Archives: 2020-02-22

Covid-19 incubation could be as long as 27 days, Chinese provincial government says

Source Reuters A 70-year-old man in China’s Hubei Province was infected with coronavirus but did not show symptoms until 27 days later, the local government said on Saturday, meaning the virus’ incubation period could be much longer than the presumed 14 days. A longer incubation period could complicate efforts to contain spread of the epidemic

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Plant-based relatives of cholesterol could help gene therapy for cystic fibrosis, other diseases

Gene-infused nanoparticles used for combating disease work better when they include plant-based relatives of cholesterol, new research shows. That’s because the shape and structure of the phytosterols help the genes get where they need to be inside cells. The findings by Oregon State University researchers, published today in Nature Communications, are important because many illnesses that

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BioMarin’s Biologics License Application for Valoctocogene Roxaparvovec Accepted for Priority Review by FDA with Review Action Date of August 21, 2020

If approved, 1st Gene Therapy in U.S. for the Treatment of Any Type of Hemophilia BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for Priority Review the Biologics License Application (BLA) to the FDA for its investigational AAV5 gene therapy, valoctocogene roxaparvovec, for adults with hemophilia

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Egypt, Algeria and Republic of South Africa, main gates for coronavirus importation in Africa

Egypt, Algeria and Republic of South Africa are the African countries most at risk for coronavirus COVID-19 importation in the continent, due to high air traffic with the contaminated Chinese provinces. But these countries are also among the best equipped on the continent to quickly detect and deal with new cases.  In other African countries,

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New Institute Launched to Ensure the U.S. Healthcare System Is Ready for Gene Therapies

Industry leaders, patient advocates, researchers unite to maximize the incredible potential of transformative gene therapies The Institute for Gene Therapies (IGT) launched today with a focus on advocating for a modernize the U.S. regulatory and reimbursement framework so that gene therapies can deliver their significant potential to patients. IGT will educate stakeholders across the healthcare

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In Breakthrough Study, Researchers Find Stem Cells in the Nose That Give Rise to Olfactory Neurons

By carefully harvesting tiny samples of olfactory cleft mucosal tissue and conducting single-cell analysis, a collaborative team led by University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers has found compelling evidence to support olfactory neurogenesis, the ability to regrow olfactory neurons to the brain. “For decades, medical researchers have wondered whether or not neurogenesis was

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China CDC releases massive novel coronavirus study covering 44,000 cases

A newly published study from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) is offering a massive epidemiological insight into the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak. The paper examines more than 44,000 confirmed patients, finding over 80 percent of cases are only mild in severity. SOURCE CCDC As cases of the novel coronavirus disease, now named Covid-19,

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New cholesterol-lowering guidelines would increase cost of treatment

The financial burden on health systems would drastically increase if new European expert guidelines for cholesterol-lowering treatment were implemented, according to a new simulation study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the European Heart Journal. The findings highlight an urgent need for cost-effectiveness analysis given the current cost of the proposed treatment for

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