HSE University researcher develops global HIV prevention index for drug users

Peter Meylakhs, from HSE University – St. Petersburg, together with colleagues from Georgia State University (USA) and Tarbiat Modares University (Tehran), have developed the HIV-PWID Policy Index (HPPI)–an international policy index for HIV prevention among people who inject drugs. This is the first major tool for assessing and comparing the extent to which HIV/AIDS prevention…

More evidence of benefits of REGN-COV2 antibody cocktail to both protect from and treat disease

In June, two studies in Science reported an antibody cocktail against SARS-CoV-2 developed from studies in humanized mice and recovering patients. The two antibody cocktail was designed to bind the virus to reduce the risk of a drug-resistant form emerging. Now, expanding upon this work, researchers show this antibody cocktail offers benefits in animal models…

Antibodies from patients infected with SARS-CoV in 2003 cross-neutralized SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Antibodies in serum samples collected from patients infected with SARS-CoV during the 2003 outbreak effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 infection in cultured cells, according to a new study. The authors also report that, surprisingly, mice and rabbits immunized with a receptor binding domain (RBD) from a strain of SARS-CoV that infects the Himalayan palm civet elicited stronger…

Cedars-Sinai to study unequal impact of COVID-19 on minorities

Cedars-Sinai has been awarded a five-year, $8.3 million grant by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study the diversity and determinants of the immune-inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus). Using comprehensive longitudinal data collection and analyses, the research will focus on the ethnically and racially diverse population served by the Cedars-Sinai…