Recent News
S.Africa’s Aspen releases first batch of Johnson vaccine
South African pharmaceutical company Aspen said Monday it was releasing its first batch of African-produced COVID-19 vaccines under a licensing deal with the US giant Johnson & Johnson. The [...]
COVID-19 Variants: What the Future Could Look Like After the Pandemic
Since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world, scientists have clamored to develop vaccines to prevent the spread and medicines that will cure the sick. But a virus’ main [...]
Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 will likely be dominant strain globally within months
The highly transmissible delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing the disease COVID-19, is now present in 124 countries and will become the dominant strain globally in the coming [...]
UK scientists back Covid boosters as study finds post-jab falls in antibodies
Scientists have backed proposals for Covid boosters in the autumn after blood tests on hundreds of people revealed that protective antibodies can wane substantially within weeks of second vaccine [...]
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines establish recall responses to reinfection
Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna generate a coordinated adaptive immune response that [...]
Study shows new ‘warm vaccine’ effective against all key virus variants
CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, played an important role in evaluating heat-tolerant COVID-19 vaccine formulations developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and biotech start-up Mynvax—against all current [...]
Podcast – Nanovisaging 2040 How Synergies between Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine, and AI might Benefit Humanity
Frank Boehm (NanoApps Medical Inc. Founder) in discussion with Nana Kay in a Wealth Secrets podcast. EP 19. Nanovisaging 2040. From Nana Kay: Nanovisaging 2040: How Synergies between Nanotechnology, [...]
Data in favour of mixing COVID-19 vaccines, but long-term effects unknown
Canada, like several other countries, has been mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines for weeks amid safety concerns over the AstraZeneca shot. On Monday, the chief scientist at the World Health Organization [...]
CRISPR stops coronavirus replication in human cells
Scientists have harnessed CRISPR gene-editing technology to block the replication of the novel coronavirus in human cells — an approach that could one day serve as a new treatment for COVID-19. [...]
Controlling the Size of Nanoparticles
Depositing nanoparticles using the NL50 is now simpler than ever with the pre-loaded optimized recipes for a variety of frequently used materials, including Au, Ag, Pt and Cu. These [...]
Shape of Nanoparticles in Body Fluids – a Biomarker for Identifying Cancer Types?
A recent study by scientists from Japanese universities has shown that the shape of cell-derived nanoparticles, known as "extracellular vesicles" (EVs), in body fluids could be a biomarker for [...]
Study reveals how our immune system reacts to COVID-19 variants
An important lesson for vaccine design Australian scientists researching how our immune system responds to COVID-19 have revealed that those infected by early variants in 2020 produced sustained antibodies, [...]
COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 8 July
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 185 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than [...]
Here’s what you should know about the Lambda variant
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added another COVID strain to its list of coronavirus variants to keep an eye on: the COVID-19 Lambda variant. This particular variant has now spread [...]
Scientists identify breakthrough cases of SARS-CoV-2’s delta in fully vaccinated individuals
In a recent study conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA, scientists have identified six vaccine breakthrough cases caused by the delta variant of severe acute respiratory [...]
‘More dangerous than Delta’: Lambda strain detected in over 30 countries
A new Covid-19 strain that is much more dangerous than the Delta variant has been detected in more than 30 countries in the past four weeks, says the Health [...]
Covid ‘perfect storm’ as more patients hit by fungal infections
Weakened lungs and immune systems make people increasingly vulnerable, warn scientists. A rash of cases of a rare “black fungus” infection affecting thousands of critically ill Covid patients in [...]
How a COVID-19 infection changes blood cells in the long run
Using real-time deformability cytometry, researchers at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen were able to show for the first time: COVID-19 significantly changes the size and stiffness [...]
AI Finds Gene Expression Data to Predict COVID-19 Patient Outcomes
An artificial intelligence algorithm can parse gene expression data to predict patient outcomes by identifying signature genes that reveal the severity of viral infection immune response including COVID-19, according [...]
Mixing Pfizer, AstraZeneca doses provides strong immune response against COVID-19: study
Mixing doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines generate a stronger immune response than having two rounds of the AstraZeneca shot, new U.K. research suggests, though the highest antibody response was seen [...]
