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Iksuda Therapeutics closes $47 million financing round

Iksuda Therapeutics (Iksuda) has announced it has completed a US $47 million (circa GB £34 million) financing round, co-led by Mirae Asset Capital and its subsidiaries, Celltrion and Premier Partners, with the Company being advised by Ashfords LLP. The funding will support the advancement of Iksuda’s lead ADC assets and expansion of its payload and conjugation platform technologies.

From Iksuda Therapeutics 8 Jun 2021

Compelling evidence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and neutralizing antibodies in domestic cats in Peru

Although Peru is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, no studies had been conducted to investigate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among domestic cats. Recently, researchers from Peru demonstrated the presence of neutralizing antibodies for the receptor binding-domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in cats in Lima, Peru. The owners of the cats in the study had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

1 Jun 2021

Antibody cocktail effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in the rhesus macaque model

Researchers from the US tested the prophylactic potential of a combination of 2 mAbs administered 3 or 75 days before respiratory challenge in rhesus macaques. They used the rhesus macaque model to test the added benefit of combinatory parenteral administration of 2 high-affinity anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs - C144-LS and C135-LS. These mAbs were developed to neutralize the virus and tweaked to improve their pharmacokinetics.

1 Jun 2021

ALG-097111 potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in Syrian Hamster model in vivo

A team of researchers from the US and Belgium applied a structure-based approach with early monitoring of cathepsin L inhibition along with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibition. They identified a potent and selective SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitor, ALG-097111, which has proven activity against SARS-CoV-2 in SARS-CoV-2 hamster models in vivo. This study is published in the journal, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.

1 Jun 2021

Study offers longitudinal roadmap of immune activation and resolution in mild COVID-19

Researchers from the US recently profiled the longitudinal immune response in mild COVID-19 patients starting with early time points of 1-15 days post-infection through convalescence to over 100 days after onset of symptoms.

1 Jun 2021

Researchers repurpose pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV antibody to develop potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the United States has recently engineered a pre-existing anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) neutralizing antibody to increase its binding affinity for the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The engineered antibody demonstrates high potency in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 and preventing infection in animals.

31 May 2021

Could a mathematical application of information theory identify and predict SARS-CoV-2 mutations?

An interesting new study by researchers at the University of Portsmouth, UK, describes the use of a mathematical method to sequence genomes based on information theory. The method offers an alternative to clinical techniques, allowing mutations to be detected and possibly even predicted. In this way, it opens new research opportunities in bioinformatics and genetics.

31 May 2021

Inflammatory brain injury higher in men with acute COVID-19, finds study

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with both short- and long-term neurologic complications, including stroke, brain fog and persistent tiredness. A new study concludes that the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the central nervous system (CNS) are due to the endothelial injury and inflammation that this produces in the brain.

31 May 2021

COVID-19, mass testing and the utility of wastewater epidemiology

In a recent study, researchers developed a methodology to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with the potential for finding an association between the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) SARS-CoV-2 influent viral RNA load and COVID-19 cases in the community. This study indicates that a national scale wastewater-based epidemiology can play a role in COVID-19 surveillance.

31 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations display convergent evolution indicating strong adaptive advantages

A recent report by a team of researchers focused on the extent of convergent evolution in the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. The report confirms that top SARS-CoV-2 lineages of concern have the most convergent spike protein mutations. This indicates their fundamental adaptive advantage.

31 May 2021

Intra-host SARS-CoV-2 composition varies over time, hinting at viral evolution during infection

Researchers at the Southern University of Science and Technology in China revealed rapid and dramatic changes in quasispecies diversity upon evaluating the SARS-CoV-2 populations present in the upper and lower respiratory tracts of patients with varying COVID-19 severity.

31 May 2021

Study supports single-dose COVID-19 vaccine strategy for previously infected individuals

Researchers in the Netherlands have provided evidence that a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is sufficient to protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among people who have already been infected with the virus.

