COVID-19

White blood cells called monocytes released into the blood from bone marrow have abnormal features in people who have COVID-19. This is according to a new study by University of Manchester immunologists at the Lydia Becker Institute. The team from the Coronavirus Immune Response and Clinical Outcome (CIRCO) consortium says the abnormalities are greater in […]

Lu Rahman looks at the drug repurposing market. How attractive a proposition is it financially?  More than ever the world is watching drug development and is aware of the time it takes to get a drug to market. The 10-15 years that this can involve is costly, so unsurprisingly, drug repurposing has become a credible […]

With COVID-19 taking centre stage in global drug discovery, Lu Rahman looks at opportunities ahead for the sector and where attention might be focussed going forward.  It is clear from the current pandemic that opportunities arise within drug discovery and development when we don’t always expect them. COVID-19 has created an immense global effort centred […]

PCR Biosystems has launched RiboShield RNase Inhibitor. Already a component of several PCR Biosystems kits, this robust and reliable RNase inhibitor is now available as a standalone product. RiboShield RNase Inhibitor is a recombinant protein that blocks the activity of a range of ribonucleases to reliably protect RNA from RNase digestion. The inhibitor is designed for […]

As the world is rocked by one of the greatest healthcare challenges in living memory, how we treat infectious diseases is becoming one of the key medical questions of our age. Hannah Randles, Health and Life Sciences Champion at Liverpool City Region’s Growth Platform explains how the region’s infectious diseases ecosystem is driving innovation in […]

Sanofi and GSK have started the Phase I/II clinical trial for their adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine candidate, developed in partnership by Sanofi and GSK, uses the same recombinant protein-based technology as one of Sanofi’s seasonal influenza vaccines with GSK’s established pandemic adjuvant technology. The Phase I/II clinical trial is a randomised, double blind and […]

A new international has shown that treating critically ill patients with COVID-19 with the steroid hydrocortisone improves their chances of recovery. The study, led in the UK by Professor Anthony Gordon from Imperial College London with collaborators from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre, found that patients receiving intensive care who were treated […]

While everyone’s attention is focused on efforts to contain COVID-19, few probably noticed signs that the UK health system is about to undergo some major changes that will have an impact on both patients and the healthcare industry as early as next year. In preparation for the end of the Brexit transition period, the UK government […]

Oxford Biomedica has signed an 18 month supply agreement with AstraZeneca UK for large-scale commercial manufacture of the adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222. The supply period for AZD1222 may be extended by a further 18 months into 2022 and 2023 by mutual agreement. AstraZeneca will pay Oxford Biomedica £15million upfront as a capacity reservation […]

By Ibis Sanchez-Serrano and Rathnam Chaguturu Mitigation of COVID-19 pandemic requires a combination of effective epidemiological policies and the discovery/development of powerful drugs against the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes this disease. This article examines the major initiatives being explored at the public policy level to contain the spread of COVID-19 […]