Feature Channels: Vaccines

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Researchers have identified two antibodies that protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus, report scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Together with an antibody that targets the other major kind of influenza viruses that infect people — influenza A — these antibodies potentially could form the basis of a broad-spectrum flu drug that could treat almost all flu cases.

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Scientists are planning for Phase 1 human trials of a vaccine they developed by using CRISPR gene-editing technology to mutate the parasite that causes leishmaniasis, a skin disease common in tropical regions of the world and gaining ground in the United States.

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Molecular analysis of COVID-19’s powerful second wave in Houston shows a mutated virus strain linked to higher transmission and infection rates than the coronavirus strains that caused Houston’s first wave. Gene sequencing results from 5,085 COVID-positive patients tested at Houston Methodist since early March show a virus capable of adapting, surviving and thriving – making it more important than ever for physician scientists to understand its evolution as they work to discover effective vaccines and therapies.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with no end in sight, the annual flu season emerges once again. Cases of the flu have already begun to surface around the nation, and there are some reports of co-infection with COVID-19. Johns Hopkins Medicine experts say now is the time to take action to fight against the flu. Doctors recommend that everyone age 6 months and older get the flu vaccine each year to prevent infection from the virus or reduce the severity of the illness.

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As researchers race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, a Rutgers infectious disease expert and a Rutgers bioethicist discuss how clinical trials work, the ethics of developing and distributing a vaccine, safety and efficacy in clinical trials and what a successful vaccine may mean.

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As researchers try to develop therapies/vaccines to combat SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus spike protein is a major focus since it can bind to cells. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have uncovered an active role for glycans in this process, suggesting targets for vaccines and therapies.

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As Americans begin pulling up their sleeves for an annual flu vaccine, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have provided new insights into an alternative vaccine approach that provides broader protection against seasonal influenza.

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A Penn State College of Medicine research team will continue to work on developing a vaccine for COVID-19 using more than $400,000 in funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

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Keck Medicine of USC expert gives advice on the public’s best shot for avoiding influenza during the COVID-19 pandemic

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The Clinical Laboratories of The Mount Sinai Hospital has received emergency use authorization from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) for quantitative use of Mount Sinai’s COVID-19 antibody test, making Mount Sinai’s lab the first in the country to run an authorized, fully quantitative antibody test that can deliver a precise numeric measurement of the level of antibodies in a patient’s blood

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Researchers reporting in ACS Central Science developed an injectable hydrogel that allows sustained release of vaccine components, increasing the potency, quality and duration of immune responses in mice.

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Six months into the most severe global pandemic in more than a century, are Americans complying with basic precautions to avoid infection and spread of the coronavirus? And will they be vaccinated when a proven treatment for COVID-19 is released? For many Americans, the answer to both questions is, "No."

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This fall, children and adults should receive a flu shot to prevent widespread illness, as cases of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu are expected to rise, potentially at the same time, says Loyola University Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Kevin Smith, MD. The flu and COVID-19 also share many of the same symptoms.

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Immune reactions caused by vaccination can help protect the organism, or sometimes may aggravate the condition. It is especially important now when multiple vaccines against COVID-19 are being developed.

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The Wistar Institute announces the appointment of Ami Patel, Ph.D., as a Caspar Wistar Fellow in the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center.

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New research shows consumers strongly prefer "natural," not synthetic, products to prevent ailments. That presents a dilemma. Medical researchers are racing to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. When they do, how receptive will consumers be?

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More than 100 companies have rushed into vaccine development against COVID-19 as the U.S. government pushes for a vaccine rollout at "warp speed" -- possibly by the end of the year -- but the bar set for an effective, long-lasting vaccine is far too low and may prove dangerous, according to Marc Hellerstein of the University of California, Berkeley.

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Melbourne researchers have developed a tool to monitor mutations that make it difficult to develop coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines and drugs.

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Almost seven in 10 Americans would be interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available, according to a new study. But researchers say there are concerning gaps in interest, particularly among Black Americans, who suffer disproportionately from the virus.

