New Delhi: The coronavirus pandemic has so far claimed 6,13,691 lives and infected over 1.4 crore people worldwide. Scientists continue to work on finding ways to fight the virus and manage Covid-19 patients.
Here are some of the latest research developments around the novel coronavirus.
Immunotherapy may be safe for cancer patients with Covid-19
Immunotherapy doesn’t necessarily worsen complications for patients with both Covid-19 and cancer as was believed earlier, according to preliminary data from researchers at the University of Cincinnati in the US.
Several of the Covid-19 complications result from an overactive immune response, leading to an increased production of proteins called cytokines. Thus, patients with cancer are more susceptible to the infection as well as the severe complications that arise from it.
Immunotherapy activates the immune system against cancer to destroy it. In patients with both Covid-19 and cancer, it was thought that immunotherapy might increase the immune system response, which could already be overactive because of the Covid-19 infection.
Researchers used blood samples from patients with cancer to examine how drugs that allow immune cells to respond more strongly, in combination with other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, affect the immune cells of Covid-19 patients and patients with both Covid and cancer.
Data from the study shows that an anti-diabetic drug, metformin, can reduce production of these proteins by immune cells of Covid-19 patients.
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US to launch clinical trials to test efficacy of antibody cocktail as Covid-19 treatment
Scientists in the US are set to test a cocktail of antibodies, that have been found to neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory studies, in clinical trials as a possible treatment against Covid-19.
The trials seek to evaluate the efficacy and safety of REGN-COV2 — a combination of antibodies called REGN10933 and REGN10987 — in hospitalised adult patients with Covid-19.
Funded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the trials will test the safety, tolerability and efficacy of REGN-COV2 in reducing SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding and Covid-19 disease progression.
The antibodies work by targeting the SARS-CoV-2 ‘spike protein’, which helps the virus enter and infect human cells.
Blood test can predict outcome in Covid-19 patients
A blood test that predicts possible outcomes for heart failure patients could help Covid-19 patients as well, according to scientists from the University of Alberta.
The researchers examined the results of circulating angiotensin peptide levels in the blood of 110 people who were experiencing heart failure due to a heart attack or stroke. Angiotensin peptides are proteins that regulate the cardiovascular system and are altered in patients with heart failure as well as those with Covid-19.
The study found that an equilibrium between beneficial peptides and harmful peptides led to better outcomes among Covid-19 patients, including a lower risk of death and shorter hospital stays, no matter how severe their symptoms were. However, measuring levels of either type of peptide alone did not provide enough information.
According to the researchers, the test can be used routinely to determine the risk of adverse outcomes in Covid-19 patients. Doctors can then target poor ratios and improve them with either traditional or new drug therapies.
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New nanoparticle Covid-19 vaccine shows promise in animal studies
A new nanoparticle vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, has shown to trigger the production of antibodies and immunity in animal studies.
The vaccine candidate safely elicits the production of antibodies and antiviral T-cell — a type of white blood cells involved in immune response — in mice and pigtail macaques with a single injection.
Although more studies are needed to establish its protection, the vaccine represents a promising candidate for Covid-19.
The vaccine is based on repRNAs — molecules that generate stronger immune responses compared with the mRNAs which are being used in some vaccines.
The vaccine is called repRNA-CoV2S and it uses genetic segments from the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein — which allows the virus to enter human cells — alongside an emulsion of nanoparticles.
The authors now plan to begin clinical development of the vaccine under the name HDT-301.