Balanced T cell response key to avoiding COVID-19 symptoms, study suggests

By analyzing blood samples from individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2, researchers in Singapore have begun to unpack the different responses by the body’s T cells that determine whether or not an individual develops COVID-19. The study, published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that clearing the virus without developing symptoms requires T cells to mount an efficient immune response that produces a careful balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules.

An epidemiologist breaks down the numbers on Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine

While the Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccine that has now received emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a lower efficacy rate compared to other previously approved vaccines, an expert with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) explains why it is still a significant step toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research Issue Features Nontraditional Approaches to Research

The winter 2020 issue of Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR), the academic journal of the Council on Undergraduate Research, focuses on unusual approaches to undergraduate research such as research for chefs and a video game for biology majors.

March SLAS Discovery Explores COVID-19 Drug Therapies Six Months Later

The March edition of SLAS Discovery features the cover article, “Therapeutic and Vaccine Options for COVID-19: Status After 6 Months of the Disease Outbreak” by Christian Ogaugwu (Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria ), Dawid Maciorowski, Subba Rao Durvasula, Ph.D., Ravi Durvasula, M.D., and Adinarayana Kunamneni, Ph.D. (Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA).

Rutgers Cancer Health Justice Lab Creates COVID-19 Educational Video in Spanish

COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Latinx families more than any other racial and ethnic group, yet there are few available resources to mitigate these risks. The Rutgers School of Public Health’s Cancer Health Justice Lab has launched an educational COVID-19 video in Spanish to address the lack of resources available to Latinx families.

Study Estimates Two-Thirds of COVID-19 Hospitalizations Due to Four Conditions

A new study estimates 64% of adult COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. may have been prevented if there were less obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure. The model suggests notable differences by age and race/ethnicity in COVID-19 hospitalizations related to these conditions.

Pandemic compounds psychosocial issues for sexual, gender minorities (SGM)

The weight of isolation and loss of social connection caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded existing psychosocial-emotional issues already experienced by adults who identify as sexual or gender minorities (SGM). And while many people globally and across the United States—regardless of their gender identity—are experiencing pandemic anxiety at some level, those who identify as SGM appear to have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic both physically and mentally.

University of Northern Colorado Associate Professor Nick Pullen Provides Expertise on COVID-19 Vaccinations

Nick Pullen, Ph.D., an associate professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), provides expertise regarding the topic of COVID-19 vaccinations and immunity.  Pullen’s research centers around the body’s immune response, specifically chronic inflammation, asthma and allergies.…