exploiting the tools of synthetic biology, the researchers from Turkey have successfully developed a de novo riboregulator system for rapidly detecting the presence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomic material. Their paper is currently available on medRxiv preprint server.

2 Aug 2020

NIH invests $248.7 million in new COVID-19 testing technologies to meet U.S. demand

The National Institutes of Health is investing $248.7 million in new technologies to address challenges associated with COVID-19 testing (which detects SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus).

31 Jul 2020

A cheaper and rapid pooling strategy for RT-PCR-based detection of SARS-CoV-2

In a report in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, researchers at Augusta University and PerkinElmer Genomics describe a cheaper, rapid, and accurate pooling strategy for the RT-PCR-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples.

31 Jul 2020

New simple way of detecting COVID-19 in blood plasma

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic claims increasing numbers of patients, testing numbers are rising in most nations at the leading edge. However, the current reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) testing is often unavailable and takes up to several days for results to arrive.

31 Jul 2020

War of sugars - estrogen provides protection in COVID-19

Now a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports that sex hormones could affect the function of the fusion protein that is dependent upon the human ACE2 receptor, thus preventing the entry of the virus into the host cell.

31 Jul 2020

Scientists develop a blood test that can spot Alzheimer's disease early

Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease, and there is still no way to treat it. Many cases of the condition are diagnosed when the disease has already progressed, making it difficult to manage. Now, researchers have developed a new test that can spot Alzheimer's disease early on.

30 Jul 2020

Antimalarial drug shows in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 and flu viruses

Now, a new study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports on the antiviral activity of two drugs found in an antimalarial drug currently in phase II trials in South Korea, called Pyramax.

30 Jul 2020

Study finds synthetic neutralizing/enhancing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports the discovery of some antibody molecules that have powerful enhancing or neutralizing activity against the virus, in a library of synthetic antibodies. These hold the promise of being useful for the prevention or treatment of this illness.

30 Jul 2020

Iota-carrageenan from red seaweed inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory conditions

In a recent bioRxiv paper, a research group from the Marinomed Biotech biopharmaceutical company in Austria showed that a sulfated polysaccharide iota-carrageenan has the propensity to inhibit cell entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by using an in vitro neutralization assay.

29 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 exposure five times more likely among Black and Hispanic pregnant women

Black and Hispanic pregnant women in Philadelphia are five times as likely as white and Asian women to have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to a new study led by Scott Hensley, PhD, an associate professor of Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Karen Marie Puopolo, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Pediatrics and neonatologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The study was published today in Science Immunology.

29 Jul 2020