There’s been a great deal of discussion about whether people who recover from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have neutralizing antibodies in their bloodstream to guard against another infection. Lots of interesting data continue to emerge, including a recent preprint from researchers at Sherman Abrams Laboratory, Brooklyn, NY [1]. They tested...
There’s been a great deal of discussion about whether people who recover from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have neutralizing antibodies in their bloodstream to guard against another infection. Lots of interesting data continue to emerge, including a recent preprint from researchers at Sherman Abrams Laboratory, Brooklyn, NY [1]. They tested 11,092 people for antibodies in May at a local urgent care facility and found nearly half had long-lasting IgG antibodies, a sign of exposure to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. The researchers also found a direct correlation between the severity of a person’s symptoms and their levels of IgG antibodies.
With the start of summer coming soon, many are hopeful that the warmer weather will slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. There have been hints from lab experiments that increased temperature and humidity may reduce the viability of SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, other coronaviruses that cause less severe diseases, such as the common cold, do spread more slowly among people during the summer.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has truly been an all-hands-on-deck moment for the nation. Among the responders are many with NIH affiliations, lending their expertise and deploying new and emerging technologies to meet the myriad research challenges. That’s certainly the case for the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease’s dedicated team at the NIH 3D Print Exchange (3DPX), Rockville, MD.
We now know that the immune system of nearly everyone who recovers from COVID-19 produces antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes this easily transmitted respiratory disease [1] The presence of such antibodies has spurred hope that people exposed to SARS-CoV-2 may be protected, at least for a time, from getting COVID-19 again. But, in this post, I want to examine another potential use of antibodies: their promise for being developed as therapeutics for people who are sick with COVID-19.
In the blog post “3D Printing the Novel Coronavirus,” I mentioned receiving my very own 3D-printed model of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVD-19. I shared this impressive model, created by the NIH 3D Print Exchange, with viewers during our third virtual NIH Town Hall meeting. The one-hour meeting was held on May […]
The USA Science & Engineering Festival just held its X-STEM All Access conference, though this year in a virtual format. It was my pleasure to videotape some brief remarks for the conference, and I offer them here to share the excitement and encourage young people to consider careers in the sciences. The opportunities that await […]
