(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find cures and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease that caused the virus.
UK coronavirus variability associated with higher viral loads
The highly contagious COVID-19 coronavirus variant that has been circulating in Britain is linked to higher loads of the virus in the blood, according to a study report published on medRxiv Sunday ahead of a peer review. . Approximately 35% of patients with the variant form had very high levels of the virus in their samples, compared to 10% of patients without the variant, said study director Michael Kidd from Public Health England and the University of Birmingham told Reuters. Higher viral loads were associated with worse COVID-19 results. The tests were performed at the Birmingham Turnkey Lab. Kidd said further investigation was needed to confirm or repeat the findings. If confirmed, it is hoped that scientists will investigate how this particular variant regulates increased replication in diseased patients. (bit.ly/3nUEJrr)
Neanderthal gene protects against COVID-19
A specific form of protein donated from Neanderthals protects against hard COVID-19, and medications that stimulate levels of this protein may help treat the disease, according to a reported study medRxiv Thursday ahead of peer review. The protein, called OAS1, is involved in the body’s response to viruses. People with higher levels of the Neanderthal-associated form of Oande1 are less susceptible to COVID-19, and if infected, they are at lower risk for hospitalization, intubation and death, the researchers found. “This form of protection of OAS1 is present in sub-Saharan Africans but was lost when the ancestors of today’s Europeans emigrated out of Africa. It was reintroduced to the population. European through courtship with Neanderthals “who lived more than 40,000 years ago, said coauthor Brent Richards of the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University in Montreal. An earlier study linked the accumulation of genes acquired from Neanderthals to higher hospital-acquired risks from COVID-19. “These findings further affect Neanderthal ancestry in the depths of COVID-19,” Richards said. (bit.ly/2KxrQVP)
Key antibody production early in COVID-19 reactivation
The speed of antibody production of patients – rather than the amount of antibodies they make to fight the new coronavirus – determines whether they survive COVID-19, new data suggest. Researchers who studied more than 200 COVID-19 patients, including 179 who were hospitalized, found those who underwent neutral antibodies within 14 days of developing symptoms of finally, while those who did not make antibodies were neutral until more than 14 days had elapsed. develop higher viral loads and more severe disease. “It is not clear why antibodies formed after this time point cannot promote clearing and overcoming virus in COVID-19 patients,” the researchers said in a report posted on medRxiv ahead of peer review. Study leader Akiko Iwasaki of Yale University School of Medicine tweeted on Saturday, “It is possible that a virus in some way persists by hiding in inaccessible handkerchiefs.” The new findings, she said, suggest treatment with so-called monoclonal antibody drugs – such as those from Regeneron given to U.S. President Donald Trump – may only work if used shortly after infection. (bit.ly/3pv6qaB)
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Reciting with Nancy Lapid; Edited by Tiffany Wu