Researchers in the United States have developed a new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine that induced potent neutralizing antibodies against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in animal models.
Small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 identified by screening
Even as the vaccine rollout continues against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), seeking to bring an end to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, new variants emerge that show immune escape capabilities. Effective and safe drugs thus remain essential to treat severe infections with this virus.
A new preprint, released on the
bioRxiv server, describes the identification of small molecule inhibitors that block the catalytic activity of the crucial viral non-structural protein 5 (nsp5), using a large-scale screening method.
The importance of nsp5
At least nine enzymes of the virus are important for viral proliferation and are thus ideal for the development of antiviral drugs. These enzymes have the same sequence between different coronaviruses, unlike the spike, nucleocapsid and other structural proteins that are less conserved. This makes vaccines based on the latter protei
Novel protein construct prevents lethal COVID-19 in mice
Researchers in the United States have developed a novel protein that prevented lethal disease among mice infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The team engineered a soluble, short, and dimeric version of the native host cell receptor that is bound by a surface structure on SARS-CoV-2 called spike during the initial stage of the infection process.
The team – from the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University in Evanston – suspected that a soluble, truncated version of this membrane-bound receptor – called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) – would serve as a decoy for SARS-CoV-2 spike binding and potentially neutralize infection.
CN Bio introduces the PhysioMimix™ OOC Multi-Organ Microphysiological System
CN Bio, a leading developer of single and multi-organ microphysiological systems (MPS), otherwise known as organ-on-a-chip (OOC), today announced the commercial launch of its new PhysioMimix™ OOC Multi-Organ MPS.
The next-generation platform combines CN Bio’s in vitro 3D liver model, whose phenotype and functions mimic that in vivo, with a range of other organs to more accurately recapitulate the multi-organ and systemic effects observed in humans. Demonstrating a key milestone in the Company’s mission to develop the most complete human ‘body-on-a-chip’ in the laboratory, the PhysioMimix OOC Multi-Organ MPS will provide advanced insights into the potential effects of novel therapeutics that were previously only achievable using animal models.
Researchers develop near-infrared light triggered drug delivery system
A new concept of on-demand drug delivery system has emerged in which the drugs are automatically released from in vivo medical devices simply by shining light on the skin.
A research team led by Professor Sei Kwang Hahn of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Kilwon Cho of the Department of Chemical Engineering at POSTECH have together developed an on-demand drug delivery system (DDS) using an organic photovoltaic cell coated with upconversion nanoparticles. This newly developed DDS allows nanoparticles to convert skin-penetrating near-infrared (NIR) light into visible light so that drug release can be controlled in medical devices installed in the body. These research findings were published in