Opinion | Keep Our Foot on the Gas for Clinical Trial Diversity
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked rapid innovation and adoption of new methodologies and practices across clinical trials. It also allowed the world to see the difficulty of ensuring diversity and access to those trials — a challenge we’ve faced for many years. Innovators in biopharma, life-science technology companies, and clinical research organizations (CROs) partnered with the […]
Biden Tests Positive for COVID a Second Time, But Is Asymptomatic
WASHINGTON — President Biden tested positive a second time for COVID-19 on Saturday, a little over 2 days after announcing he had tested negative following his first brief bout with COVID. “Acknowledging the potential for so-called ‘rebound’ COVID positivity observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid [the antiviral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir], the president increased […]
New smartphone clip-on can detect Zika virus in blood samples
As seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, detection methods that are rapid, simple, accurate, and sensitive are vital for detecting viral pathogens and for controlling the spread of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, laboratory-based methods often require trained personnel and involve complex procedures. In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have combined their efforts […]
Biden Tests Negative for COVID, Ends Isolation Period
Latest Coronavirus News WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) After contracting COVID-19 last week, President Joe Biden has tested negative for the virus and ended his isolation period. In a tweet posted Wednesday morning, President Joe Biden shared a photo of his negative test and added, “Back to the Oval.” “Thanks to Doc for the […]
COVID-19: New energy for flagging immune cells: Immune cells do not receive sufficient suitable energy carriers in infected individuals, a study reveals
In severe Covid-19 patients, the metabolism produces insufficient amounts of certain energy-rich compounds called ketone bodies. However, these energy carriers are needed by two important cell types in the immune system in order to fight the virus effectively. Perhaps this finding explains why some people fall ill so much more severely than others. A study […]
Are drones the optimal way to distribute COVID-19 tests? Researchers are looking into drone delivery as a method to efficiently deliver testing kits while limiting contact between individuals
Researchers at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health have developed a new COVID-19 test distribution method that uses drones to quickly deliver at-home diagnostic tests to individuals who suspect they have COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic showed that a key part of controlling the spread of a contagious disease is to quickly and accurately […]
CDC Panel Backs Novavax COVID Vaccine for Adults
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 and up. With a vote of 12-0, the advisory panel endorsed a two-dose primary series of the adjuvanted, protein-based vaccine, which will be administered 3 weeks apart. The recommendation follows FDA’s emergency use authorization last week. Shortly […]
Long-Denied COVID Vax Lands Authorization
As expected, the FDA has granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine in adults, the agency announced on Wednesday. The decision follows a near-unanimous FDA advisory committee recommendation more than a month ago, with the EUA reportedly delayed in order to allow regulators time to review recent changes to the vaccine’s manufacturing […]
Researchers develop rapid COVID-19 test to identify variants in hours: Determining patient’s strain previously required lengthy whole genome sequencing
Last year, pathologist Jeffrey SoRelle, M.D., and colleagues developed CoVarScan, a rapid COVID-19 test that detects the signatures of eight hotspots on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Now, after testing CoVarScan on more than 4,000 patient samples collected at UT Southwestern, the team reports in Clinical Chemistry that their test is as accurate as other methods used […]
Opinion | Are Omicron-Targeted Boosters Worth It?
The FDA, following the advice of its advisory committee, is advising COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to reformulate future booster shots to include protection against the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2. While this decision was not surprising and may have seemed perfunctory to many people, it is worth thinking about the wider context that undergirds […]