Here’s what’s happening this week in research:
- According to a study published in Cell Reports Medicine, a newly-discovered monoclonal antibody may protect against all COVID-19 variants. Scientists isolated the broadly neutralizing antibody, called SC27, from a patient. It could be used in the future for treatments for COVID-19. “One goal of this research…is to work toward a universal vaccine that can generate antibodies and create an immune response with broad protection to a rapidly mutating virus,” one of the study’s authors told MedicalXpress.
- A new study may complicate our understanding of Long COVID risk and vaccination. A new study in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found that vaccination made little difference in protection from Long COVID. The researchers assessed the electronic health records of 41,652 people who had COVID-19, and found similar rates of Long COVID among those who were unvaccinated compared to those who had two mRNA vaccine doses. Still, some researchers like Ziyad Al-Aly have critiqued the study and stated that COVID-19 vaccination still helps reduce the risk of Long COVID. Read more in CIDRAP.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a clinical trial for bezisterim for neurological symptoms of Long COVID. The trial, funded for up to $13.1 million by the Department of Defense, will include around 200 participants and evaluate the oral drug for three months. Bezisterim is also being investigated as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases as it is an anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizer drug. Read more in this press release from BioVie.
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