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Published on May 10, 2021
As more people become vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, there is movement to resume normal every day activities. But many things still remain uncertain about the virus. Will it be tamed by the current array of vaccines? Or will these vaccines fail to keep pace with fast-evolving…
Published on February 24, 2021
A prior infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, appears to be protective against reinfection for at least a few months, according to a new study from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This finding may explain why reinfection is relatively rare, and it could have implications on decisions about…
Published on February 23, 2021
Human cytomegalovirus infection can be treated by using epigenetic inhibitors that target bromodomain proteins, suggest study results from the University of Cambridge. There is a high level—60-95% depending on the country—of dormant human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in the population. Most people will not even realize they are infected and even…
Published on February 8, 2021
Bill Haseltine, Ph.D. The United States is spiraling. Seven-day averages for positive COVID-19 cases have exceeded 250,000 per day, having risen sharply after the Thanksgiving holiday and rising again after end-of-year celebrations. While many wait on distribution of a vaccine, at press time more than 4,000 Americans are dying on…
Published on February 8, 2021
Twenty years after the publication of the first draft of the human genome, our views have changed on the cipher for humanity, the identity of our ancestors, the differences among us, and the genomic nuances that can govern disease. Much has been deciphered and plenty remains. It is an opportune…
Published on November 30, 2020
Patients with glioblastoma (GBM) receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor who also received dexamethasone at baseline for cerebral edema exhibited significantly worse overall survival, according to a study “Concurrent Dexamethasone Limits the Clinical Benefit of Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Glioblastoma” published recently in Clinical Cancer Research. “Dexamethasone, a uniquely potent corticosteroid,…
Published on October 29, 2020
A Phase II/III trials of a two-antibody “cocktail” from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, REGN-COV2, has met its primary endpoint of significantly reducing viral load and medical visits in ambulatory adults with COVID-19. However, the company is reviewing a possible change of dosages in the study after finding no significant difference in efficacy…
Published on October 27, 2020
A study led by researchers at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, showed that T-cells from people previously infected with COVID-19 can be grown and expanded in the lab and are able to target the virus. “This suggests that adoptive immunotherapy using convalescent T-cells… may be an effective way…
Published on September 28, 2020
The very first woman to make a breakthrough that has influenced precision medicine was Rosalind Franklin via the famous Photo 51, an x-ray defraction image taken under her direction by one of her graduate students that showed the exquisite structure of DNA. Shown to James Watson without her knowledge, the…
Published on September 8, 2020
Burlingame, CA-based Humanigen is testing whether its engineered antibody or “Humaneered” technology developed over two decades can catapult the company to a leading role in the scramble to conquer COVID-19. This coming four years since its emergence from a bankruptcy, touched off by the arrest of its former CEO, “Pharma…
Published on August 4, 2020
The standard technique used for COVID-19 testing in the United States, from the first cases to today, has been the reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). The first diagnostic test for COVID-19, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug…
Published on July 7, 2020
Scientists have identified four promising antiviral drug candidates, including the FDA approved hepatitis C drug boceprevir, that show strong potential for treating COVID-19. The other three drug candidates that showed anti-viral potential included a, as yet unapproved, drug being investigated to treat a strain of coronavirus in cats and two…
Published on June 26, 2020
Clinical laboratories are showing signs of rallying after the recent slump in activity due to COVID-19, according to a new study from Arlington, Va.-based Kalorama Information, an in vitro diagnostics market research firm. The study, released June 25, found labs are running more tests and a greater variety of them…
Published on March 24, 2020
It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you our 2020 selections of 10 Under 40—scientists under the age of 40 who are making significant contributions in their areas of research. While there are undoubtedly scores of other researchers and scientist not on this list that could qualify—the Broad’s…
Published on February 24, 2020
Research from a team at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has revealed a number of different mechanisms that help explain why immunotherapy clinical trials targeting osteosarcoma have, thus far, failed to yield significant advances and suggested new therapeutic strategies based on these findings. Osteosarcoma is the most…