SARS-CoV-2 hijacks nanotubes between neurons to infect them
COVID-19 often leads to neurological symptoms, such as a loss of taste or smell, or cognitive impairments (including memory loss and concentration difficulties), both during the acute phase of the disease and over the long term with "long COVID" syndrome. But the way in which the infection reaches the brain was previously unknown. Scientists from Institut Pasteur and CNRS laboratories have used state-of-the-art electron microscopy approaches to demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks nanotubes, tiny bridges that link infected cells with neurons.
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Vaccine-induced immune response to omicron wanes substantially over time
Although COVID-19 booster vaccinations in adults elicit high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, antibody levels decrease substantially within 3 months, according to new clinical trial data. The findings, published today in Cell Reports Medicine, are from a study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The trial was led by NIAID's Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium.
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Vaccine protection against COVID-19 short-lived, booster shots important
Since COVID-19 vaccines first became available to protect against infection and severe illness, there has been much uncertainty about how long the protection lasts, and when it might be necessary for individuals to get an additional booster shot.
Now, a team of scientists led by faculty at the Yale School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has an answer: strong protection following vaccination is short-lived.
The fourth COVID-19 vaccine reduces the risk of death by 72% amongst the elderly
A new study by Tel Aviv University and Ben Gurion University of the Negev, in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Health, has found that the fourth COVID-19 vaccine is effective in protecting the elderly population in long-term care facilities from the Omicron variant. The groundbreaking study included approximately 40,000 elderly Israelis living in institutions supervised by the
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Inhalable COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in rodent model
Researchers have created an inhalable COVID-19 vaccine that is shelf stable at room temperature for up to three months, targets the lungs specifically and effectively, and allows for self-administration via an inhaler. The researchers also found that the delivery mechanism for this vaccine - a lung-derived exosome called LSC-Exo - is more effective at evading the lung's mucosal lining than the lipid-based nanoparticles currently in use, and can be used effectively with protein-based vaccines.
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GSK completes acquisition of Sierra Oncology
GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) announced it has completed the acquisition of Sierra Oncology, Inc. (Sierra Oncology), a California-based biopharmaceutical company focused on targeted therapies for the treatment of rare forms of cancer. The acquisition was approved by Sierra Oncology's shareholders on 29 June 2022.
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