Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, Harvard Medical School, and the ETH Zurich predict and validate genomic safe harbors for therapeutic genes, enabling safer, more efficient, and predictable gene and cell therapies. Many future gene and cell therapies to treat diseases like cancer, rare genetic and other conditions could be enhanced in their efficacy, persistence, and
Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found that four COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, J&J/Janssen, and Novavax) prompt the body to make effective, long-lasting T cells against SARS-CoV-2. These T cells can recognize SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern, including Delta and Omicron. “The vast majority of T cell responses are still effective against Omicron,”
In a study recently published on Cell, researchers used cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis to capture the open and closed states of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant’s spike protein. The open and closed states of the Omicron spike appeared more compact compared to that of the SARS-CoV-2 G614 strain, which is likely due to
A significant portion of people who contract the SARS-CoV-2 virus—some estimates suggest more than 40 percent—suffer chronic effects known as Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), commonly referred to as long COVID. PASC symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, the loss of taste and smell, shortness of breath, and more. Now, researchers have identified several factors
Cancer cells increase the synthesis of sugars, that once exposed on the surface create a “shield” capable of hindering the immune system. According to a study published today in Science Translational Medicine, this shield could explain, at least in part, the reduced efficacy of CAR T cell therapies in solid tumors. The researchers also found a way to
An investigational gene therapy showed benefit in pediatric patients with early-onset metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a small study showed. Treatment with atidarsagene autotemcel (arsa-cel) preserved motor development and cognitive function in MLD patients enrolled in a prospective phase I/II trial or treated through expanded access programs, reported Alessandro Aiuti, MD, of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene
The risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 among older Americans is far higher for those who are unvaccinated than for those who are fully vaccinated and have had a booster shot, new government data shows. The differences were stark: In December, unvaccinated people 50 and older were 17 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those
International regulators have published a report today highlighting their discussions on the effectiveness of current vaccines against the COVID-19 Omicron variant, regulatory requirements for a variant vaccine and considerations on clinical study design. The workshop on the global response to the COVID-19 Omicron variant was organised under the umbrella of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) and
A look at antibodies in patients soon after they were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 showed key differences between those whose cases remained mild and those who later developed severe symptoms. Blood drawn from patients shortly after they were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may indicate who is most likely
A drug treatment that acts as a decoy against SARS-CoV-2 was highly effective at preventing death and lung damage in humanized animal models of severe COVID-19 disease, according to a Nature Chemical Biology study from researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago. The study suggests that the drug has the potential to treat COVID-19 patients,
