PittCoVacc / University of Pittsburgh - LARVOL DELTA

Cutaneous STING pathway agonism enhances the immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine in both young and aged mice (SID 2025) - "Notably, the key immunopotentiating benefits of ADU-S100 as a skin adjuvant is evident in both young and aged mice, as well as in translational studies using human skin models. Together, SpFN+ADU-S100 MNP supports the utility of emerging bioengineering platforms and adjuvants for the development of a next-generation coronavirus vaccine focused on addressing the limitations of authorized SARS-CoV-2 vaccines."

Preclinical • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases • CCL2 • CXCL10 • IFNB1

Effectiveness of two and three mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses against Omicron- and Delta-Related outpatient illness among adults, October 2021-February 2022. (PubMed, Influenza Other Respir Viruses) - "In this adult population, three mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses provided substantial protection against symptomatic illness in outpatient settings when the Omicron variant became the predominant cause of COVID-19 in the United States. These findings support the recommendation for a third mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose."

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

Potent neutralizing nanobodies resist convergent circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 by targeting diverse and conserved epitopes. (PubMed, Nat Commun) - "Structure-function analysis of Nbs indicates a variety of antiviral mechanisms. Our study may guide the rational design of pan-coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

"@US_FDA stop slow rolling the #PittCoVacc Vaccine!" (@Nysedaytraders)

University of Pittsburgh Covid-19 vaccine successful in trials (The Union-Recorder) - "After working on the problem for a little more than two months, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine announced Thursday that it has had successful trials in mice with a COVID-19 vaccine....Dr. Andrea Gambotto, a senior author on the paper outlining the vaccine's animal trials, said the researchers had worked on vaccines for SARS-CoV in 2003 and MERS-CoV in 2014. Both of those viruses are similar to SARS-CoV-2, known as the novel coronavirus. 'Those two vaccines taught us how to transfer all these findings for the new SARS coronavirus 2 vaccine,' Gambotto said..."

FDA event • New trial • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

STOP-COVID: Study of the Treatment and Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A; N=5253; Active, not recruiting; Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital; Recruiting ➔ Active, not recruiting; N=4000 ➔ 5253

Enrollment change • Enrollment closed • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

[VIRTUAL] Alzheimers Association International Cohort Study of Chronic Neuropsychiatric Sequeale of SARS-Cov-2 (CNS-SARS-CoV-2) (AAIC 2020) - " We propose to characterize the neurobehavioral phenomenology associated with SARS-CoV-2 in a large, multinational, longitudinal cohort of post Covid-19 infection patients following three sampling strategies: Opportunity sample of patients discharged after hospital admission for Covid-19 related symptoms A stratified random sample from Covid-19 testing registries (including asymptomatic and negative participants) Ascertaining Covid-19 exposure (antibody) status in ongoing longitudinal, community-based cohort studies that are already collecting biosamples, cognitive, behavioral and neuroimaging data... Our consortium is in a unique position to address the interaction between genetics (including ancestral DNA), and viral strain variation on CNS sequelae of SARS-CoV-2."

Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Psychiatry

[VIRTUAL] Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Cognitive Impairment in Late Life: The MYHAT Study (AAIC 2020) - "Older adults with lower levels of social connectedness and higher perception of loneliness are more likely to be cognitively impaired, which were partially explained by health and function and depressive symptoms, respectively. Addressing these factors may reduce risk for cognitive impairment, or conversely, reduce risk for disconnectedness and loneliness among those with cognitive impairment. These results have implications for the impact that limited social contact and feelings of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic may have on older adults with or at risk for cognitive impairment."

Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Cognitive Disorders • Dementia • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

COVID-19 Brain Injury (clinicaltrials.gov) - P; N=300; Enrolling by invitation; Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh

New trial • Cardiovascular • Cerebral Hemorrhage • CNS Disorders • Epilepsy • Hematological Disorders • Infectious Disease • Ischemic stroke • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage • Vascular Neurology

[VIRTUAL] Engaging Rural Older Minority Adults in Dementia Research during a Pandemic-associated Quarantine (AAIC 2020) - "Since recruitment began just as COVID-19 emerged, in-person recruitment ceased... This faith-based model shows promise for reaching isolated rural residents facing dementia risk."

Clinical • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Dementia • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

COVID19 Neurological Manifestation (clinicaltrials.gov) - P; N=300; Enrolling by invitation; Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh

New trial • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Brain Health in the Time of COVID-19 (clinicaltrials.gov) - P; N=10000; Recruiting; Sponsor: Miro Health

New trial • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

STOP-COVID: Study of the Treatment and Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A; N=4000; Recruiting; Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital; N=2000 ➔ 4000

Clinical • Enrollment change

Neurologic Manifestations of COVID 19 in Children (clinicaltrials.gov) - P; N=500; Recruiting; Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh

Clinical • New trial

Provider Burnout During COVID-19 (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A; N=250; Recruiting; Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh

New trial • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Mood Disorders • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Psychiatry

Convalescent Plasma in ICU Patients With COVID-19-induced Respiratory Failure (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1; N=90; Not yet recruiting; Sponsor: Noah Merin

Clinical • New P1 trial • Cardiovascular • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Reperfusion Injury • Respiratory Diseases

UPMC creates potential vaccine for COVID-19 (Williamsport Sun-Gazette) - "The development of a potential vaccine against the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic...at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC....National Institute of Health and other regulatory agencies have made progress in accelerating the process....'Once we get approval from the FDA, we will be ready to start human safety trials'....This vaccine, which the authors are calling PittCoVacc, short for Pittsburgh Coronavirus Vaccine, follows a more established approach by using lab-made pieces of viral protein to build immunity, the same way flu shots work."

New molecule