Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

A new model for identifying the most effective treatments for respiratory viral infection

When a person contracts a respiratory viral infection like COVID-19 or influenza, the immune system responds in a myriad of ways to eliminate the virus.

29 Apr 2020

Antibody produced by llamas shows promise against SARS-CoV-2

The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19 has led one team of researchers to find an improbable ally for their work: a llama named Winter.

29 Apr 2020

Arthritis drug assessed as potential treatment for COVID-19-related pneumonia

UC San Diego Health has launched a Phase III clinical trial, part of a global effort, to assess whether a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders might also have therapeutic value for COVID-19 patients who have developed or at high risk of developing serious lung damage from SARS-CoV-2 infections.

29 Apr 2020

Coronaviruses represent a source of pandemic viruses

In a new paper published on the preprint journal bioRxiv in April 2020, researcher T. Konishi argues that the coronavirus family is a constellation of pandemic pathogens, that includes the currently spreading severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

29 Apr 2020

COVID tests are free, except when they’re not

Even before a novel virus swept around the world, Anna Davis Abel wore a mask to protect herself from getting sick.

29 Apr 2020

Tapping into the powers of nature to identify virus killers

Many organisms have to defend themselves against predators, diseases or pests. Their metabolic products constitute a chemical arsenal that has been used for medical purposes since time immemorial.

29 Apr 2020

New approach for easier detection of SARS-CoV-2 via swabs and saliva

A recent Israeli study points toward Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) as a potentially effective tool for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on-the-spot detection by using swabs or saliva – addressing the community need for simple surveillance.

28 Apr 2020

Albany, Wisconsin researchers look for molecular clues to fight COVID-19

In the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals are racing to maintain quality care for patients with severe disease while facing a shortage of resources and limited understanding of the novel coronavirus.

28 Apr 2020

Boston Children's Hospital launches two-pronged study of COVID-19 in children

Boston Children's Hospital has launched a two-pronged study of COVID-19 disease among children and youth up to age 25 across the country, with $2.1 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

28 Apr 2020

Novel computational model quantifies the underlying transmission patterns of COVID-19

With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in lockdowns in different parts of the world, from the US to many European nations, there have been intense debates on when and how we can safely reopen the economy.

28 Apr 2020

Study could help inform long-term public health response to COVID-19 pandemic

In the most detailed study to date of epidemic spread, an international team of researchers has modeled measles dynamics based on over 40 years of data collected in England and Wales.

28 Apr 2020

Research on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein may lead to new vaccines and treatments

The virus that causes COVID-19 is studded on its exterior with "spike proteins," a key component in its ability to infect human cells. Two University of Georgia researchers, Rob Woods and Parastoo Azadi, are investigating the proteins and sugars on the surface of the virus with the goal of finding information that could lead to vaccines and therapeutics.

28 Apr 2020

India's Serum Institute gears up to make millions of doses of potential COVID-19 vaccine

The Serum Institute of India plans to start manufacturing Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine in 3 weeks to get a head start on production, the company announced. This comes even as experts warn that any successful vaccine will take two or more years to come on the market.

28 Apr 2020

Researchers develop new method for remotely stimulating activity in deep brain regions

University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed a promising method for remotely stimulating activity in deep brain regions, advancing understanding of how molecules act in the brain and paving the way for better cancer treatments and therapies for other diseases.

27 Apr 2020

The 'true' infection fatality rate of the earliest Italian COVID-19 outbreak

In the chaotic healthcare situation caused by the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19, it has been challenging to estimate the actual severity of the disease. However, it is a crucial bit of information for those who form healthcare and economic policies.

26 Apr 2020

Oncologist and mum-to-be chronicles COVID-19 experiences

Writing in the latest issue of JAMA Oncology researcher Coral Olazagasti along with her Dr. Nagashree Seetharamu from Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra, Northwell Health, Hempstead, New York, spoke about her experience being pregnant during the present COVID-19 pandemic. Olazagasti’s chronicle is titled “Facing a pandemic while pregnant.”

26 Apr 2020

Early Heparin therapy improves hypoxia in COVID-19 patients

The systemic use of heparin for treating severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) showed significant improvements in oxygen exchange and overall clinical presentation of patients, as reported by a study from Brazil available on a preprint server medRxiv.

26 Apr 2020

Study looks into COVID‐19 preparedness in Michigan nursing homes

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit some nursing homes especially hard - including in the hotspot state of Michigan. Hundreds of deaths of residents in homes from Seattle to Boston have raised concerns about how well facilities are protecting the 1.3 million older Americans who live in them.

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