Miscellaneous News

RSS

Designer SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine produces dramatically improved antibody response in preclinical trials

The importance of computational modeling in the prediction of the course of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as evaluating multiple potential drug leads, has never been more clear. Now, a new study describes a set of designer vaccine antigens that may improve vaccine stability as well as enhance the neutralizing antibody response.

13 May 2021

Huge healthcare burden of post-COVID-19 symptoms likely, suggests new study

How well do patients who had COVID-19 recover after the virus is cleared from their systems? A new preprint reports on symptom profiles over the first nine months of the illness.

13 May 2021

T cell populations in nasal mucosa expand after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

A new study released as a bioRxiv* preprint tried to establish how tissues such as the upper respiratory tract (URT) – which harbor the virus and often act as the point of entry – are difficult to access for routine testing, but are responsive to vaccination.

11 May 2021

Study reveals acute immunologic changes in children with long COVID

Many reports are beginning to emerge on the ‘long COVID’ phenomenon. But a new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, describes, for the first time, immunologic changes observed in children with PASC.

11 May 2021

An intranasal COVID-19 vaccine elicits long-lasting immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants in vivo

A team of scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical Branch, USA, has recently evaluated the durability and robustness of an adenovirus-vectored, spike-based intranasal COVID-19 vaccine in mice.

11 May 2021

Case study describes consequences of undetected SARS-CoV-2 infection during mRNA vaccination

Now, a new report describes a case of a coincidental mRNA vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 31-year-old doctor, addressing the theoretical considerations for potential risks and further required actions in case more cases appear in the future.

11 May 2021

Research suggests Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reprograms innate immune responses

Researchers in The Netherlands have warned that Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine induces complex reprogramming of innate immune responses that should be considered in the development and use of mRNA-based vaccines.

10 May 2021

Scientists produce a universal flu vaccine using nanoparticles to induce long-lasting immunity

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)’s Vaccine Research Center (VRC) and the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD) developed a universal flu vaccine candidate using small particles (nanoparticles), which can induce a long-lasting immune response.

10 May 2021

Preclinical study finds sex differences in neurological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Neurological problems during and after COVID-19 are persistent and frequent. However, research is still ongoing as to why certain people exhibit specific symptoms. Research led by Yi-Ping Hsueh from the Institute of Molecular Biology in Taiwan suggests SARS-CoV-2 infection in the brain could be sex-dependent.

10 May 2021

Study identifies most persistent neurological problems during long COVID-19

Neuropsychiatric issues have been frequently reported in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) long-haulers. A new study on the medRxiv* preprint server has found which neurological symptoms are likely to persist after a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

10 May 2021

New nanoimmunoassay can detect anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in ultralow-volume blood samples

In a recent study, researchers developed and validated a nanoimmunoassay (NIA) that analyzes 1,024 samples in parallel on a single microfluidic device the size of a USB stick. They detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, achieving a sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 100% based on an analysis of 134 pre-pandemic sera (collected in 2013/2014 and 2018) and 155 sera from reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive individuals.

10 May 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine reduces both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infection in case study

Follow-up of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital revealed asymptomatic infection reduced by 90% and symptomatic infections reduced by up to 96% in vaccinated people compared to those not vaccinated.

7 May 2021

How did SARS-CoV-2 first evolve in humans?

In a perspective article recently published in the journal Science, Hyeryun Choe and Michael Farzan from the Scripps Research Institute, USA, have described the early-stage evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in humans. They have provided a detailed overview of how early mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein facilitate its adaptation in human systems.

7 May 2021

Immunosuppression in COVID-19 promotes emergence of multiple immune escape mutants

An interesting new study describes the emergence of several such variants from a chronically immunosuppressed COVID-19 patient, who remained infected for over 170 days before clearing the virus.

7 May 2021

Human organoids useful for modeling COVID-19 variants of concern, finds study

A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server found that using human organoids could help with better characterizing the phenotype of several viral variants, including B.1.1.7. Their findings show the ribonucleic acid (RNA) shedding of the SARS-CoV-2 variant correlated with viral fitness and infectiousness.

7 May 2021

Unemployed Australian citizens experience mental health deterioration during COVID-19 pandemic, finds study

A team of scientists in Australia has recently investigated the health condition of Australian citizens who lost jobs during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study findings reveal that job loss is associated with a deterioration in mental health but an improvement in physical health. Importantly, retaining employment has shown a positive impact on the overall mental health condition.

6 May 2021

Aberrant immune features in healthy elderly and male subjects with severe COVID-19 may predate infection

A new study shows that the immunological features of severe COVID-19 are already present in healthy older adults and in men, before they are infected, indicating a possible explanation for this differential susceptibility towards the virus.

6 May 2021

Researchers develop a multivalent vaccine for COVID-19 and influenza

Researchers at Duke University, USA, are looking into the possibility of a combined influenza and COVID-19 vaccine that could be used to simultaneously protect against annual flu strains and the SARS-CoV-2. Preclinical results showed the vaccine protected mice from both SARS-CoV-2 and the flu.

6 May 2021

Nanoparticle (SpFN) vaccine candidate elicits multifactorial cellular immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

Researchers have developed a promising new anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)vaccine candidate that utilizes nanotechnology and shows robust, long-lived immunity in mouse models.

5 May 2021

Researchers identify mechanism of platelet hyperactivation in COVID-19 patients

A recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA, has revealed the mechanism of platelet hyperactivation in critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

4 May 2021

Miscellaneous News

Designer SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine produces dramatically improved antibody response in preclinical trials

Huge healthcare burden of post-COVID-19 symptoms likely, suggests new study

T cell populations in nasal mucosa expand after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

Study reveals acute immunologic changes in children with long COVID

An intranasal COVID-19 vaccine elicits long-lasting immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants in vivo

Case study describes consequences of undetected SARS-CoV-2 infection during mRNA vaccination

Research suggests Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reprograms innate immune responses

Scientists produce a universal flu vaccine using nanoparticles to induce long-lasting immunity

Preclinical study finds sex differences in neurological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Study identifies most persistent neurological problems during long COVID-19

New nanoimmunoassay can detect anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in ultralow-volume blood samples

Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine reduces both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infection in case study

How did SARS-CoV-2 first evolve in humans?

Immunosuppression in COVID-19 promotes emergence of multiple immune escape mutants

Human organoids useful for modeling COVID-19 variants of concern, finds study

Unemployed Australian citizens experience mental health deterioration during COVID-19 pandemic, finds study

Aberrant immune features in healthy elderly and male subjects with severe COVID-19 may predate infection

Researchers develop a multivalent vaccine for COVID-19 and influenza

Nanoparticle (SpFN) vaccine candidate elicits multifactorial cellular immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

Researchers identify mechanism of platelet hyperactivation in COVID-19 patients

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

Latest News