Vaccine News and Research

Latest Vaccine News and Research

FAU scientists aim to develop a passive vaccine against COVID-19

Nothing less than the development of a passive vaccine against Covid-19 has been undertaken by a team of scientists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universitätsklinkum Erlangen and their partners from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology in Leipzig and the German Primate Centre in Göttingen.

24 Apr 2020

Anti-vaccine activists latch onto coronavirus to bolster their movement

While most of the world hungers for a vaccine to put an end to the death and economic destruction wrought by COVID-19, some anti-vaccine groups are joining with anti-lockdown protesters to challenge restrictions aimed at protecting public health.

24 Apr 2020

American Lung Association calls for urgent universal COVID-19 antibody testing

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented rates of lung infections and deaths in modern history.

24 Apr 2020

Researchers report promising Phase 1 results for first oral polio vaccine in 50 years

Before being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a relentless vaccination campaign had nearly succeeded in eradicating polio from the world.

24 Apr 2020

Unprecedented effects of COVID-19 on digital health sector and future considerations

Dr Janak Gunatilleke, CEO at Mindwave Ventures, reflects on the effect COVID-19 is having on the UK NHS and what that means for digital health.

24 Apr 2020

Study highlights a new way to increase crop production

During the past few weeks, empty supermarket shelves, without pasta, rice and flour due to panic buying, has caused public concerns about the possibility of running out of food.

24 Apr 2020

NEC leverages its AI prediction platforms to design blueprints for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

NEC Corporation today announced analysis results from efforts using AI prediction platforms to design blueprints for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that can drive potent T-cell responses in the majority of the global population.

24 Apr 2020

Novotech: Many countries in Asia-Pacific are fast-tracking COVID-19 clinical trials

The Asia-Pacific's largest specialist biotech CRO Novotech said many countries in the region were now fast-tracking their COVID-19 clients' clinical trials with expedited review processes for treatment and vaccine candidates.

24 Apr 2020

UM researchers awarded $2.5 million to develop COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Researchers in the Center for Translational Medicine at the University of Montana have been awarded $2.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to identify and advance a COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

24 Apr 2020

Sweden may reach ‘herd immunity’ in weeks as the country resists total lockdown

Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection against infectious diseases where a population develops sufficient immunity to a disease that that infection cannot spread within the group. A population can reach herd immunity if a large proportion has been exposed to the virus. Now, Sweden resisted total lockdown measures, unlike its neighboring countries, while experts believe herd immunity will be achieved in Stockholm within weeks.

24 Apr 2020

First COVID-19-related clinical trial to start in Germany

German regulators have approved the first clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine. Developed by BioNTech SE, an immunotherapy company, and Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, the potential coronavirus vaccine has completed pre-clinical studies in Germany.

24 Apr 2020

Research looks at best ways to tackle coronavirus crisis

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology in April 2020 discusses the most attractive approaches among the broad spectrum of experimental and theoretical strategies being worked on to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.

24 Apr 2020

Minimizing COVID-19 infection through controlled exposure

A new study published in the preprint journal medRxiv in April 2020 explores the possibilities of launching smaller waves of voluntary social exposure in a controlled way, to avoid the occurrence of a single large and probably unmanageable second wave of infection.

23 Apr 2020

1.7 billion people at higher risk from COVID-19, study says

The COVID-19 pandemic affecting 185 countries and territories the world over has already claimed over 190,000 lives and sickened well over 2.7 million as of April 24, 2020. Research shows that most of these fatalities are in older people or those who have underlying medical conditions.

23 Apr 2020

Is the confidence in hydroxychloroquine for the management of COVID-19 justified?

A new review paper published in the preprint open-access journal medRxiv in April 2020 reports that there is not enough evidence to justify the widespread use of the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment or prophylaxis of the current COVID-19 illness.

23 Apr 2020

Link between BCG and lower COVID-19 mortality disproved by new analysis

The association between BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccination and its purported beneficial effect on COVID-19 transmission/mortality rates was challenged in an expert appraisal of Diamond Princess cruise ship data. At the same time, cross-national differences previously reported were shown to be flawed, reports a new medRxiv study.

23 Apr 2020

Study identifies key nose cells as likely COVID-19 virus entry points

Two specific cell types in the nose have been identified as likely initial infection points for COVID-19 coronavirus. Scientists discovered that goblet and ciliated cells in the nose have high levels of the entry proteins that the COVID-19 virus uses to get into our cells.

23 Apr 2020

Coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 variants

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to threaten millions of people across the globe, and lockdowns appear set to remain in place in many countries amid rising death tolls, as governments decide whether to extend restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the virus. Now, a new study reveals that the novel coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 different genetic variants, affecting different parts of the world.

22 Apr 2020

Hyperferritinemia associated with increased illness severity in COVID-19

Yehuda Shoenfeld is the world's leading expert in the research, treatment and prevention of autoimmune diseases.

22 Apr 2020

Antibodies to COVID-19 present in only 2 to 3 percent of population

This week on Monday (20th April 2020), in a press meet, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General said that only around 2 to 3 percent of the global population have antibodies that show they had been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 disease.

22 Apr 2020