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A comprehensive analysis of antibody responses in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients could inform the development of an effective vaccine, according to a study published September 10 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Chao Wu and Rui Huang of Nanjing University Medical School, and colleagues.

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Combining their expertise in protein engineering and synthetic DNA technology, Wistar scientists successfully delivered nanoparticle antitumor vaccines that stimulated robust CD8 T cell immunity and controlled melanoma growth in preclinical models.

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With many communities across the U.S. disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the recently formed COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN), has established a national, faith-based program called the CoVPN Faith Initiative to enhance trust and meaningful engagement in key communities and provide accurate and updated information about COVID-19 and CoVPN clinical trials.

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A newly published study looking at cats in Wuhan, where the first known outbreak of COVID-19 began, shows more cats might be contracting the disease than first believed.

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The University of Chicago Medicine is launching a clinical trial to examine the potential of an antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for treating COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

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In new research published in Nature Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center immunologist Dan H. Barouch, MD, PhD, and colleagues demonstrated that the optimal vaccine elicited robust immune response in Syrian golden hamsters and prevented severe clinical disease — including weight loss, pneumonia and death.

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The combining of the COVID-19 pandemic and seasonal flu could make this the best influenza season ever or the worst. Our experts explain why in this week’s Medical Minute.

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A bioengineering technique to boost production of specific proteins could be the basis of an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, new research suggests.

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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is now enrolling volunteers for a clinical trial of promising treatments for COVID-19 in the outpatient setting. The trial is part of the national ACTIV-2 protocol to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new potential therapeutics in adult patients who have COVID-19 illness but are not hospitalized.

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Rush University Medical Center is recruiting participants for a nationwide trial of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford in England and AstraZeneca, a multinational pharmaceutical company.

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UC San Diego Health will be part of the Phase III national AstraZeneca clinical trial that will recruit up to 30,000 participants at multiple sites across the country to assess the safety and efficacy of a vaccine to prevent COVID-19.

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On March 28, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exercised its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) authority to allow the use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.

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Michigan Medicine is partnering with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for a Phase 3 clinical trial to test a vaccine against COVID-19. The AZD1222 COVID-19 VACCINE Study will research an investigational vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

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Researchers from Sechenov University together with Russian and Iranian colleagues described currently known approaches to the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Repeated exposure to influenza viruses may undermine the effectiveness of the annual flu vaccine. A team of researchers led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has developed an approach to assess whether a vaccine activates the kind of immune cells needed for long-lasting immunity against new influenza strains. The findings could aid efforts to design an improved flu vaccine.

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Thomas Jefferson University Awarded $508,000 by the Commonwealth to support CoraVax™, a patented COVID-19 vaccine

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Hackensack Meridian Health investigators expect to enroll 300 individuals.

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The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, underscore need to get a flu shot early, the lead researcher says.

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In a new Immunity study, researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) show that one way to improve the body's immune response to vaccines is to factor in antigen valency. Valency refers to the number of antibody binding sites on an antigen.

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An extensive search and testing of current drugs and drug-like compounds has revealed compounds previously developed to fight SARS might also work against COVID-19.

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In this age of coronavirus, with vaccine experimentation moving at historic pace to the clinical trials phase, the ideal inoculation policy would emphasize age more than work-exposure risk, according to a study involving Washington University in St. Louis economists.

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A review of COVID-19 studies reveals a troubling connection between two health crises: coronavirus and obesity.

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Preclinical results for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate appear to distinguish this vaccine candidate from other vaccine candidates. A single nasal dose in mice gave a potent T-cell response at the lung mucus layer, including killer CD8+ T-cells that can recognize and kill virally infected cells.

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FACULTY Q&ASheria Robinson-LaneVaccine confidence is historically low in the United States, yet some workers are required to show proof of vaccination as a condition of employment. What does this mean for health care employees, and for other essential and non-essential workers, if a coronavirus vaccine is developed?Sheria Robinson-Lane, assistant professor and gerontologist with expertise in palliative care, long-term care and nursing administration in the School of Nursing; Samuel Bagenstos, the Frank G.