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EMBL-EBI and partners launch new COVID-19 Data Portal

EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute and partners today launched the COVID-19 Data Portal, which enables the sharing and analysis of data related to the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

20 Apr 2020

A data dashboard developed to support COVID-19 tracking and response in Indiana

Regenstrief Institute and partners have developed a data dashboard to support COVID-19 tracking and response in the state of Indiana. The dashboard augments the state's existing information by providing data on patients' course of care through healthcare systems in Indiana.

20 Apr 2020

Penn Medicine launches convalescent plasma therapy trial for COVID-19 patients

Convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients -- an experimental approach of giving a transfusion of plasma collected from a donor who has recovered from COVID-19 to a patient with an active infection -- is the focus of a new two-part research initiative at Penn Medicine.

20 Apr 2020

Restrictive healthcare policies may delay diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

The introduction of policies that restrict healthcare access for visitors and migrants not entitled to free NHS care may be associated with delays in diagnosis and treatment for patients with tuberculosis (TB) who were not born in the UK, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

20 Apr 2020

Potential new therapies for multiple sclerosis

In every MS patient cells of their body's own immune system migrate to the brain, where they destroy the myelin sheath.

20 Apr 2020

New COVID-19 test is eight times faster, can help locate asymptomatic carriers

A team of Israeli researchers is using AI to develop an algorithm-based test that can speed COVID-19 testing eightfold and help locate asymptomatic carriers, funded by a grant from the Ben-Gurion University Covid-19 Effort.

20 Apr 2020

New data supports role of nitrogen dioxide in the high number of Covid-19 deaths

Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air may be associated with a high number of deaths from Covid-19. A new study by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) provides concrete data that back this assumption for the first time.

20 Apr 2020

Study shows how interactions between microbiome and the immune system contribute to liver disease

A new study by researchers in the Quadram Institute has provided insights into how interactions between gut microbes and cells of the immune system contribute to cholestatic liver disease.

20 Apr 2020

Wavelength Pharmaceuticals expands supplies of key drug ingredients for critically ill COVID-19 patients

Wavelength Pharmaceuticals, a leading supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients, today reported that it has greatly expanded production of APIs for certain pharmaceutical products needed to manage respiratory critical care patients.

20 Apr 2020

Before ‘tidal wave’ of illness, nursing home thought it had COVID-19 contained

More than 20 patients have died. Dozens more are still hospitalized. And residents who had already been sent back to a nursing home in Gallatin, Tennessee, have turned up with new cases of COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Mologic launches new lab-based COVID-19 antibody tests

Mologic Ltd, a leading developer of rapid diagnostic technologies, announced that it will begin manufacturing its laboratory diagnostic test for COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Remdesivir prevents COVID-19 progression to severe pneumonia, animal study shows

A team of scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, has tested the efficacy of remdesivir, a nucleotide analog prodrug with a broad antiviral activity, as a COVID-19 treatment.

20 Apr 2020

Poorer regions in the Philippines have more COVID-19 cases

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has dramatically affected European countries and the United States, reporting the highest number of confirmed cases. In Asia, though the number of infections gradually increases, some countries have reported high death rates, including Indonesia and the Philippines.

20 Apr 2020

Remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients using AI device

Massachusetts' Institute of Technology (MIT) at its Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has developed a device that can monitor patients with the highly infective COVID-19 remotely and thus prevent the spread of the infection to healthcare workers.

19 Apr 2020

How are the interventions against COVID-19 working in Sweden?

In a new study, Swedish researchers speculate the effects of the present intervention strategies on the healthcare system as the COVID-19 pandemic affects the nation. Their study titled, “Intervention strategies against COVID-19 and their estimated impact on Swedish healthcare capacity,” has not been published yet; however, the findings are available as pre-peer-reviewed study at medRxiv.

19 Apr 2020

Novel coronavirus mutation could spell trouble for vaccine development

New research shows that the novel coronavirus is undergoing mutations that could make it challenging to develop a vaccine against. There are a few vaccine candidates that are in the making to prevent COVID-19. With a potential for mutation, the vaccines that are being developed now may not work against the emergent mutated strains worry Taiwanese and Australian researchers. The study is titled, “Analysis of the mutation dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 reveals the spread history and emergence of 2 RBD mutant with lower ACE2 binding affinity.”

19 Apr 2020

Scientists unveil novel coronavirus variants in India

The global coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the world, affecting 185 countries and territories and infecting 2.4 million people. Now, a team of scientists aims to shed light on the variants of the novel coronavirus strains in India, showing how changes correspond to its transmission and how it causes disease.

19 Apr 2020

Research suggests Nelfinavir and Cepharanthine as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

A new study published in the journal bioRxiv in April 2020 reports the identification of a promising multidrug treatment against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for causing COVID-19 disease. The team predicts that this combination will prevent the virus from reproducing, hence both halting the transmission and progress of the disease.

19 Apr 2020

Scientists estimate fatality ratio across full spectrum of COVID-19 disease

A team of researchers from Imperial College London has conducted a study aimed at calculating a reasonably accurate case fatality ratio and infection fatality ratio, which is based on Chinese data as well as international reports. The research is published on the pre-print server MedRxiv.

19 Apr 2020

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin treatment in 80 COVID-19 patients: short-term outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading around the world and affecting nearly 2.4 million people, with over 164,000 dead so far. With neither vaccine nor proven therapeutic drug being available so far, the need of the hour is for effective treatment. Now, a new study reports the potential usefulness of a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment in mild cases of COVID-19 infection and urges the need for further evaluation and widespread use if its findings are confirmed.

19 Apr 2020