COVID-19

[Cytotherapy] The authors compile and discuss study design data from ongoing clinical trials to address the key questions of ‘which’ tissue source, donor profile, isolation technique, culture conditions, long-term culture and cryopreservation for MSCs; the question of ‘when’ with regard to defining the transplantation window, by identifying and staging of patients based on their pro-inflammatory profile; and finally that of ‘how much’ with respect to the number of cells in a single administration, the number of doses and route of transplantation.

[Ocugen, Inc.] Ocugen, Inc. announced that in a new study, scientists at Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology have found that COVAXIN demonstrated potential effectiveness against the Brazil variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.128.2.

[PhysIQ, Inc.] PhysIQ Inc., Johns Hopkins University, Duke University and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. announced their collaboration to deploy physIQ’s platform to support a clinical trial to evaluate investigational products for early treatment and post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19.

[Immunity] Deletion of Notch4 in Treg cells or therapy with anti-Notch4 antibodies in conventional and humanized mice normalized the dysregulated innate immunity and rescued disease morbidity and mortality induced by a synthetic analog of viral RNA or by influenza H1N1 virus.

[Cell Host & Microbe] Scientists evaluated SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics over ten months in 963 individuals who predominantly experienced mild COVID-19.

[Clinical Infectious Diseases] The authors tested SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell (CοV-2-ST) immunity and expansion in unexposed donors, COVID-19 infected individuals, asymptomatic PCR-positive subjects, vaccinated individuals, non-ICU hospitalized patients and ICU patients.