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ACE2 protein protects against severe COVID-19

Female COVID-19 patients face less severe disease complications and a lower risk of dying than male patients thanks to hormones and chromosomes that contribute to a stronger immune response, according to new research from a University of Alberta-led team.

"The highlight of our study is how the sex differences in COVID-19 are linked to ACE2," said senior author Gavin Oudit, professor of medicine in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Canada Research Chair in Heart Failure and director of the Heart Function Clinic at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute.

Remdesivir likely to be highly effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2

The drug remdesivir is likely to be a highly effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study by a team of UK scientists. Writing in Nature Communications, the researchers describe giving the drug to a patient with COVID-19 and a rare immune disorder, and observing a dramatic improvement in his symptoms and the disappearance of the virus.

Oral drug blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection with a new antiviral drug, MK-4482/EIDD-2801 or Molnupiravir, completely suppresses virus transmission within 24 hours, researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University have discovered.

The group led by Dr. Richard Plemper, Distinguished University Professor at Georgia State, originally discovered that the drug is potent against influenza viruses.

Study finds metformin reduced COVID-19 death risks in women

University of Minnesota Medical School and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) researchers found that metformin was associated with significantly reduced COVID-19 death risks in women in one of the world's largest observational studies of COVID-19 patients.

Metformin is an established, generic medication for managing blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.

KU Leuven vaccine candidate protects against COVID-19 and yellow fever

Virologists at the Rega Institute at KU Leuven (Belgium) have developed a vaccine candidate against COVID-19 based on the yellow fever vaccine, which as a result also works against yellow fever. Results published today in Nature show that the vaccine protects hamsters from infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus after a single dose. The vaccine is also effective in monkeys. The team is currently preparing for clinical trials.

UK medicines regulator gives approval for first UK COVID-19 vaccine

The first COVID-19 vaccine for the UK, developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, has been given approval for use following a thorough review carried out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The decision by the UK regulatory authority was made with advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), the government's independent expert scientific advisory body.

Predict cellular drug targets against COVID-19

A computational model of a human lung cell has been used to understand how SARS-CoV-2 draws on human host cell metabolism to reproduce by researchers at the University of Warwick. This study helps understand how the virus uses the host to survive, and enable drug predictions for treating the virus to be made.

Research & Development News

ACE2 protein protects against severe COVID-19

Remdesivir likely to be highly effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2

Oral drug blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Study finds metformin reduced COVID-19 death risks in women

KU Leuven vaccine candidate protects against COVID-19 and yellow fever

UK medicines regulator gives approval for first UK COVID-19 vaccine

Predict cellular drug targets against COVID-19

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