 | | Vol. 8.28 – 29 July, 2020 |
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| A Nature study authored by a global team of scientists and led by Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, has identified 21 existing drugs that stop the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
[Nature] |
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| PUBLICATIONSRanked by the impact factor of the journal |
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| Researchers showed that a recombinant vaccine comprising residues 319-545 of the spike protein receptor-binding domain could induce a potent functional antibody response in the immunized mice, rabbits and non-human primates as early as seven or 14 days after a single dose injection
[Nature] |
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| Investigators report a SARS-CoV-2 surrogate virus neutralization test that detected total immunodominant neutralizing antibodies targeting the viral spike protein receptor-binding domain in an isotype- and species-independent manner.
[Nature Biotechnology] |
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| The authors developed a lipid-nanoparticle-encapsulated mRNA encoding the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 as a vaccine candidate.
[Cell] |
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| Researchers showed that lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus E (LY6E) potently restricted infection by multiple CoVs, including SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV.
[Nature Microbiology] |
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| Structural comparisons revealed low conservation of the 2′-O-RNA methyltransferase (MTase) catalytic site between Zika and SARS-CoV-2 viruses, but high conservation of the MTase active site between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV viruses.
[Nature Communications] |
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| Scientists report the high-resolution structure of a ternary complex of SARS-CoV-2 nsp16 and nsp10 in the presence of cognate RNA substrate analogue and methyl donor, S-adenosyl methionine.
[Nature Communications] |
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| The authors showed that the lectin FRIL, isolated from hyacinth beans, had anti-influenza and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. FRIL could neutralize 11 representative human and avian influenza strains at low nanomolar concentrations, and intranasal administration of FRIL was protective against lethal H1N1 infection in mice.
[Cell Reports] |
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| Researchers revealed key interactions between SARS-CoV-2 Main protease (Mpro) and three drug candidates by performing pharmacophore modeling and 1 μs molecular dynamics simulations.
[Scientific Reports] |
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| Clinical development of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, a replication-deficient simian adenoviral vector expressing the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was initiated in April 2020 following non-human primate studies using a single immunisation. Investigators compared the immunogenicity of one or two doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in both mice and pigs.
[NPJ Vaccines] |
| | MORE IMMUNOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE |
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| 18 volunteers were vaccinated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) at 6pm and compared with 36 age- and sex-matched volunteers vaccinated between 8-9 am. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis before, as well as two weeks and three months after BCG vaccination.
[Journal of Clinical Investigation] |
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| Compared with healthy donors, ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors exhibited increased markers of blood markers of inflammation, intestinal tissue damage, T cell and B cell activation and a depletion of circulating dendritic cells.
[Nature Communications] |
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| Researchers showed that human cytomegalovirus induced chronic and functional EGFR signaling that was distinct to the virus as compared to the natural EGFR ligand: EGF.
[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] |
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| Although both caspase-1 and caspase-11 could cleave gasdermin D in macrophages and neutrophils, scientists found that NLRC4-activated caspase-1 triggered pyroptosis in macrophages, but this pathway did not trigger pyroptosis in neutrophils.
[Cell Reports] |
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| Investigators describe the emerging role of cytosolic nucleic acid-sensing pathways at the host–Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) interface and summarize recently revealed mechanisms by which Mtb circumvents host cellular innate immune strategies such as membrane trafficking and integrity, cell death and autophagy.
[Cellular & Molecular Immunology] |
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| Biotech company Moderna has been making some pretty promising strides in developing and testing its COVID-19 vaccine. The company just announced it was working with the US National Institutes of Health to launch what will be one of the largest COVID-19 vaccine trials, a Phase III study enrolling tens of thousands of American volunteers to assess whether the vaccine could truly protect people from infection.
[MIT Technology Review] |
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| The US Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense have ordered an initial 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for $1.95 billion.
[enetic Engineering & Biotechnology News] |
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| Kaleido Biosciences, Inc. announced the initiation of a controlled clinical study being conducted with Massachusetts General Hospital, evaluating Microbiome Metabolic Therapy candidate KB109 added to Supportive Self-Care for outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19.
[Kaleido Biosciences, Inc.] |
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| Altimmune, Inc. announced that the company has entered into an agreement with Vigene Biosciences to manufacture AdCOVIDTM, Altimmune’s single-dose intranasal vaccine candidate for COVID-19.
[Altimmune, Inc.] |
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| The official South African death toll stands at 6,000, but as with other countries, this is likely to be an undercount, according to the South African Medical Research Council.
[Nature News] |
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| As soon as the first COVID-19 vaccines get approved, a staggering global need will confront limited supplies. Many health experts say it’s clear who should get the first shots: health care workers around the world, then people at a higher risk of severe disease, then those in areas where the disease is spreading rapidly, and finally, the rest of us.
[ScienceInsider] |
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| August 21 – August 25
Virtual |
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| | Umeå University – Umeå, Sweden |
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| | University of Dundee – Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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| | University of Würzburg – Würzburg, Germany |
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| | Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio, United States |
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| | Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation – Los Angeles, California, United States |
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