Houston Methodist prepares for next pandemic as part of national NIH-funded consortium

The question isn’t if, but when, the next pandemic will hit. Research and observation have identified strong potential for the next pandemic-causing virus to come from one or more of five different virus families.

AAN Issues Guidance on New Treatments for Early Alzheimer’s Disease

New therapies for early Alzheimer’s disease, monoclonal antibodies that remove amyloid-β plaques in the brain, are bringing hope to people whose lives have been affected by the disease. To help neurologists discuss these therapies with patients and caregivers, the American Academy of Neurology has developed an Emerging Issues in Neurology article, published online on July 26, 2023, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Small Study Shows Promise for Antimalarial Monoclonal Antibody to Prevent Malaria

monoclonal antibody treatment was found to be safe, well tolerated, and effective in protecting against malaria in a small group of healthy volunteers who were exposed to malaria in a challenge study, according to new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Researchers Develop Promising New Cancer Therapy

Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as Keytruda and Opdivo work by unleashing the immune system’s T cells to attack tumor cells. Their introduction a decade ago marked a major advance in cancer therapy, but only 10% to 30% of treated patients experience long-term improvement. In a paper published online today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine describe findings that could bolster the effectiveness of immune-checkpoint therapy.

Could monoclonal antibodies replace opioids for chronic pain?

During the pandemic, physicians used infusions of monoclonal antibodies to help patients fight off COVID-19 infections. Now, in response to the U.S. opioid crisis, researchers at UC Davis are trying to create monoclonal antibodies that can help fight chronic pain. The research is funded with a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s HEAL Initiative, an aggressive effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national’s opioid crisis.

Some cases of long COVID-19 may be caused by an abnormally suppressed immune system, UCLA-led research suggests

Researchers studying the effect of the monoclonal antibody Leronlimab on long COVID-19 may have found a surprising clue to the baffling syndrome, one that contradicts their initial hypothesis. An abnormally suppressed immune system may be to blame, not a persistently hyperactive one as they had suspected.

Expert Alert: 5 ways patients who are immunocompromised can protect themselves from COVID-19

As families prepare to gather later this month for Thanksgiving, it is important for patients who are immunocompromised to take extra steps to protect themselves from becoming infected with COVID-19. People who are immunocompromised have weakened immune systems, which means they have a higher risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19.

Monoclonal antibody treatment highly effective at reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations

Researchers published interim results in The New England Journal of Medicine from a Phase 3 study of the COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment sotrovimab, sponsored by Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline. The study found that compared to the placebo group, COVID-19 patients who received sotrovimab had a significantly reduced risk of hospitalization or death and that the treatment, which was administered by intravenous infusion on an outpatient basis, was safe.

Monoclonal antibodies help COVID-19 patients avoid hospitalization

In a large observational study, Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that two monoclonal antibodies administered separately helped prevent hospitalization in high-risk patients who became infected with COVID-19. The study also showed more hospitalizations were observed among patients with more comorbidities. The findings appear in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 safe, effective for transplant patients

Treating transplant patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies is safe and helps prevent serious illness, according to a Mayo Clinic study recently published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. These results are especially important because transplant patients who are infected with COVID-19 have a higher risk of severe illness and death.

Houston Methodist and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services partner to expand access to COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment

Houston Methodist announced today, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), that it has expanded access to COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy (mAb) in the Greater Houston area. The promising treatment has been shown to keep high-risk COVID-19 patients out of the hospital and reduce the likelihood of progression to severe disease.

Study Shows Significant Reduction in Triglycerides in Patients at High Risk for Acute Pancreatitis Through Novel Monoclonal Antibody

The investigational drug evinacumab reduced triglycerides in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) and a history of hospitalizations for acute pancreatitis in a phase 2 global study led by Mount Sinai

Atlantic Health System Physicians Co-Author 5 Studies, Presented at American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting

Atlantic Health System Cancer Care physicians are co-authors of five original studies presented at this year’s AACR Annual Meeting, held virtually April 10-15 and May 17-21. The AACR meeting is one of the world’s premier scientific gatherings of cancer specialists and researchers.

Repurposed Arthritis Drug Did Not Significantly Improve Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia

A repurposed drug used to treat arthritis did not significantly improve the outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Tocilizumab did not significantly improve clinical status or mortality rate at 28 days for participants who received it compared to a placebo.

Antibody-based COVID-19 treatments work best in concert with immune cells

Antibody-based drugs have been authorized for emergency use in COVID-19 patients by the Food and Drug Administration. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that the ability to interact with other elements of the immune system is an indispensable part of the effectiveness of such antibodies. The findings could help improve the design of the next generation of antibody-based COVID-19 drugs.

Free Webinar—Next Steps in Eradicating COVID-19: Emerging Treatments and Vaccines

In this free STS webinar, Next Steps in Eradicating COVID-19: Emerging Treatments and Vaccines, STS President Dr. Joseph Dearani will talk with infectious disease experts from the White House Coronavirus Task Force and Mayo Clinic about promising new treatments and preventive measures.

Principal Investigator for COVID-19 drug with FDA Emergency Use Authorization available to speak on limited government supply of drug and pending clinical trials

COVID-19 and Monoclonal Antibodies – Emergency Use Authorization for Bamlanivimab The FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization to treat high risk COVID-19 patients with the monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab will offer limited availability in Texas, where only 6,000 government doses are expected next…

Woman recovering from COVID-19 shares experience as monoclonal antibody clinical trial participant

When Christina Loville tested positive for the coronavirus, she was terrified. She decided to channel her fear into researching COVID-19 treatments, where she discovered a local clinical trial led by experts at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

Team assessing if dual-antibody injection prevents COVID-19 illness

A combination antibody treatment for preventing COVID-19 illness in individuals who have had sustained exposure to someone with the virus is being studied by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The clinical trial is enrolling patients at Harris Health System’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital.

UTHealth joins NIH trial to test antibodies and other experimental outpatient treatments for mild COVID-19 pneumonia

A study on the effectiveness of multiple treatments, including laboratory-made antibodies, at preventing mild COVID-19 from advancing to severe illness in the outpatient setting is underway by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The clinical trial is enrolling patients at Harris Health System’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital.

First Patients in NIH ACTIV-3 Clinical Trial Enroll in Dallas

On Wednesday in Dallas, just one day after the initiative was launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Baylor Scott & White Research Institute enrolled the first patient in the world for the ACTIV-3 clinical trial. A second patient was enrolled the following day.

Imitation May Be a Sincere Form of Treatment

The National Institutes of Health will soon launch a phase II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential new therapeutics for COVID-19, including the use of investigational synthetic monoclonal antibodies. Davey Smith of UC San Diego is the protocol chair and answers questions.

Baylor Scott & White Research Institute Expands Efforts in the Fight Against COVID-19

As the global response to the SARS-COV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 approaches 200 days, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the research and development arm of Baylor Scott & White Health, is accelerating its pace of bringing clinical trials online.

Baylor Scott & White Research Institute continues to mobilize staff and resources, including components needed to integrate critical patient-safety measures at every participating site within the Baylor Scott & White system for industry sponsored drug trials, investigator-initiated drug trials and research studies, and observational and data studies designed to help increase knowledge around case trends, viral epidemiology, and care best practices.