NIH clinical trial of remdesivir to treat COVID-19 begins

27-Feb-2020 - A randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational antiviral remdesivir in hospitalized adults diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha. The trial regulatory sponsor is ...

Remdesivir prevents MERS coronavirus disease in monkeys

Results support testing antiviral against 2019 novel coronavirus

17-Feb-2020 - The experimental antiviral remdesivir successfully prevented disease in rhesus macaques infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to a new study from National Institutes of Health scientists. Remdesivir prevented disease when administered before infection ...

Scientists work toward a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for Lyme disease

18-Oct-2019 - A study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology describes a new rapid assay for Lyme disease that could lead to a practical test for use by healthcare providers. The researchers found the assay, which uses several biomarkers to detect Lyme disease infection, was more sensitive than ...

Investigational monoclonal antibody to treat Ebola is safe in adults

28-Jan-2019 - The investigational Ebola treatment mAb114 is safe, well-tolerated, and easy to administer, according to findings from an early-stage clinical trial. Eighteen healthy adults received the monoclonal antibody as part of a Phase 1 clinical trial that began in May 2018 at the National Institutes of ...

A 3D structure of 1918 influenza virus-like particles

16-Jul-2018 - Virus-like particles (VLPs) are protein-based structures that mimic viruses and bind to antibodies. Because VLPs are not infectious, they show considerable promise as vaccine platforms for many viral diseases, including influenza. Realizing that fine details about influenza VLPs were scant, a ...

Essential malaria parasite genes revealed

NIAID-funded research could aid antimalarial drug development

07-May-2018 - Researchers have exploited a quirk in the genetic make-up of the deadly malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to create 38,000 mutant strains and then determine which of the organism's genes are essential to its growth and survival. P. falciparum is responsible for about half of all malaria ...

Research offers clues for improved influenza vaccine design

10-Apr-2018 - Influenza vaccines that better target the influenza surface protein called neuraminidase (NA) could offer broad protection against various influenza virus strains and lessen the severity of illness, according to new researchl. Current seasonal influenza vaccines mainly target a different, more ...

Monoclonal Antibodies Against Zika Show Promise in Monkey Study

09-Oct-2017 - Using blood samples from an individual previously infected with Zika virus, scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have developed an antibody-based Zika virus therapeutic that protected monkeys from ...

Mycobacteria use protein to create diverse populations, avoid drugs

02-Jun-2017 - Subgroups of tuberculosis (TB)-causing bacteria can persist even when antibiotics wipe out most of the overall population. The need to eliminate these persistent subpopulations is one reason why TB treatment regimens are so lengthy. Now, researchers have shown that a single protein allows ...

Prion disease detected soon after infection and in surprising place in mouse brains

23-Sep-2015 - Prion diseases - incurable, ultimately fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative disorders of mammals - are believed to develop undetected in the brain over several years from infectious prion protein. In a new study, National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists report they can detect infectious ...