Neutralizing antibodies are thought to be key to the development of an efficient vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) indicate that ensuring their presence over long periods of time might be required. “Our study shows that more than six infected people in ten generated neutralizing antibodies in only...
Vaccines are notoriously difficult to transport to remote or dangerous places, as they spoil when not refrigerated. Formulations are safe between 2°C and 8°C, but at other temperatures the proteins start to unravel, making the vaccines ineffective. As a result, millions of children around the world miss out on life-saving inoculations. However, scientists have now...
by Cliff Peale, Miami University A respiratory simulation device, complete with an artificial nose made from a 3-D printer, is the subject of Miami University’s newest patent and a potential breakthrough in researching, diagnosing and treating breathing disorders. Lei Kerr, professor of chemical, paper and biomedical engineering, is the inventor on the patentalong with co-inventors...
by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) announced today results from HPTN 083, a global randomized, controlled, double-blind study that compared the safety and efficacy of long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB LA) to daily oral tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) (Truvada) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The study showed that...
by Qian Ye and Matthew Knight A Chinese laboratory has been developing a drug it believes has the power to bring the coronavirus pandemic to a halt. The outbreak first emerged in China late last year before spreading across the world, prompting an international race to find treatments and vaccines. A drug being tested by...
Made from viral proteins, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is composed of synthetic viral mRNA. These molecules are injected into people and cellular protein-making machines, called ribosomes, read and translate the mRNA. It’s these proteins that then trigger an immune response. Credit: The Conversation, CC BY-SA Early morning on May 18, Moderna, a biotechnology company, revealed the...
The prevalence of asymptomatic cases—people infected with the virus who can spread it to others but don’t feel sick—is one of the most challenging aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, researchers say. In Iceland, where a broad testing effort resulted in 5% of the country’s population getting tested for COVID-19, a lab study suggested that as...
by Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Vaccines are one of the most effective interventions to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases. They trigger the immune system to produce antibodies that protect the body against infection. However, we still lack efficacious vaccines for many important pathogens like the flu or dengue fever. “When a vaccine doesn’t...
by Wiley New evidence published in the Cochrane Library today finds MMR, MMRV and MMR+V vaccines are effective and that they are not associated with increased risk of autism. Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (also known as chickenpox) are infectious diseases caused by viruses. They are most common in children and young adults, and can...
by Elsevier In parallel to their current work on a potential coronavirus vaccine, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have developed a new vaccine delivery system for vaccines using live or attenuated viral vectors: a finger-tip sized patch that contains 400 tiny needles, each just half of one millimeter. Their progress is...
