IBIO-200 / iBio, CC-Pharming, Infectious Disease Research Institute - LARVOL DELTA

An Open One-Step RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection. (PubMed, PLoS One) - "The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of deaths globally, and while several diagnostic systems were proposed, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) remains the gold standard...Further evaluation on 40 clinical samples (20 positive and 20 negative) confirmed its comparable diagnostic accuracy. This study represents a proof of concept for an open approach to developing diagnostic kits for viral infections and diseases, which could provide a cost-effective and accessible solution for less developed countries."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Prediabetes Induces More Severe Acute COVID-19 Associated With IL-6 Production Without Worsening Long-Term Symptoms. (PubMed, Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)) - "PDM seems to be associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19, as well as higher serum levels of IL-6, which may constitute a potential biomarker of severe COVID-19 risk in affected patients. Furthermore, while PDM correlated with more severe acute-phase COVID-19, no long-term worsening of sequelae was observed."

Journal • Cardiovascular • Critical care • Genetic Disorders • Hypertension • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Metabolic Disorders • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Obesity • IL6

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on solid waste pollution in the worldwide iconic Copacabana Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). (PubMed, Mar Pollut Bull) - "Qualitative data revealed that most of solid wastes were single-use plastics recently disposed at Copacabana beach, reflecting beachgoer's effects on waste left on the beach. A positive impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions was detected on solid waste pollution at Copacabana beach."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Myriad Other Applications. (PubMed, J Biomol Tech) - "As the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic begins, it remains clear that a massive increase in the ability to test for SARS-CoV-2 infections in a myriad of settings is critical to controlling the pandemic and to preparing for future outbreaks...The final discussion section provides the reader with a distillation of the most validated testing methods and their paths to implementation. This review also aims to provide practical information and insight for a range of audiences: for a research audience, to help accelerate research through sharing of best practices; for an implementation audience, to help get testing up and running quickly; and for a public health, clinical, and policy audience, to help convey the breadth of the effect that LAMP methods have to offer."

Journal • Review • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Homebrew reagents for low-cost RT-LAMP. (PubMed, J Biomol Tech) - "Reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) has gained popularity for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)...The in-house preparation of these reactions results in an order of magnitude reduction in costs; thus, we provide protocols and DNA to enable the replication of these tests at other locations. These results contribute to the global effort of developing open and low-cost diagnostics that enable technological autonomy and distributed capacities in viral surveillance."

Journal • Hematological Malignancies • Infectious Disease • Leukemia • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Oncology • Respiratory Diseases

Accessible LAMP-Enabled Rapid Test (ALERT) for Detecting SARS-CoV-2. (PubMed, Viruses) - "ALERT (Accessible LAMP-Enabled Rapid Test) incorporates the following features: (1) increased shelf-life and ambient temperature storage, compared to liquid reaction mixes, by using wax layers to isolate enzymes from other reagents; (2) improved specificity compared to other LAMP end-point reporting methods, by using sequence-specific QUASR (quenching of unincorporated amplification signal reporters); (3) increased sensitivity, compared to methods without purification through use of a magnetic wand to enable pipette-free concentration of sample RNA and cell debris removal; (4) quality control with a nasopharyngeal-specific mRNA target; and (5) co-detection of other respiratory viruses, such as influenza B, by multiplexing QUASR-modified RT-LAMP primer sets. The flexible nature of the ALERT workflow allows easy, at-home and point-of-care testing for individuals and higher-throughput processing for labs and hospitals. With minimal effort, severe acute respiratory syndrome..."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases • PCR

"My Three Biotech Covid-19 Stocks: Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO), iBio (IBIO), and VBI Vaccines (VBIV) https://t.co/TguUozFZH5" (@alliseeis_W)

Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

"100 Followers. So it begins. $IBIO @SCClemons @infusedlights @PeterHotez @HHS_ASH @IBMWatson #coronavirus #COVID19 #Vegan $IBIO @DARPA @ibiobagger @peterprimamore" (@IBIOIBMDARPA)

Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

"#エーザイ は #COVID19 に対する医薬品等を世界中に届けることをめざすゲイツ財団@gatesfoundation のコンソーシアムに世界の製薬企業15社の1つとして参画しています。 この取り組みについて、日経バイオテク @nikkeibiotech に記事が掲載されました。 #新型コロナウイルス https://t.co/Gi8giOSGc0" (@Eisai_SDGs)

"Coronavirus can cause pneumonia, you do need antibiotics to treat pneumonia..." (@julia13_julia13)

"Antibiotics can not and do not treat #COVID19. Antibiotics only work against bacteria. #COVID19 is a virus. @KITETrainees @TRI_UHN" (@MilosRPopovic)

"MYTH: Antibiotics can prevent and treat #COVID19. #KnowTheFacts" (@SanofiUS)

"As My opinion on Pandemic (Coronavirus) treatment, in antibiotics, Levofloxacin is Effective!" (@sakagami_koji)

"Insights from @DHpharmd @jasonroberts_pk @emilylheil @julie_justo @IDstewardship @davidantibiotic @syctong @IDPharmacometrx @MattDavis138 @ConanMacDougall #COVID19 #COVID19RX" (@ABsteward)

"Is it resistant to antibiotics? 🤔 #COVID19" (@SolidGraniteNH)

"@davidantibiotic Are u find it vacinne of coronavirus?" (@mhmmdgaziavci)

Innovation Pharmaceuticals brilacidin to be researched as possible novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine; brilacidin now being tested as drug and vaccine at different institutions (GlobeNewswire, Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc.) - “Innovation Pharmaceuticals…announced further details on the Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) signed with a leading public health-focused U.S. university and top coronavirus expert. Under the terms of the confidential agreement, virologists plan to evaluate the potential antiviral properties of Brilacidin, the Company’s lead defensin-mimetic drug candidate, toward developing Brilacidin as a potential novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine…This new research is independent of that being conducted on Brilacidin at one of the U.S. 12 Regional Biocontainment Labs (RBL).”

Clinical • Licensing / partnership

"Coronavirus treatment will be Antihistamines+paracetamol & needed prophylactic antibiotics" (@idreeszazai)

"Are antibiotics effective in preventing or treating COVID-19?" (@pfizer)

"…primarily antivirals thought to reduce the impact of coronavirus and antibiotics to combat pneumonia. 5/8" (@NovartisNews)