Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

Hospitals’ rocky rollout of covid vaccine sparks questions of fairness

Last week, after finishing inoculations of some front-line hospital staff, Jupiter Medical Center was left with 40 doses of precious covid vaccine. So, officials offered shots to the South Florida hospital’s board of directors and their spouses over age 65.

13 Jan 2021

Study shows distancing and mandatory masks can prevent 87% of campus COVID-19 infections

The combined effectiveness of three COVID-prevention strategies on college campuses--mask-wearing, social distancing, and routine testing--are as effective in preventing coronavirus infections as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a new study co-authored by a Case Western Reserve University researcher.

13 Jan 2021

Study compares acceptance of HPV vaccine and meningococcal vaccine

New research from Boston Medical Center finds that using clear, unambiguous language when recommending HPV vaccination both increases vaccine acceptance and increases conversation efficiency while preserving patient satisfaction.

13 Jan 2021

New technology could protect against different coronavirus variants

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that is causing the COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many different viruses in the coronavirus family.

13 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses

What is the endgame for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is causing worldwide devastation? If it becomes endemic -- circulating in the general population -- and most people are exposed in childhood, SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses that currently circulate in humans, according to a model developed by Emory and Penn State scientists.

13 Jan 2021

Lactating women should discuss risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccination, says ABM

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) does not recommend cessation of breastfeeding for individuals who are vaccinated against COVID-19.

13 Jan 2021

Scientists identify sensor in human lungs that detects SARS-CoV-2

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have identified the sensor in human lungs that detects SARS-CoV-2 and signals that it's time to mount an antiviral response.

13 Jan 2021

Antibody-Fc-mediated innate immunity shapes COVID-19 severity

A short paper that appeared recently on the preprint bioRxiv server pointed to a link between specific characteristics of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies associated with the severity of COVID-19.

12 Jan 2021

Intranasal vaccination effectively reduces viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in monkeys

A new preprint that appeared on the bioRxiv server reports that intranasal vaccination with the D614G variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in rhesus monkeys reduces viral shedding. This is an experiment in non-human primates (NHP), and its extrapolation to humans is unclear as yet.

12 Jan 2021

Daily circadian cycles may impact our ability to fight disease

An analysis of an exhaustive dataset on cells essential to the mammalian immune system shows that our ability to fight disease may rely more heavily on daily circadian cycles than previously assumed.

12 Jan 2021

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have defined an antigenic “supersite” within the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have important implications for the design of vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

Scientists determine ideal dose of stem cells to control HIV

Scientists have determined the optimal conditions following a stem cell transplant that could control HIV without the need of an everyday pill, according to a study published today in eLife.

12 Jan 2021

California budget reflects ‘pandemic-induced reality,’ governor says

The coronavirus pandemic doomed Gov. Gavin Newsom's ambitious plans last year to combat homelessness, expand behavioral health services and create a state agency to control soaring health care costs.

12 Jan 2021

Will the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine be effective against the new N501Y SARS-CoV-2 variant?

Researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas, USA, have presented evidence showing that people in a previously reported trial of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2 – commonly known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – had equivalent neutralizing titers to the N501 and Y501 viruses.

12 Jan 2021

Advanced humanized mouse model helps better understand immunotherapy resistance in melanoma

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have created an advanced humanized immune system mouse model that allows them to examine resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapies in melanoma. It has revealed a central role for mast cells. These findings were published today in the journal Nature Communications.

12 Jan 2021

ARID1A gene in ovarian cancer plays a role in the regulation of metabolism

Mutations that inactivate the ARID1A gene in ovarian cancer increase utilization of the glutamine amino acid making cancer cells dependent on glutamine metabolism, according to a study by The Wistar Institute published online in Nature Cancer.

12 Jan 2021

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a naïve human Ab library

Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server shows how closely the antibodies formed in exposed humans resemble the germline antibody molecules. This could lead to the development of novel therapeutics to counter the pandemic.

12 Jan 2021

Study supports continuing phase 3 trials of Ad26.COV2.S SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

An international team of researchers has provided further evidence to confirm the immunogenicity and efficacy of a recombinant adenovirus vaccine currently being tested in phase 3 trials for its ability to protect against infection with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Jan 2021

Antibody recognition of linear SARS-CoV-2 epitopes preserved in mutated B.1.1.7 strain

In a recent medRxiv research paper, the US scientists examined the effects of non-synonymous mutations in the circulating B.1.1.7 strain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on linear antibody epitope signal for viral spike glycoprotein and nucleoprotein – and demonstrated that mutations should not result in immune evasion.

11 Jan 2021

Sustained immune response memory detected in recovered COVID-19 patients

A team of researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine has found that people who had mild COVID-19 developed a multi-layered immune response against SARS-Cov-2. The researchers detected neutralizing antibodies against the virus for at least three months after recovering from the infection.

11 Jan 2021