Researchers have developed a new compound that can prevent long COVID symptoms in mice that could lead to a future drug for the debilitating condition in humans. Developed by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, the world-first study found mice treated with the antiviral compound were protected from long-term brain and lung dysfunction, which are key symptoms of long COVID.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: BMS, GC Biopharma, Idorsia, Novavax.
Work at Vir Biotechnology Inc. has led to the identification of 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro; Mpro; nsp5) (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 virus) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections (COVID-19).
“The nation’s scientific enterprise is being decimated.” That statement in an open letter “to the American people” signed by 1,800 members of the U.S. National Academies, is made concrete in a list of 709 NIH grants – and counting – that have been axed since President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20.
COVID-19 has continued to alarm public health, and although several therapeutics and vaccines have been developed, the development of effective vaccines or antibodies is challenging due to mutations in the surface of the spike protein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“The nation’s scientific enterprise is being decimated.” That statement in an open letter “to the American people” signed by 1,800 members of the U.S. National Academies, is made concrete in a list of 709 NIH grants – and counting – that have been axed since President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. A grant tracker, based on information published by the Department of Health and Human Sciences, and self-reported terminations from scientists, includes 88 vaccine-related projects, 45 cancer research grants and 231 awards made for HIV research.
Additional early-stage research and drug discovery news in brief, from: Blue Lake Biotechnology, Hyundai ADM Bio, Portage Biotech, Progen, Rani Therapeutics.
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a serious disorder that develops after SARS-CoV-2 infection, could arise from latent infection of another pathogen, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Researchers at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the German Rheumatology Research Center (DRFZ) have linked the inflammatory effect of this co-infection with transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), ruling out the possibility that MIS-C is caused by an autoimmune reaction, or persistence of the coronavirus in the body.
Although several vaccines and drugs are available against SARS-CoV-2, the search for effective therapeutic agents for COVID-19 and future zoonotic coronaviruses continues. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is a relevant drug target in several RNA viral infections, such as SARS-CoV-2 (targeted by the approved drugs remdesivir and molnupiravir), hepatitis C, influenza and dengue viruses.
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