At Front Line Genomics we know how difficult it is to stay on top of things, so here we have summarised the latest news and research surrounding COVID-19 from the past fortnight.
Statistics
At the time of writing, there have been:
- 138,878,439 cases
- 2,986,530 deaths
- 111,658,477 recoveries
Research
- A population-based study – The Rhineland Study – has provided new findings on the persistence of neutralising antibodies. (Aziz et al, 2021)
- New research with 2,533 fragment compounds generates chemical map for future antiviral agents that could combat COVID-19. (Schuller et al, 2021)
- Researchers have demonstrated a new, inexpensive technique that could help solve COVID-19 vaccine storage challenges. (Herbert et al, 2021)
- An article published as preprint has profiled COVID-19 autopsies, uncovering novel disease mechanisms. (Pujadas et al, 2021)
- Two studies published in PLOS Pathogens have provided new evidence supporting the role of the immune system in shaping SARS-CoV-2 evolution. (Eguia et al, 2021) (Ko et al, 2021)
- Researchers have compared the images of the protein spikes that develop on the surface of cells exposed to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to the protein spikes on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (Watanabe et al, 2021)
- A new analysis has found that blocking excessive complement activity in the lungs could help in treating severe COVID-19. (Yan et al, 2021)
- An observational study has suggested that the B.1.1.7. variant is not associated with more severe illness and death but does appear to lead to higher viral load. (Graham et al, 2021)
- Researchers have generated intestinal organoids to study the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the gut. (Mithal, 2021)
Other news
- The European Medicines Agency has found a possible link to very rare cases of unusual blood clots and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. (EMA, 2021)
- The NIH has begun a study exploring allergic reactions to Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. (NIH, 2021)
Image credit: By starline – freepik
