by Bob Yirka, Medical Xpress Antiserum neutralization of VLPs generated with different S genes. (A–D) Fifty percent neutralization titers of sera isolated from individuals vaccinated using Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines or from convalescent COVID-19 patients. Neutralization curves were determined using VLPs with either S-B.1, S-Delta, or S-Omicron. (E–H) Neutralization titers of sera...
ELSEVIER IMAGE: EACH HAIRPIN SHAPED MOLECULAR BEACON HAS A SPECIFIC COLOR AND FLUORESCES WHEN IT BINDS TO ITS TARGET GENETIC MUTATION. CREDIT: SALVATORE MARRAS Philadelphia, March 17, 2022 – After the start of the SARS-C0V-2 pandemic, investigators from ResearchPath LLC and their collaborators at Rutgers University quickly dedicated resources to develop accurate and reliable COVID-19 testing....
By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D. Jan 6 2022 Reviewed by Aimee Molineux In December 2019, a novel coronavirus was reported from the Wuhan province of China which, subsequently, spread rapidly across the world. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a pandemic, which is now known as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic....
By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira Dec 20 2021 Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc. The arrival of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant has brought into question the effectiveness of current COVID-19 treatments in preventing infection and death. New research published in the preprint bioRxiv* server suggests the efficacy of most monoclonal antibody treatments are ineffective against Omicron. Since December 2019, the severe...
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD Dec 3 2021Reviewed by Aimee Molineux The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has not responded as hoped to the vaccines developed at “warp speed” within a year of its emergence, mostly because of the viral variants of concern that have...
By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira Sep 30 2021 Coronavirus research has shown that higher viral loads are associated with severe COVID-19 infection. But new results from the phase III Coronavirus Efficacy (COVE) clinical trial find the Moderna vaccine reduces severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral load and viral shedding. In addition to lower viral loads, the vaccine decreased...
By Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D. Aug 10 2021 A study conducted at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, USA, and the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA, has determined the transmission rate, immune escape ability, and infection fatality rate of the B.1.526 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome...
By Dr. Tomislav Meštrović, MD, Ph.D. May 31 2021 In a new research paper currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a research group from the United Kingdom (UK) provides experimental evidence that B.1.617 lineage of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) – also known as the Indian variant of concern – shows...
By Sally Robertson, B.Sc. Apr 14 2021 Researchers in the United States have conducted a pre-clinical study demonstrating the efficacy of two updated versions of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Study: Variant SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines confer broad neutralization as primary or booster...
By Sally Robertson, B.Sc. Apr 13 2021 Researchers in South Africa and the UK have identified alpaca-derived nanoantibodies that potently neutralize variants of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Notably, one of the nanoantibodies neutralized the South African variant of concern B.1.351 that has...