Delta plus: Scientists say too early to tell risk of Covid-19 variant
Why do new variants of Covid-19 keep appearing? Laura Foster explains India has classified a new variant of the coronavirus first identified in Europe as a "variant of concern", [...]
The Covid delta variant has ‘exploded’ in the UK — it could be a blueprint for the U.S.
LONDON — Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. has been keeping a close eye on the U.K. From its initial response to Covid-19 (questioned by many), [...]
Pfizer says its vaccine highly effective against Delta variant
As Delta variants has become the new cause for concern across the world, Pfizer says its vaccine is effective against Delta, first reported in India. Pfizer which is in [...]
AstraZanica vaccine: the trials and tribulations of a world-saving jab
Amid bemusement from scientists at the deluge of often undeserved criticism, the Guardian pieces together the story behind the vaccine’s successes and failures. n January 2020, when most of [...]
Can the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines affect genetic code?
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are set to become the mainstay of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout as the year progresses, according to the latest government projections released this week. From [...]
Autopsy study shows how COVID harms the brain
The brains of people who died from COVID-19 were remarkably similar to the brains of people who die from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, showing inflammation and [...]
Nearly 4,000 fully vaccinated in Massachusetts test positive for virus
Nearly 4,000 Massachusetts residents who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have tested positive for the virus. These so-called 'breakthrough' cases occur when people contract the disease 14 days or more after [...]
Nanoparticle-Based Therapy Could Treat Fatal Lung Disease in Newborns
The rare lung disease is so complicated that its acronym is difficult to pronounce. However, for infants who were unfortunate enough to be born with this disorder, the outcome [...]
SARS-CoV-2 variants have higher transmissibility and a longer infectious period
Researchers analyzed data on three variants of concern and found that viral loads were higher and infection lasted longer for the B.1.1.7 variant. They all were more infectious than [...]
Heart inflammation in young men higher than expected after Pfizer, Moderna vaccines
A higher-than-expected number of young men have experienced heart inflammation after their second dose of the mRNA COVID-19 shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, according to data from two vaccine [...]
Biohacking the brain
Probably you’ve heard about hacking smartphones, emails, cards, computers. Even hacking elections. But what about hacking your body? What?! This concept is called biohacking and it’s really all about self-improvement. The [...]
COVID Vaccine Magnet Challenge Videos Debunked by Scientists
Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, various conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine have arisen, with one of the most popular pieces of false information being that the [...]
Scientists find drug duo that may cure COVID-19 together
COVID-19 continues to claim lives around the world and is infecting millions more. Although several vaccines have recently become available, making significant strides towards preventing COVID-19, what about the [...]
Pfizer jab found to elicit lower antibody response to Delta variant
People who have received the Pfizer vaccine have lower antibody levels that target the Delta variant, first discovered in India, than those that targeted previously circulating variants in the UK, new data [...]
Chinese army ‘engineered mice with humanized lungs’ to test viruses
Medical researchers with the Chinese army engineered mice with humanized lungs in 2019 to test viruses on them, it has been reported. The mice, developed using CRISPR gene-editing technology, were mentioned [...]
Africa faces ‘rising threat’ of a COVID third wave: WHO
Healthcare systems across Africa are “far from ready” to cope with a fresh surge of coronavirus infections, with vaccine deliveries at a near standstill and cases surging in many [...]
WHO announces new simplified names for COVID-19 variants
All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the virus’ properties. However, some changes may affect the virus’s properties, [...]
Can people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus?
Vaccines can be great at preventing you from getting sick, while at the same time not necessarily stopping you from getting infected or spreading the germ. Preliminary evidence seems [...]
Antibody-producing cells in the bone marrow of people who have recovered from COVID-19
People who recover from mild COVID-19 have bone-marrow cells that can churn out antibodies for decades, although viral variants could dampen some of the protection they offer. Many people [...]
UK spies believe the theory that COVID-19 escaped from a Wuhan lab is ‘plausible’
British spies believe that the thesis that COVID-19 leaked from a lab in China is plausible and are seeking to recruit sources on the darknet as they investigate the [...]
Vietnam detects new hybrid of two COVID variants
Authorities in Vietnam have detected a new coronavirus variant that is a hybrid of strains found in India and the United Kingdom, an official said. Nguyen Thanh Long, the [...]