28 May 2021

Identifying SARS-CoV-2 epitopes targeted by current vaccination could help improve future vaccines

Researchers in the United States have identified antibody-inducing epitopes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that could be used for future diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccine design.

28 May 2021

Could the marine compound plitidepsin promote recovery from moderate COVID-19?

A new paper by an international team of researchers describes experimental evidence of the antiviral efficacy of a marine compound called plitidepsin against SARS-CoV-2. The findings show that plitidepsin inhibits SARS-CoV at low concentrations, as observed by a thousand-fold reduction in genomic RNA and viral titers in cells exposed to the virus in culture when treated.

27 May 2021

Can certain aircraft boarding procedures increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks?

In a study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, researchers simulated many aircraft boarding processes to assess their impact on social proximity during boarding. They also studied the dominant mechanisms by which these processes generate social proximity. The researchers systematically measured proximity by measuring the number of contacts originating from the following situations: 1. contacts between seated passenger pairs; 2. contacts between aisle passenger pairs; and 3. contacts between a seated passenger and an aisle passenger.

26 May 2021

Could GRP78 be a therapeutic target against COVID-19?

A new study by a team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA, reports a potentially important therapeutic target in the form of a molecule called GRP78 that promotes the entry and protein production by many viruses. The team's paper has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

26 May 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge among children in United States, suggests study

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic approaches its eighteenth month, new variants of concern (VOCs) of the causative pathogen – severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – continue to emerge all over the world. A new study explores the emergence of such VOCs among young children, below 12 years of age, and the potential consequences of this phenomenon.

26 May 2021

Repurposed gout medication (probenecid) shows potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication

New research by a team of scientists in the USA describes the potential utility of a drug called probenecid, commonly used to treat gout, to treat this devastating viral illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative virus of COVID-19.

25 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant may induce more inflammation, study suggests

Since COVID-19 was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, many different variants of its causative virus – SARS-CoV-2 – have emerged. Through increased viral fitness, some of these have risen to predominance over earlier variants in a remarkably short period of time. New research, by a team of scientists at major institutions in France, examines the reasons behind this phenomenon in one such variant of concern (VOC), the so-called UK variant.

25 May 2021

Could 6′,6′-difluoro-aristeromycin (DFA) have broad-spectrum antiviral potential against coronaviruses?

Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center demonstrated that low-micromolar concentrations of 6′,6′-difluoro24 aristeromycin (DFA), an adenosine nucleoside analog, strongly inhibits the replication of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a cell-based infection assay.

25 May 2021

Miscellaneous News

Iksuda Therapeutics closes $47 million financing round

Compelling evidence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and neutralizing antibodies in domestic cats in Peru

Antibody cocktail effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in the rhesus macaque model

ALG-097111 potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in Syrian Hamster model in vivo

Study offers longitudinal roadmap of immune activation and resolution in mild COVID-19

Researchers repurpose pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV antibody to develop potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2

Could a mathematical application of information theory identify and predict SARS-CoV-2 mutations?

Inflammatory brain injury higher in men with acute COVID-19, finds study

COVID-19, mass testing and the utility of wastewater epidemiology

SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations display convergent evolution indicating strong adaptive advantages

Intra-host SARS-CoV-2 composition varies over time, hinting at viral evolution during infection

Study supports single-dose COVID-19 vaccine strategy for previously infected individuals

Identifying SARS-CoV-2 epitopes targeted by current vaccination could help improve future vaccines

Could the marine compound plitidepsin promote recovery from moderate COVID-19?

Can certain aircraft boarding procedures increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks?

Could GRP78 be a therapeutic target against COVID-19?

New SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge among children in United States, suggests study

Repurposed gout medication (probenecid) shows potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant may induce more inflammation, study suggests

Could 6′,6′-difluoro-aristeromycin (DFA) have broad-spectrum antiviral potential against coronaviruses?

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