Virology / vaccines

SpyBiotech, a UK-based biotechnology company with a novel vaccine platform technology that can target infectious diseases, cancer, and chronic diseases, has received a grant of $4,094,561 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further develop its novel SpyVector platform.   This project will harness SpyBio’s ‘plug and display’ technology to design a broadly cross-protective […]

New findings suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 virus damages an important immune-cell response. The quality of CD8+ T cell response to two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was considerably lower in people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to people without prior infection, the US study found. In addition, the level of this T cell was […]

A new eBook is now available entitled ‘Riding the mRNA highway: development, manufacturing, and beyond’, sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific. Download the eBook to learn more about process development and manufacturing in the mRNA space to enable successful scale-ups of mRNA production for therapeutic applications. Topics covered in the eBook include: Expert views on mRNA […]

Download this eBook to learn more about process development and manufacturing in the mRNA space to enable successful scale-ups of mRNA production for therapeutic applications. Topics covered in the eBook include: Expert views on mRNA development and manufacturing Advantages of mRNA processes compared to traditional vaccine manufacturing Best practices for scale up of in vitro […]

In a step forward for genetic engineering and synthetic biology, US researchers have modified E coli bacteria to be immune to infection by all natural viruses tested so far. The team used two safeguard methods to prevent the bacteria and their modified genes from escaping into the wild. The work promises to reduce the threats […]

Researchers have shown for the first time that malfunctioning behaviour of a type of immune cell is linked to specific symptoms of Long Covid. Normally functioning monocytes, made in the bone marrow, would travel through the blood to the lungs where they surround and kill the virus and boost the immune response. However, scientists and clinicians […]

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has become the first UK health authority to permit routine NHS use of Gilead Sciences’ Hepcludex (bulevirtide) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection. The drug has been accepted for the treatment of chronic HDV infection in adult patients with evidence of significant fibrosis, whose disease has […]

The success of messenger RNA or mRNA vaccines in the fight against the global SARS-CoV-2 crisis brings a new era of vaccine development. In vitro transcription, or IVT, is a complex reaction, requiring key components like an RNA polymerase, nucleotides, and a DNA template to make each mRNA. By partnering with a supplier like Thermo […]

In this listicle, Thermo Fisher Scientific outlines five measures to help you ensure consistency in your workflow and produce reproducible, high-quality batches of IVT mRNA at scale. The success of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in combatting the global SARS-CoV-2 crisis brings a new era of vaccine development. Applications of in vitro transcribed (IVT) RNA in […]

For the first time, researchers have developed an mRNA vaccine that is 100% effective against a type of bacteria that is lethal to humans, paving the way for effective vaccination against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The study, conducted in an animal model, demonstrated that all treated animals were fully protected against the bacteria. According to the researchers, […]