German scientists say they can help improve Covid vaccines to prevent blood clots
A team of German scientists believe that they have worked out why some people given the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines against Covid-19 develop blood clots – and claim they can tell [...]
Why scientists are suddenly more interested in the lab-leak theory of Covid’s origin
The United States is closer than ever to beating Covid-19, with half the country vaccinated and more restrictions lifting. But we're as far as ever from knowing how this virus, [...]
PCOS – The women possibly at higher risk for Covid-19 that no one is talking about
Last July, when her immediate family tested positive for Covid-19, Breanna Aguilar did not fit into any groups considered at higher risk for severe disease. She is 31 years [...]
CDC studying reports of heart inflammation in young Covid vaccine recipients
Health agency says the rates of myocarditis are not higher than expected and no causal link has been found to mRNA jabs. Some teenagers and young adults who received [...]
How will Covid-19 evolve in the future?
Every time the coronavirus passes from person to person it picks up tiny changes to its genetic code, but scientists are starting to notice patterns in how the virus [...]
Nanofiber filter captures almost 100% of coronavirus aerosols
A filter made from polymer nanothreads blew three kinds of commercial masks out of the water by capturing 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols in an experiment. "Our work is the [...]
Do COVID-19 vaccines care whether you’re female or male?
MSU researcher is studying, raising awareness about the role of sex in the efficacy of vaccines that make use of nanomedicine If there’s one take-home message for the general [...]
WHO finally admits that Covid-19 virus can be ‘airborne’, read how it had refused the possibility for a year
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) acknowledged that the Coronavirus can also be airborne. After denying for more than a year, the WHO finally updated the mode [...]
Drug designed as ‘heat-seeking missile’ to target COVID-19
A collaboration of Australian and US scientists has developed a potential antiviral therapy to directly target and treat COVID-19. Researchers from the Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) at Griffith [...]
What happens when you mix doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines? A new study…
What happens if you mix COVID-19 vaccines, receiving a first dose of one jab and a second dose of a different inoculation? Scientists want to know. Why? Because mixing doses might [...]
AI and nanotechnology could make cancer cell therapy affordable for all
CAR-T therapy can cure terminally ill cancer patients but it is prohibitively expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Leveraging recent advances in chip technology scientists can create and [...]
Some vaccinated people still getting covid. Here’s why you shouldn’t worry
Breakthrough infections are exceedingly rare. But by tracking them, researchers can uncover viral variants that manage to dodge the immune response. Tens of millions of people in the United [...]
Novel Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer Uses a Nano-Carrier to Deliver Chinese Medicine
Researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), in collaboration with Cornell University, have developed a novel targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that uses a specially-designed nano-carrier to [...]
Efficiently smuggling drugs into cells
Modern vaccines such as those against Sars-CoV-2 use tiny lipid spheres to transport genetic information into cells and let the body build up an immune defense against the virus. [...]
B.C.’s biotech sector plays key role in developing COVID-19 treatments and vaccines
By early 2020, concern was mounting about a new, deadly coronavirus first detected in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization had declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency [...]
Graphene-coated Face Masks: COVID-19 Miracle or Another Health Risk?
As a COVID-19 and medical device researcher, I understand the importance of face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. So I am intrigued that some mask manufacturers [...]
Scientists Uncover Nanoplastics and Other Pollutants Released from Disposable Face Masks
Swansea University scientists have uncovered potentially dangerous chemical pollutants that are released from disposable face masks when submerged in water. The research reveals high levels of pollutants, including lead, [...]
Nanotechnology offers new hope for bowel cancer patients
Bowel cancer survival rates could be improved if chemotherapy drugs were delivered via tiny nanoparticles to the diseased organs rather than oral treatment. That's the finding from Indian and [...]
Pfizer’s COVID-19 treatment pill could be available by year’s end
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says his company’s experimental COVID-19 treatment, a pill that can be taken at the first sign of the illness, could be available before the end of the year. Speaking [...]
New “Nanotraps” Could Capture and Destroy Coronavirus Within the Body
At the University of Chicago, scientists have developed an absolutely innovative, promising treatment for COVID-19 in the form of nanoparticles with the ability to trap SARS-CoV-2 viruses inside the [...]
