R&D

Lancaster University intranasal vaccine offers promise to block COVID-19 where it starts

Research by Lancaster University scientists to create a COVID-19 vaccine which can be administered through the nose has taken a significant step forward.

The pre-clinical animal trials of the intranasal vaccine showed a reduction in both the impact of the disease itself and transmission of the virus.

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 remain stable, or even increase, seven months after infection

The levels of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein remain stable, or even increase, seven months after infection, according to a follow-up study in a cohort of healthcare workers coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa" Foundation, in collaboration with the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. The results, published in Nature Communications, also support the idea that pre-existing antibodies against common cold coronaviruses could protect against COVID-19.

Coffee protects against liver cancer while alcohol is linked with numerous cancers

Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for several cancers including head & neck (mouth, pharynx, larynx), oesophageal and bowel cancer - as well as the more widely known links to breast and liver cancer - according to a new study funded by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)(1), and published this week in Nature Communications. The study also found increased coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of developing liver cancer and basal cell carcinoma of the skin.

New database could accelerate drug repurposing for various diseases

Researchers have created a new open-access database of information on drug candidates and how they are metabolised by the body, which could help speed up the repurposing of old drugs as new treatments.

There is an urgent need for more effective treatments for many conditions, including COVID-19, cancer and malaria. But the process of developing new drugs is costly, can take decades, and often leads to failed treatments.

Existing drug is shown to inhibit virus that causes COVID-19

Scientists from the University of Chicago have found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.

The drug, which has undergone several clinical trials for human conditions but has not yet received approval to treat humans, inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in human cell cultures and in a mouse model, leading to much lower viral loads.

Advantages of intranasal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2

There are many reasons that an intranasal vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus would be helpful in the fight against COVID-19 infections, University of Alabama at Birmingham immunologists Fran Lund, Ph.D., and Troy Randall, Ph.D., write in a viewpoint article in the journal Science.

Antibiotics may help to treat melanoma

Some antibiotics appear to be effective against a form of skin cancer known as melanoma. Researchers at KU Leuven, Belgium, examined the effect of these antibiotics on patient-derived tumours in mice. Their findings were published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Research & Development

Lancaster University intranasal vaccine offers promise to block COVID-19 where it starts

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 remain stable, or even increase, seven months after infection

Coffee protects against liver cancer while alcohol is linked with numerous cancers

New database could accelerate drug repurposing for various diseases

Existing drug is shown to inhibit virus that causes COVID-19

Advantages of intranasal vaccination against SARS-CoV-2

Antibiotics may help to treat melanoma

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