CLEVELAND, Ohio - A new diagnostic test for the coronavirus could make nose and throat swabs a thing of the past, researchers establish the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines for obese people, and super immune molecules from llamas may hold the key to outwitting viral mutations.<\/p>\n
Heres a summary of some of the latest coronavirus research findings for Saturday, July 2.<\/p>\n
A skin patch that detects COVID-19 infection<\/p>\n
Researchers in Japan are developing a new coronavirus test that they hope will take the place of unpleasant nose and throat swabs. Its a patch that detects antibodies through the skin.<\/p>\n
Results from nasal and throat swab tests are expensive, take a long time (46 hours), and require specialized equipment and training. Alternatively COVID-19 infection can be detected in as little as 20 minutes by measuring antibody levels in the blood - but that requires a blood draw or painful finger stick.<\/p>\n
However, a group of scientists from the University of Tokyo have developed a new test that can quickly and accurately detect COVID-19 infection without using any blood at all.<\/p>\n
The test uses a skin patch about the size of a Band-Aid with tiny, biodegradable microneedles on one side. The microneedles painlessly draw small amounts of fluid from the skin, and transfers them to a paper-based immunoassay biosensor designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies .<\/p>\n
Researchers say the test delivers results in three minutes, can be adapted to detect antibodies from other diseases, and can be used safely for on-site, rapid screening in a variety of settings. The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.<\/p>\n
Vaccines have demonstrated benefit for people of all body weights<\/p>\n
Obesity was identified early on in the pandemic as a risk factor for severe COVID-19. It was previously shown that people with obesity have a slightly reduced benefit from flu vaccines. However, until now, little was known about the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines for people with obesity.<\/p>\n
A new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology shows that vaccines greatly reduced the number of cases of severe COVID-19 disease for everyone regardless of their body size, to different degrees.<\/p>\n
The researchers compared risk of severe disease in vaccinated versus non-vaccinated people at least 14 days after receiving their second dose. Over 9 million people were included in the study.<\/p>\n
Individuals with healthy or high BMI who were vaccinated were around 70% less likely to be hospitalized than unvaccinated people. People with a healthy or a higher BMI were also around two-thirds less likely to die than their unvaccinated counterparts.<\/p>\n
By comparison, vaccinated people who were underweight were found to be 50% less likely to be hospitalized or die form severe COVID-19 infection..<\/p>\n
Super immune molecules derived from llamas may provide protection from future viruses<\/p>\n
Tiny immune molecules from a llama could provide protection against a vast array of SARS-like viruses, including COVID-19, researchers say.<\/p>\n
In a paper published in the journal Cell Reports, the scientist suggest that super-immunity molecules, known as nanobodies, could be precursors to a fast-acting, inhalable antiviral treatment or spray that could potentially be stockpiled and used globally against the evolving pandemic and future viruses.<\/p>\n
Llamas, camels, and alpacas have unique immune systems. They produce antibodies that are roughly one-tenth the size of normal ones, are exceptionally stable, and can firmly bind to disease targets. <\/p>\n
Researchers discovered that by immunizing a llama against part of the COVID-19 virus, they could produce and isolate these tiny antibodies, called nanobodies, that recognized not just SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but a vast array of other coronaviruses. Because of the unique properties of these molecules, researchers can readily link multiple unique nanobodies in a chain, so if a virus attempts to escape by mutating, another nanobody is ready to keep it in check.<\/p>\n
Their superior stability, low production costs, and the ability to protect both the upper and lower respiratory tracts against infection mean they could provide a critical therapeutic to complement vaccines and monoclonal antibody drugs if and when a new COVID-19 variant or SARS-CoV-3 emerges, explained the studys lead author Yi Shi in a press release.<\/p>\n
While more research is needed, we believe that the broad protection, ultrapotent nanobodies we were able to isolate in the lab can be harnessed for use in humans.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More here:<\/p>\n
Could nasal swabs one day be a thing of the past? Coronavirus research update for July 2, 2022 - cleveland.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CLEVELAND, Ohio - A new diagnostic test for the coronavirus could make nose and throat swabs a thing of the past, researchers establish the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines for obese people, and super immune molecules from llamas may hold the key to outwitting viral mutations. Heres a summary of some of the latest coronavirus research findings for Saturday, July 2 Continue reading