Nanobodies inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, including emergent variants
Australian researchers have identified neutralizing nanobodies that block the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering cells in preclinical models. The discovery paves the way for further investigations into nanobody-based treatments for [...]
DNA robots designed in minutes instead of days
Someday, scientists believe, tiny DNA-based robots and other nanodevices will deliver medicine inside our bodies, detect the presence of deadly pathogens, and help manufacture increasingly smaller electronics. Researchers took [...]
Scientists’ horror over ‘escape mutation’ of new COVID strain
Experts have discovered what they believe is the world’s most mutated COVID strain – and there’s one detail in particular that has scientists worried. Scientists have detected what is [...]
Coronavirus Does Not Infect the Brain but Still Inflicts Damage
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, likely does not directly infect the brain but can still inflict significant neurological damage, according to a new study from neuropathologists, neurologists, and [...]
Research finds a potential new ‘silver bullet’ nanoparticle to treat brain cancer
ANSTO has contributed to a comprehensive investigation of a promising type of nanoparticle that could potentially be used for intractable brain cancers in a combined therapy. The study, which [...]
Trial to study effect of immune system on Covid reinfection
The immune response needed to protect people against reinfection with the coronavirus will be explored in a new human challenge trial, researchers have revealed. Human challenge trials involve deliberately [...]
Duke working on developing flu shot using new CoV vaccine technology
Researchers from Duke University are developing a flu shot with the new technology that was used for two coronavirus vaccines. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna shots use part [...]
Long-acting injectable medicine as potential route to COVID-19 therapy
Researchers from the University of Liverpool have shown the potential of repurposing an existing and cheap drug into a long-acting injectable therapy that could be used to treat Covid-19. [...]
Superbug killer: New nanotech destroys bacteria and fungal cells
Researchers have developed a new superbug-destroying coating that could be used on wound dressings and implants to prevent and treat potentially deadly bacterial and fungal infections. The material is [...]
US recommends ‘pause’ for J&J vaccine over clot reports
The U.S. is recommending a "pause" in administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. In a joint statement Tuesday, [...]
S. African COVID variant better at bypassing Pfizer/BioNTech jab: Israeli study
The South African coronavirus variant is better at "breaking through" the defences of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than other forms of the virus, Israeli experts said Sunday. However, one of [...]
Artificial intelligence to explore the biomolecular world
EPFL scientists have developed AI-powered nanosensors that let researchers track various kinds of biological molecules without disturbing them. The tiny world of biomolecules is rich in fascinating interactions between [...]
Why SARS-CoV-2 replicates better in the upper respiratory tract
A team of researchers from the Institute for Infectious Diseases (IFIK) at the University of Bern and the Federal Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) have assessed virus growth [...]
Brown University creates first wireless, implanted brain-computer interface
Researchers at Brown University have succeeded in creating the first wireless, implantable, rechargeable, long-term brain-computer interface. The wireless BCIs have been implanted in pigs and monkeys for over 13 [...]
A New Generation of Vaccines Is Coming, Some With No Needles
The coronavirus outbreak made household names of companies like Moderna Inc. and BioNTech SE, whose shots offered hope for ending the pandemic. Now a new wave of vaccines is on the [...]
Scientists use nanotechnology to detect bone-healing stem cells
Researchers at the University of Southampton have developed a new way of using nanomaterials to identify and enrich skeletal stem cells—a discovery which could eventually lead to new treatments [...]
Biotech start-up working overtime to develop a mutation-resistant Covid-19 vaccine
In March 2020, Hannu Rajaniemi pivoted his biotech company Helix Nanotechnologies' focus from cancer therapies to Covid-19 vaccines. The role biotech start-ups can play in a pandemic Rajaniemi originally co-founded Helix [...]
Nanotech-powered testing strategy can accelerate global recovery from pandemic
The rapid mass testing strategy costing just £1 a day per child can get children back to school and economies up and running, according to experts. That is [...]
Nasal Spray Vaccine Could Be Key to Stopping the Spread of Covid-19
Covid-19 vaccines are incredibly good at preventing severe symptoms and hospitalization, but they’re probably less effective at stopping transmission. To do that, we might need a different kind of [...]
