Omicron News and Research

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Real-world effectiveness of the bivalent vaccine for preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations in non-hospitalized subjects

Researchers investigated the efficacy of a booster dose of the bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in preventing severe outcomes during SARS-CoV-2 infections.

11 Jan 2023

Spike protein mutations in Omicron subvariants increase their susceptibility to reductive cleavage of disulfide bonds

Researchers discovered that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is susceptible to cleavage at the disulfide bonds, and the vulnerability to reductive cleavage varies across variants, with the Omicron variant family being highly susceptible to reduction.

10 Jan 2023

Study explores incidence, severity, and long COVID associations of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections

Researchers used electronic health records to characterize the incidence, biomarkers, attributes, and severity of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections and evaluated the association between reinfections and long coronavirus disease (COVID).

10 Jan 2023

Profound immune escape by SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1 even after 4 vaccine doses

In a recent correspondence published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, researchers in Germany assessed the neutralization sensitivity of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) XBB.1 lineage.

9 Jan 2023

Compounds derived from B.C. sea sponge can prevent COVID-19 infection in human cells

UBC researchers have identified three compounds that prevent COVID-19 infection in human cells, derived from natural sources including a B.C. sea sponge.

9 Jan 2023

Researchers study the spatial distribution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 variant in England

Researchers performed a genomic assessment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant’s BA.1 subvariant transmission in England.

9 Jan 2023

Incidence rates and characteristics associated with medically attended COVID-19 episodes among infants younger than 6 months

A recent study estimated the overall incidence rates of medically attended SARS-CoV-2 infection among infants.

9 Jan 2023

Study reveals poor immunity against SARS-CoV-2 BQ.1.1 and XBB mutants in Norway

Researchers conducted a seroprevalence study in the general population of Norway, evaluating immunity against multiple subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron, including XBB and BQ.1.1 mutants.

9 Jan 2023

Research suggests people on rheumatoid arthritis drugs show weaker response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Researchers conducted a comparative study among a cohort of individuals on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapies vis-à-vis healthy controls to assess their responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines.

9 Jan 2023

Is universal coronavirus immunity possible?

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers at Columbia University characterized reciprocal and non-reciprocal T-cell responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

8 Jan 2023

New research on nirmatrelvir resistance in SARS-CoV-2 using powerful replicon cell culture systems

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers at Emory University used severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Washington (WA.1) and Omicron (BA.1) strains to test for mutations that could result in resistance to the antiviral drug nirmatrelvir.

8 Jan 2023

COVID-19 vaccine potency and breadth improved by nanoparticle-conjugated adjuvants

In a recent study posted to bioRxiv*, researchers designed a nanoparticle (NP)-conjugated toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist to improve the adjuvanticity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines.

8 Jan 2023

Does the duration between SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination affect immunity?

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University assessed the impact of the duration between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and vaccination on immunity against infection.

8 Jan 2023

New model for detecting and estimating pathogen variant dynamics and risk

A recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server developed a hierarchical modeling method to estimate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant fitness advantage and prevalence.

8 Jan 2023

Pan-vaccine antigen strategy confers protection against cross-clade SARS-CoV-2 variants, including vaccine-resistant Omicron variants

Researchers developed a novel pan-vaccine antigen (Span)-based subunit vaccine against COVID-19.

6 Jan 2023

SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron transmission within educational settings in relation to community-based outbreaks and mitigation measures

Researchers assessed whether school closures during COVID-19 outbreaks prevented viral transmission in Australia.

6 Jan 2023

Hybrid immunity confers increased protection against omicron BA.5 for up to 8 months

Study in the population living in Portugal shows that immunity conferred by infection of people vaccinated against COVID-19 confers up to 8 months of protection against omicron BA.5.

6 Jan 2023

Study shows XBB.1.5 exhibits a substantially higher hACE2-binding affinity compared to BQ.1.1 and XBB/XBB.1

Researchers investigated the reasons for the rapid advent of SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5, a sublineage of the Omicron recombinant mutant XBB in the USA.

6 Jan 2023

Seroprevalence study demonstrates vaccination could boost impaired humoral immunity against Omicron BQ.1.1 subvariant

Researchers conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional seroprevalence study in emergency departments of five hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between August and September 2022. They assessed point seroprevalence and neutralization activity against Wu01, BA.4/5, and BQ.1.1.

5 Jan 2023

Study shows angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 decoy protein as a promising anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent

Researchers presented a microbody recombinant decoy protein with high affinity to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as an option for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment.

5 Jan 2023

Omicron News and Research

Real-world effectiveness of the bivalent vaccine for preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations in non-hospitalized subjects

Spike protein mutations in Omicron subvariants increase their susceptibility to reductive cleavage of disulfide bonds

Study explores incidence, severity, and long COVID associations of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections

Profound immune escape by SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1 even after 4 vaccine doses

Compounds derived from B.C. sea sponge can prevent COVID-19 infection in human cells

Researchers study the spatial distribution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 variant in England

Incidence rates and characteristics associated with medically attended COVID-19 episodes among infants younger than 6 months

Study reveals poor immunity against SARS-CoV-2 BQ.1.1 and XBB mutants in Norway

Research suggests people on rheumatoid arthritis drugs show weaker response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Is universal coronavirus immunity possible?

New research on nirmatrelvir resistance in SARS-CoV-2 using powerful replicon cell culture systems

COVID-19 vaccine potency and breadth improved by nanoparticle-conjugated adjuvants

Does the duration between SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination affect immunity?

New model for detecting and estimating pathogen variant dynamics and risk

Pan-vaccine antigen strategy confers protection against cross-clade SARS-CoV-2 variants, including vaccine-resistant Omicron variants

SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron transmission within educational settings in relation to community-based outbreaks and mitigation measures

Hybrid immunity confers increased protection against omicron BA.5 for up to 8 months

Study shows XBB.1.5 exhibits a substantially higher hACE2-binding affinity compared to BQ.1.1 and XBB/XBB.1

Seroprevalence study demonstrates vaccination could boost impaired humoral immunity against Omicron BQ.1.1 subvariant

Study shows angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 decoy protein as a promising anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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