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Revolutionary blood test monitors gene expression dynamics in the brain

The brain is the most protected organ in the body, sheathed in a complex and nearly impenetrable barrier of specialized blood vessels.

11 Jan 2024

New nasal vaccine for COVID-19 shows promise in animal studies

A team of University of Maryland researchers developed a nasal spray vaccine that delivers the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into cells of the airway in mice and hamsters, triggering an immune response that significantly reduced infection and spread of COVID-19.

6 Nov 2023

Study suggests SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy induces diverging maternal and infant cord antibody functions

Researchers explored the differences in infant and maternal cord antibody functions between SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination during pregnancy.

4 May 2023

New study suggests broad neutralizing antibody could provide three years of COVID protection

In a recent article published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers showed that a novel, lab-engineered monoclonal antibody (mAb), adintrevimab conferred up to 50% protection against symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Furthermore, it demonstrated this exceptional efficacy in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)–naïve individuals even at titers as low as 1:30.

27 Mar 2023

Disruption of the FcRn–IgG interaction may make AAV-based gene therapies effective

The use of a monoclonal antibody that reduced circulating IgG levels, led to a decrease in preexisting neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) to adeno-associated virus (AAV).

22 Mar 2023

Researcher contextualizes a study on IgG4 anti-Spike levels after repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination

A researchers emphasized the need to reconsider mRNA COVID-19 vaccination strategies in the future,

9 Feb 2023

Vaccination against pertussis in pregnancy and outstanding scientific questions

A recent paper published in Vaccines summarized the data presented and the discussions in the meeting regarding pertussis vaccination in pregnancy (ViP).

2 Dec 2022

Combination of multi-specificity and antibody avidity enhances protection against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, an international team of researchers leveraged the human light chain apoferritin protomer-derived MULTI-specific, multi-Affinity antibody (Multabody, MB) platform for the generation of broad and potent SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)-neutralizing antibodies (Abs).

27 Oct 2022

Antibody-mediated protection against symptomatic COVID achieved at low serum neutralizing titers

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers in the United States assessed the efficiency of protection mediated by antibodies against symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at low serum-neutralizing titers.

24 Oct 2022

Nasal spray highly effective against HIV and SARS-CoV-2 in animal models

The intranasal delivery of amph-protein vaccines is a potential approach to elicit a mucosal immune response against many infectious diseases.

26 Jul 2022

Topologically designed antibody candidates for SARS-CoV-2 and cancer therapies

A recent study presented topologically engineered fragment crystallizable-fusion proteins and antibodies as therapeutic options for diseases like human coronaviruses infections and cancers.

25 Mar 2022

Protective immunity signatures provided by convalescent plasma for the development of COVID-19 antibody therapeutics

Researchers conducted a comprehensive and systematic analysis of functional SARS-CoV-2 antibody profiles in a controlled randomized trial of severe COVID-19 hospitalized individuals treated with COVID-19 CCP.

25 Feb 2022

Primary responses to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 naïve vaccinees

Researchers evaluated primary responses in SARS-CoV-2-naïve vaccinees, as well as secondary responses in the SARS-CoV-2-infected vaccines, and observed a clear set of differences in their clinical symptoms, antibody levels, and cellular and mucosal immune responses.

17 Dec 2021

Sexually dimorphic placental antibody transfer during SARS-CoV-2 infection

In a paper recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine by Bordt et al. (October 19th, 2021), maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections are studied with particular regard to maternal-fetal antibody transfer and virus-induced placental interferon responses, finding a sexually dimorphic response that results in lesser antibody transfer to the male fetus.

26 Oct 2021

How pregnancy influences SARS-CoV-2 immune response

A focus article published in Science Translational Medicine highlighted two recently published studies that investigated the response of pregnant women to natural infections and COVID-19 vaccines.

25 Oct 2021

Multivalent antibodies show high potency against SARS-CoV-2 in new study

A new study in the journal Nature Communications describes the process of converting a SARS-CoV-2 antibody into a multivalent form, thus enabling it to bind at various different points with its epitope.

21 Jun 2021

Male fetuses impair the maternal and placental immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy, finds study

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is now established to be more likely to lead to symptomatic and serious illness in males relative to females. This may extend as far back as pregnancy, suggests a recent study.

31 Mar 2021

Babies can acquire allergies from their mothers in the womb

Mothers can pass on allergies to offspring while they are developing in the womb and that is one reason why babies exhibit allergies early in life, according to a Singapore preclinical study.

10 Nov 2020

MD65 IgG-YTE shows powerful post-exposure neutralization of SARS-CoV-2

A recent study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 describes a reliable animal model to demonstrate the powerful capacity of human neutralizing mAbs directed against SARS-CoV-2 to prevent viral binding the host cell receptor and thus block infection. This indicates the lifesaving value of mAbs in severe COVID-19.

29 Oct 2020

UMD researchers connect a protein to antibody immunity for the first time

Human cytomegalovirus may not be a household name as far as viruses go, but according to Xiaoping Zhu, professor and chair in Veterinary Medicine at UMD, half of the population walking around campus is likely to be a carrier.

10 Jul 2019