Did coronavirus leak from a lab? These scientists say we shouldn’t rule it out
For many scientists, challenging the idea that SARS-CoV-2 has natural origins is seen as career suicide. But a vocal few say it shouldn't be disregarded or lumped in with conspiracy [...]
Could ULTRASOUND be used to treat Covid-19?
Ultrasound scans like those used to track the growth of a foetus can destroy coronavirus cells by forcing their surface to split apart and implode, new research suggests. MIT [...]
Non-invasive skin swab samples are enough to quickly detect COVID-19
The most widely used approach to testing for COVID-19 requires a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which involves taking a swab of the back of the throat and far [...]
Roche launches SARS-CoV-2 variant test to monitor emerging coronavirus mutations
The cobas SARS-CoV-2 Variant Set 1 Test is designed to detect key spike mutations in virus variants associated with increased human-to-human transmission Accurate detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 mutations [...]
COVID-19 side effect – Some patients developing sudden onset diabetes
Among all the manifestations and complications of COVID-19, yet another puzzling question is emerging — is the virus triggering cases of diabetes? Like many doctors around the world, Dr. [...]
Covid: New antibody drug ‘reduces hospital admission and deaths by 85 per cent’
A drug containing a lab-produced ‘antibody’ reduces hospital admission or death from Covid-19 by 85 per cent, its maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced. VIR-7813, created by GSK and Vir Biotechnology, is a new [...]
Novovax vaccine prevents 96% of infections and all deaths, data shows
A new Covid-19 vaccine soon to be approved in Australia appears to be even better than all others on offer, with new data showing it could prevent all deaths from [...]
Pfizer vaccine may be effective against all coronavirus variants
The Pfizer vaccine may be effective against the Brazil, UK and South Africa coronavirus variants, a new study suggests. The research also indicates the Pfizer vaccine generated an antibody response against the [...]
Europe staggers as infectious variants power virus surge
The virus swept through a nursery school and an adjacent elementary school in the Milan suburb of Bollate with amazing speed. In a matter of just days, 45 children [...]
Large Number of COVID-19 Survivors Will Experience Cognitive Complications
A research review led by Oxford Brookes University has found a large proportion of COVID-19 survivors will be affected by neuropsychiatric and cognitive complications. Psychologists at Oxford Brookes University [...]
Virus detection method is versatile and accessible
A safe, fast and cheap testing method that uses magnetic nanoparticles to detect viruses in both clinical and wastewater samples has been developed by KAUST researchers. The centrifuge-free approach [...]
First complete coronavirus model shows how the spike proteins move cooperatively
The COVID-19 virus holds some mysteries. Scientists remain in the dark on aspects of how it fuses and enters the host cell; how it assembles itself; and how it [...]
Researchers discover potential new therapeutic targets on SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted considerable investigation into how the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein attaches to a human cell during the infection process, as this knowledge is useful in designing [...]
Tricking the novel coronavirus with a fake ‘handshake’
Scientists have developed protein fragments—called peptides—that fit snugly into a groove on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein that it would normally use to access a host cell. These peptides effectively trick the virus into "shaking hands" with [...]
Researchers reveal genetic predisposition to severe COVID-19
HSE University researchers have become the first in the world to discover genetic predisposition to severe COVID-19. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. [...]
What Pseudoviruses Bring to the Study of SARS-CoV-2
When SARS-CoV-2 first began spreading across the globe, not every lab was equipped to study it directly. The virus behind the current pandemic is highly pathogenic and transmissible, leading [...]
Covid-19: Future targets for treatments rapidly identified with new computer simulations
esearchers have detailed a mechanism in the distinctive corona of Covid-19 that could help scientists to rapidly find new treatments for the virus, and quickly test whether existing treatments [...]
Almost Half of Coronavirus Sufferers Report Depression
Almost half of people testing positive for coronavirus have reported symptoms of depression, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Researchers [...]
Six previously FDA-approved drugs appear promising against SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory testing
A team of investigators from the Republic of China has discovered that 6 drugs previously approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for other indications could be [...]
Graphene could one day be used to make quick, reliable tests for viruses like SARS-CoV-2
Graphene is a layer of carbon only one atom thick. Since it was first isolated in 2004, it has found applications in strengthening materials, accelerating electronics, and boosting performance [...]
