Research

A smarter way to develop new drugs

Pharmaceutical companies are using artificial intelligence to streamline the process of discovering new medicines. Machine-learning models can propose new molecules that have specific properties which could fight certain diseases, doing in minutes what might take humans months to achieve manually.

Asthma drug can block crucial SARS-CoV-2 protein

A drug used to treat asthma and allergies can bind to and block a crucial protein produced by the virus SARS-CoV-2, and reduce viral replication in human immune cells, according to a new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the drug, called montelukast, has been around for more than 20 years and is usually prescribed to reduce inflammation caused by conditions like asthma, hay fever and hives.

COVID-19 vaccine protects kids and teens from severe illness

Results of a new multicenter study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that vaccination with a primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine reduced the risk of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations in children ages 5-11 years by two-thirds during the Omicron period.

Tumors change their metabolism to spread more effectively

Cancer cells can disrupt a metabolic pathway that breaks down fats and proteins to boost the levels of a byproduct called methylmalonic acid, thereby driving metastasis, according to research led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine. The findings open a new lead for understanding how tumors metastasize, or spread to other tissues, and hints at novel ways to block the spread of cancer by targeting the process.

Study tracks COVID-19 antibodies over time

The antibodies generated by Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine rise more slowly and decline more quickly than those generated by the Moderna vaccine, according to a new study from UVA Health. The study also finds that older recipients of the Pfizer vaccine generated fewer antibodies than did younger recipients - but this wasn't the case for Moderna, where age did not appear to be a factor.

New COVID-19 nasal spray outperforms current antibody treatments in mice

A new protein-based antiviral nasal spray developed by researchers at Northwestern University, University of Washington and Washington University at St. Louis is being advanced toward Phase I human clinical trials to treat COVID-19.

Designed computationally and refined in the laboratory, the new protein therapies thwarted infection by interfering with the virus' ability to enter cells.

Fighting viruses is as easy as breathing

The average person will take more than 600 million breaths over the course of their life. Every breath stretches the lungs’ tissues with each inhale and relaxes them with each exhale. The mere motions of breathing are known to influence vital functions of the lungs, including their development in babies, the production of air-exchange-enhancing fluid on their inner surfaces, and maintenance of healthy tissue structure.

Research & Development

A smarter way to develop new drugs

Asthma drug can block crucial SARS-CoV-2 protein

COVID-19 vaccine protects kids and teens from severe illness

Tumors change their metabolism to spread more effectively

Study tracks COVID-19 antibodies over time

New COVID-19 nasal spray outperforms current antibody treatments in mice

Fighting viruses is as easy as breathing

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