R&D

Vaccine development software shows promise in influenza effort, could help defeat coronavirus

A novel computer algorithm that could create a broadly reactive influenza vaccine for swine flu also offers a path toward a pan-influenza vaccine and possibly a pan-coronavirus vaccine as well, according to a new paper published in Nature Communications.

Researchers discover SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors

A research team of pharmacists at the University of Bonn has discovered two families of active substances that can block the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The drug candidates are able to switch off the the key enzyme of the virus, the so-called main protease. The study is based on laboratory experiments. Extensive clinical trials are still required for their further development as therapeutic drugs.

Nanoparticle-delivered COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise in preclinical studies

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health have developed a promising new COVID-19 vaccine candidate that utilizes nanotechnology and has shown strong efficacy in preclinical disease models.

According to new findings published in mBio, the vaccine produced potent neutralizing antibodies among preclinical models and also prevented infection and disease symptoms in the face of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

Assessing a compound's activity, not just its structure, could accelerate drug discovery

Assessing a drug compound by its activity, not simply its structure, is a new approach that could speed the search for COVID-19 therapies and reveal more potential therapies for other diseases.

This action-based focus - called biological activity-based modeling (BABM) - forms the core of a new approach developed by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) researchers and others.

Real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine

The Clalit Research Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, analyzed one of the world's largest integrated health record databases to examine the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19. The study provides the first large-scale peer-reviewed evaluation of the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine in a nationwide mass-vaccination setting. The study was conducted in Israel, which currently leads the world in COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Could a nasal spray prevent coronavirus transmission?

A nasal antiviral created by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons blocked transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in ferrets, suggesting the nasal spray also may prevent infection in people exposed to the new coronavirus, including recent variants.

A machine-learning approach to finding treatment options for COVID-19

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, doctors and researchers rushed to find effective treatments. There was little time to spare. "Making new drugs takes forever," says Caroline Uhler, a computational biologist in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Institute for Data, Systems and Society, and an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Research & Development

Vaccine development software shows promise in influenza effort, could help defeat coronavirus

Researchers discover SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors

Nanoparticle-delivered COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise in preclinical studies

Assessing a compound's activity, not just its structure, could accelerate drug discovery

Real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine

Could a nasal spray prevent coronavirus transmission?

A machine-learning approach to finding treatment options for COVID-19

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