Clinical Trials & Research

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and damage in the affected organs. It can affect the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels. Asian SLE patients suffer from more severe disease and damage compared to patients in western countries.

Screening of formulation buffers to improve the stability of biologics is a crucial process that is time-consuming and labor-intensive. This has been often considered a rate-limiting factor in biologics development. The chemical, conformational and colloidal stability of a protein is highly impacted by the buffer solution. Varying buffer salts, pH, excipients, ionic strength and surfactants

Scientists have recently tried to explain the factors that could be responsible for the recent outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Israel. Their observations reveal that the prevalence of the more infectious delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and waning vaccine efficacy results in the outbreaks. As preventive interventions, they

1. Keß A, Spielau U, Beger C, Gausche R, Vogel M, Lipek T, et al. Further stabilization and even decrease in the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in German children and adolescents from 2005 to 2015: a cross-sectional and trend analysis. Public Health Nutr. 2017;20:3075–83. PubMed  Article  Google Scholar  2. Flores M, Simonsen SE,

In gene therapy development, optimizing the production of delivery vehicles and genetic payloads is a crucial aspect. In contrast to monoclonal antibodies and other biologics, the characterization and formulation of delivery vectors, such as adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), are still considered fresh areas of development. The production of these molecules is difficult

Hokkaido University scientists and colleagues in Japan have found a way that could help some patients overcome resistance to immunotherapy treatment for cancer. The approach, proven in mice experiments, was reported in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer. The activation of checkpoint proteins on the surfaces of immune cells helps regulate the immune response by

1. Blackburn EH, Epel ES, Lin J. Human telomere biology: a contributory and interactive factor in aging, disease risks, and protection. Science. 2015;350:1193–8. CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar  2. Hammadah M, Al Mheid I, Wilmot K, Ramadan R, Abdelhadi N, Alkhoder A, et al. Telomere shortening, regenerative capacity, and cardiovascular outcomes. Circ Res. 2017;120:1130–8. CAS 

For the past two decades, healthcare has been on an exciting digital journey, including the start of electronic medical records, remote patient monitoring and the rapid emergence of telehealth options. Image Credit: Advantech In parallel to these advances, the healthcare world is rapidly moving and adapting – which demands mobile technology that can keep up

People’s trust in the government’s approval of a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 is the biggest driver of vaccine uptake, an Australian study has found. Second on the list of motivations identified in the study is the perceived effectiveness of the vaccine to protect others in the community. The next two most common drivers

Medical devices are required to maintain a consistently high level of sanitation at any cost, but these products are regularly in contact with harmful organisms and dangerous bacteria. When not sterilized, medical devices can serve as vectors of disease. Barrier membranes and films serve as the first line of defense in a wide range of

A team of scientists from the UK has recently explored the impact of non-pharmaceutical control measures and vaccination on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic during school reopening in England. The findings reveal that vaccination of children over the age of 12 can significantly reduce infections and deaths. In the absence of vaccination, the continuous

In this study, we assessed whether there is an association between vitamin D and COVID-19 risk and severity by examining a comprehensive set of key vitamin D variables jointly for the first time, and applying a number of analyses to probe consistency of our findings. We consistently found a strong inverse association between an integrated

Release liners are a key component in medical products’ overall development and performance, for example, transdermal drug delivery systems, medical devices, advanced wound care dressings and pharmaceutical packaging products. Release liners are required to offer consistent release performance and inertness in the end-use application while simultaneously adhering to increasingly strict regulatory criteria around performance, quality,

A new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine reports on the effectiveness of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in a healthcare setting. The researchers found that vaccines based on the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) platform were 88% effective against hospitalization of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and

Should Gavin Newsom survive the Republican-driven attempt to oust him from office, the Democratic governor will face the prospect of paying back supporters who coalesced behind him. And the leaders of California’s single-payer movement will want their due. Publicly, union leaders say they’re standing beside Newsom because he has displayed political courage during the covid-19

Introducing COVID-19 vaccine passports in the UK could see people who are willing to get vaccinated do so more quickly, but have the converse effect upon those who have concerns, especially when passports cover domestic activities, suggests a new study published in EClinicalMedicine. Led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and

Sandrine V. Pierre, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and interim director of the Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (MIIR), has been awarded a Research Project Grant (R01), one of the most competitive grants issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Pierre was awarded

1. WHO. Guiding principles for complementary feeding of Breastfed child. Washington, D.C.: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Guiding; 2001. 2. Martorell R, Khan LK, Schroeder DG. Reversibility of stunting: epidemiological findings in children from developing countries. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1994;48:S45–S57. PubMed  Google Scholar  3. WHO. Infant and young child feeding Counseling:

Following several studies over the past year that observed T cells gathered before the pandemic show reactivity against both the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) and several non-structural proteins. Most of the T cell’s response was detected against spike proteins similar to those seen in coronaviruses known to

Medical engineering devices are rapidly evolving and incidentally, requests towards the suppliers of device components are also on the rise. The response of Optris GmbH is to routinely improve and develop its sensors for non-contact temperature measurement. Image Credit: Optris GmbH Medical devices are generally compact and small. Therefore, the build of the temperature sensors

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced enrollment of the first participants in a Phase 1/2 study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a combination vaccine using Novavax’ seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. The

People with rare disorders that cause shortened telomeres — protective caps that sit at the end of chromosomes — may be more likely to have blood cancers such as leukemia or myelodyplastic syndrome. Now, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists have discovered several “self-correcting” genetic mutations in bone marrow that may protect such patients from these cancers.