Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

COVID-19 drug candidate with wide-ranging antiviral activity

A new study investigated the antiviral activity and mechanism of action of Brilacidin against multiple human coronaviruses.

9 Nov 2021

Non-invasive breathing support to treat COVID-19 does not pose higher risk of infection

New research has found that the use of non-invasive breathing support to treat moderate to severe COVID-19 infection, isn’t linked to a heightened infection risk, as currently thought.

9 Nov 2021

Hemin as a potential therapy for COVID-19

The current study explores the antiviral activity of HO-1 induced by hemin against SARS-CoV-2 and attempts to describe the mechanism of its anti-viral action.

8 Nov 2021

Identification of a candidate effector gene at COVID-19 risk locus

A new study focuses on developing a comprehensive platform to decode the effects of sequence variation identified by GWAS.

8 Nov 2021

NHS to receive nearly £250 million to digitize diagnostics care

The NHS will receive £248 million over the next year to invest in technology that will deliver more diagnostic tests, checks and scans to help provide faster diagnosis of a health condition, earlier treatment and reduce waiting lists.

8 Nov 2021

Georgia study finds increase in pediatric COVID-19 cases

Led by Sarita Shah of Emory University, a new study shows low COVID-19 testing in children, suggesting the results are an underestimation of the true burden of disease.

8 Nov 2021

More than 10 million people in the UK receive COVID-19 booster jabs

More than 10 million people have now received their COVID-19 booster or third jabs, the latest figures show, ensuring the vital protection they have secured from their first two doses is maintained over the winter months.

8 Nov 2021

Researchers explain why decaying SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood are not a problem after vaccination

A new study published in the preprint bioRxiv* server suggests vaccination helps to inflate the number of somatic hypermutations acquired by B cells. The increase in somatic hypermutations allows for an accumulation of highly matured bone marrow plasma cells.

8 Nov 2021

Pacific oyster shows antiviral activity against human coronavirus HCoV-229E

Not only are Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) a seafood delicacy, but they may also be key for helping scientists figure out how to stop the spread of coronaviruses.

7 Nov 2021

Pacific oyster as a weapon against SARS-CoV-2

According to an article published in the journal Reviews in Medical Virology, the effectiveness of mollusc-derived antiviral agents has been proven in many different laboratory and animal studies, while its efficacy against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has also been proposed by recent in silico studies.

7 Nov 2021

The importance of exercise for those with diabetes in the COVID era

A review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity in people with type 2 diabetes and COVID-19.

7 Nov 2021

Health and Social Care Secretary urges people in the UK to get COVID-19 booster jabs

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has called for the UK to come together to help vaccinate those most vulnerable to COVID-19 with booster jabs.

7 Nov 2021

Booster booking system changed to make it easier for people to get their jab

The government and the NHS have changed the booster booking system to make it even easier for people to get their jab.

7 Nov 2021

Study discovers how the immune system triggers an 'emergency' dendritic cell response during infection

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have found how the immune system triggers an 'emergency' dendritic cell response during infection, with dendritic cells at the site of infection being reinforced by new cells which travel from the bone marrow.

6 Nov 2021

New type of COVID vaccine potentially easier to produce and does not need refrigeration

Currently available COVID vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing capacity, which makes it difficult to produce and distribute them widely, especially in less developed countries.

6 Nov 2021

Researchers use suction method to deliver SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine in lab tests

Rutgers researchers studying COVID-19 have created a new way to deliver DNA molecules into skin cells, using a suction technique similar to the ancient healing practice of cupping.

6 Nov 2021

Aptamer Group and DeepVerge expand partnership for Optimer-enabled wastewater monitoring

Aptamer Group Ltd., the developer of Optimer® binders to enable innovation in the life science industry, is pleased to announce the expansion of its existing partnership with DeepVerge PLC.

4 Nov 2021

Genomic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 gamma variant in Brazil

In this study, researchers describe the full-length SARS-CoV-2 genomes of 44 clinical samples from Amazonas, Brazil.

4 Nov 2021

Cas13 shines a light on SARS-CoV-2 variants

Now, a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server describes and benchmarks SHINEv2, a Cas13-based nucleic acid diagnostic for SARS-CoV-2 detection. SHINEv2 combines temperature sample processing and lyophilized reagents to simplify the test procedure and assay distribution immensely.

4 Nov 2021