PITTSBURGH, Nov. 5, 2020 — Today in Science, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine describe a new method to extract tiny but extremely powerful SARS-CoV-2 antibody fragments from llamas, which could be fashioned into inhalable therapeutics with the potential to prevent and treat COVID-19. These special llama antibodies, called «nanobodies,» are much…
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Two separate studies have identified nanobodies — which could be produced less expensively than monoclonal antibodies — that bind tightly to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and efficiently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in cells. «The combined stability, potency, and diverse epitope engagement of our … nanobodies … provide a unique potential prophylactic and therapeutic strategy to limit the…
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Researchers have designed a protein «decoy» that mimics the interface where the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds a human cell, one version of which could neutralize virus infection in cells and protect hamsters from viral challenge. The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters human cells when the spike protein binds to the human ACE2 receptor. While neutralizing antibodies to…
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Fossil fuel burning accounts for the majority of global greenhouse gas emissions, and to the world’s credit, several countries are working to reduce their use and the heat-trapping emissions that ensue. The goal is to keep global temperatures under a 1.5° to 2°C increase above preindustrial levels — the upper limits of the Paris Climate…
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NEW YORK, NY (Nov. 5, 2020)—Children and adults produce different types and amounts of antibodies in response to infection with the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, a new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has found. The differences in antibodies suggest the course of the infection and immune response is distinct…
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TUCSON, Ariz., November 5, 2020 — The Pediatric IBD Foundation, ImproveCareNow, and the Critical Path Institute (C-Path) are proud to announce a collaboration establishing the Children’s Registry for the Advancement of Therapeutics (CREATE™). CREATE™ is a drug-agnostic safety registry designed to support the completion of global post-marketing safety requirements, as well as collect safety information…
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November 5, 2020 — Studies using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a noninvasive technique, to help veterans and active-duty service members living with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other lasting consequences of concussion have shown promise. However, there’s an urgent need for studies designed to address the unique patterns of post-concussion symptoms seen in…
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The Danish government will slaughter millions of mink at more than 1,000 farms, citing concerns that a mutation in the novel coronavirus that has infected the mink could possibly interfere with the effectiveness of a vaccine for humans. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday. There are 15 million…
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Welcome. Through the window where I work these days, I see the backs of several apartment buildings, terraces and fire escapes, tall old trees taken over by vines and the twin spires of the Gothic Revival-style church on the corner. As views go, it’s performing its job well: form and function in equal measure, beautiful…
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The discovery of a 9,000-year-old female skeleton buried with what archaeologists call a “big-game hunting kit” in the Andes highlands of Peru has challenged one of the most widely held tenets about ancient hunter gatherers — that males hunted and females gathered. Randy Haas, an archaeologist at the University of California, Davis, and a group…
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