NIH has released its Strategic Plan for COVID-19 Research (see attachment) and issued a Request for Information. Comments and suggestions can be submitted at the following link through December 7, 2020:
M. Campos a, J. Pomeroy b, M.H. Mays c, A. Lopez d, C. Palacios. Intervention to promote physical activation and improve sleep and response feeding in infants for preventing obesity early in life, the baby-act trial: Rationale and design, Contemporary Clinical Trials (2020),
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2020.106185
Grant Support: NIMHD-RCMI 2U54MD007600
Researchers discovered that SARS-CoV-2 uses a receptor, in addition to ACE2, to enter into human cells. The second receptor, neuropilin-1, is very abundant in many human tissues including the respiratory tract, blood vessels, and neurons. By specifically blocking neuropilin-1, the researchers were able to significantly reduce infection in laboratory cell cultures, opening the door to novel antiviral strategies.
The work is published in Science, in two papers published back to back.
“Neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and infectivity” (DOI:10.1126/science.abd2985)
“Neuropilin-1 is a host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection” (DOI: 10.1126/science.abd3072).
Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News update@genmail.co
University of Oxford researchers report they have developed a test for SARS-CoV-2 that can return results in five minutes, Reuters reports.
In a preprint posted to MedRxiv, the Oxford team describes their methodology to detect the virus. In particular, it relies on wide-field fluorescence imaging to detect viral particles, followed by image analysis and machine learning to identify the virus present. They report that their approach could distinguish between clinical samples with and without SARS-CoV-2 as well as between samples with SARS-CoV-2 or influenza, all with high accuracy.
"Unlike other technologies that detect a delayed antibody response or that require expensive, tedious and time-consuming sample preparation, our method quickly detects intact virus particles; meaning the assay is simple, extremely rapid, and cost-effective," co-author Achilles Kapanidis says in a statement.
While the researchers say that a rapid test like theirs could be rolled out at airports and businesses to aid in mass testing, they note that their test would not be ready for such large-scale use for a while, Reuters reports. It adds that the Oxford team plans to start product development in early 2021 and have an approved test about six months after that.
FDA New COVID-19 Vaccine Site: This week, FDA launched a new webpage at www.fda.gov/covid19vaccines to highlight new information as it becomes available.
Tell Me More About Vaccines: Right now, researchers and scientists, with the full support of the US government, working to develop a safe and effective vaccine against the virus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. Learn in a newly released 6.5 minute video by HHS what makes vaccines so important, and how history, science, experience, and ingenuity all point to the eventual development of one or more successful vaccines against the coronavirus. This video provides the background and clarity – via expert commentary and graphic illustration – to help viewers understand that the science of vaccine development and the full strength of initiatives such as Operation Warp Speed, are reasons for optimism. Experts featured: Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIH; Dr. Moncef Slaoui, Operation Warp Speed; Dr. Stephen Hahn, FDA; Dr. Robert Kadlec, ASPR
CDC updated information on traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.
Seguridad Alimentaria
La pandemia del coronavirus (COVID-19) comenzó a afectar a múltiples países desde el mes de enero del 2020. Uno de los efectos de la pandemia fue trastocar la cadena de distribución de alimentos en la isla. Esto provocó que se limitara el acceso a comida y la seguridad alimentaria en diferentes partes del mundo. En un esfuerzo de entender cómo ha afectado la pandemia con relación a la seguridad alimentaria dentro de las comunidades, el equipo de evaluación en alianza con Uriyoán Colón, SCD, MPA, profesora de salud global en la Universidad de George Washington, dirigieron una encuesta en línea sobre la seguridad alimentaria en estos primeros meses de la pandemia.
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) began to affect multiple countries since January 2020. One of the effects of the pandemic was disrupting the food distribution chain on the island. This caused access to food and food security to be limited in different parts of the globe. To understand how the pandemic has affected food security within communities, the evaluation team in partnership with Uriyoán Colón, SCD, MPA, professor of global health at George Washington University conducted an online survey on food security in these first months of the pandemic.
Access the results of an online survey on food security during COVID-19 available at: http://www.inepr.com/seguridad-alimentaria.html
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