Newsletters

[Wayne State University] The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a new, five-year grant to Dr. Jiahui Ding, an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Wayne State University, to support research that aims to uncover how viral infections during pregnancy reprogram the developing immune system of the fetus, influencing susceptibility to infectious diseases throughout life.

[Nature] Observational studies have suggested that the antiviral Paxlovid and the diabetes drug metformin can reduce the risk of some long COVID symptoms. But until now, the drugs had not been tested in randomized, placebo-controlled trials in a broader group of participants — the gold standard for evaluating treatment efficacy.

[Emerging Microbes & Infections] Scientists showed that human seminal fluid markedly enhances monkeypox virus infection by increasing virion attachment to the cell surface. They identify naturally occurring semen-derived peptides that form cationic amyloid fibrils as key mediators of this effect.

[American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine] Researchers evaluated the therapeutic potential of macrophage membrane-coated nanoparticles using in vitro models of infection involving human lung endothelial and epithelial cells.

[Nature] The first volunteer was vaccinated against Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The vaccine, called ChAdOx1, is being tested in a Phase I clinical trial being run by the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford. Dr. Teresa Lambe is the lead scientific investigator for the ChAdOx1 vaccine study.

[PLoS Pathogens] Investigators identified vaccinia-related kinase 3 (VRK3) as a previously unknown modulator of antiviral immunity and underscores how viruses, like Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), can exploit cellular immune control pathways to evade host defense.

[Antiviral Research] Researchers conducted resistance profiling of EDP-235, a next-generation coronavirus 3CLpro inhibitor in clinical development. Sequencing of these viruses identified a myriad of emergent mutations, with T21I, L50F, P132S, S144A, E166A, and P168S observed most frequently.

[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America] The authors showed that blocking parasite myosin A, a motor protein needed for movement and host-cell invasion, can block Plasmodium parasite development across several key stages of its life cycle.

[Emerging Microbes & Infections] Scientists established and characterized bovine mammary gland organoids derived from primary epithelial cells and maintained in chemically defined media. They used this system to study low and highly pathogenic avian, as well as swine and human influenza A viruses.

[Emerging Microbes & Infections] Researchers investigated an intranasal nanomedicine formulation comprising flap-endonuclease 1 (FEN1) and a panel of hairpin-structured DNA probes. Their portable intranasal drop elicited a partial reduction in the viral load in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2.

[Nature Reviews Microbiology] The authors discuss how the dynamic interplay between microbial competition, host defences and Salmonella countermeasures determines the outcome of infection ranging from acute gastroenteritis to quiescent chronic infection.

[RoslinCT] RoslinCT announced a strategic partnership with BlueRock Therapeutics, a leader in stem cell therapeutic development, to broaden access to clinical-grade pluripotent stem cell lines for cell therapy developers.