Mount Sinai Researchers Awarded $16 Million to Develop Antivirals Against Viruses With Pandemic Potential

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have been awarded an initial $16 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to discover and develop globally accessible and affordable novel oral antivirals to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Montefiore-Einstein Researchers Test Whether Molnupiravir Can Prevent COVID-19

As part of a recently launched international phase 3 clinical trial, Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine are investigating whether the Merck antiviral pill, molnupiravir, now approved in Britain for treating COVID-19, can prevent COVID-19 in unvaccinated individuals living with people who have contracted the disease. Montefiore-Einstein is the first and only New York State site for the trial and was selected due to its diverse patient population and expertise in clinical trials of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Antiviral T cells safe and effective for treating debilitating complication common after stem cell transplants

A Phase II trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that BK virus (BKV)-specific T cells from healthy donors were safe and effective as an off-the-shelf therapy for BKV-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC), a painful complication common after allogeneic stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia or lymphoma. The study was published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Baylor Scott & White Health Enrolls First Patients in the World in Trial for Inhaled Remdesivir

Earlier this month, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute enrolled the first four patients in the world on Gilead’s new clinical trial involving an investigational inhaled solution of remdesivir (NCT04539262). This is Gilead’s first trial in COVID-19 patients examining the safety and efficacy of an inhaled solution of the drug in an outpatient setting. The study of an inhaled solution asks whether this mode of delivery can help reduce the amount of virus from the airways earlier.

Scientists Aim Gene-Targeting Breakthrough Against COVID-19

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and Stanford have joined forces to aim a gene-targeting, antiviral agent called PAC-MAN against COVID-19.