Variants of SARS-CoV-2

LumiraDx High Sensitivity Point of Care Antigen Test Detects Against Leading Variants of Concern including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta

Retrieved on:

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Coronaviridae, Branches of biology, Medicine, Sarbecovirus, Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Zoonoses, COVID-19, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Peplomer, Rapid antigen test, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 Iota variant

LONDON, June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Today, LumiraDx, a next-generation point of care (POC) diagnostics testing company ("LumiraDx" or "Company"), confirmed that the LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Ag Test detects major global SARS-CoV-2 variants including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon variants.

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LONDON, June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Today, LumiraDx, a next-generation point of care (POC) diagnostics testing company ("LumiraDx" or "Company"), confirmed that the LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Ag Test detects major global SARS-CoV-2 variants including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon variants.
SARS-CoV-2, like other viruses, is constantly mutating, and becoming more diverse with new variants of the virus occurring over time.
The LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Antigen test is well positioned to detect these existing and new variants.
Unlike PCR, the LumiraDx SARS-CoV-2 Ag Test uses antibodies, not nucleic acid based-primers, to capture SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen, not the spike protein.

Qu Biologics Receives Additional Funding to Accelerate Clinical Development of Qu’s First-in-Class Immunotherapeutic for COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Medical specialties, Medicine, Virology, Clinical medicine, Immunology, Vaccination, Sarbecovirus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Zoonoses, Immunity, Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Infection

QBKPN restores and enhances innate immune function, the bodys first line of defense against all viral infections.

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QBKPN restores and enhances innate immune function, the bodys first line of defense against all viral infections.
By restoring innate immunity, QBKPN is designed to contain and clear viral infection before it has an opportunity to spread.
As such, there is a risk that vaccine efficacy could be lost as new SARS-CoV-2 variants arise.
For more information about Qu Biologics and the science behind SSIs, please visit www.qubiologics.com .

Labcorp Adopts Molecular Loop SARS-CoV-2 Research Sequencing Panel for Large-Scale Viral Surveillance

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Branches of biology, Biology, Life sciences, Molecular biology, DNA sequencing, Biotechnology, DNA, In science, Pacific Biosciences, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Illumina, Inc., Variants of SARS-CoV-2

NEWTON, Mass., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular Loop Biosciences, Inc. , a company redefining the simplicity of targeted sequencing, announced today that its SARS-CoV-2 Research Sequencing Panel has been deployed by Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, to help sequence thousands of complete coronavirus genomes each week from positive patient samples.

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NEWTON, Mass., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular Loop Biosciences, Inc. , a company redefining the simplicity of targeted sequencing, announced today that its SARS-CoV-2 Research Sequencing Panel has been deployed by Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, to help sequence thousands of complete coronavirus genomes each week from positive patient samples.
This sequencing is being performed as part of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) effort to identify and track the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants throughout the country.
The Molecular Loop SARS-CoV-2 Research Sequencing Panel converts extracted RNA samples into sequencer-ready libraries in four simple steps, making it easy to implement and scale for Illumina or PacBio sequencing.
Molecular Loop provides customized, targeted next-generation sequencing solutions using its novel molecular inversion probe technology, delivering industry-leading workflow simplicity without sacrificing data quality.

Long-lasting Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) Aqueous Solution Presented by Taiko Pharmaceutical and Kitasato University Inactivates over 99.99% of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 Virus)

Retrieved on:

Friday, June 11, 2021

Amino acids, Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Sarbecovirus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Zoonoses, Vaccine, Protein, Tyrosine

(*2) Subject microorganisms: SARS-CoV-2 (3 strains above) provided by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

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(*2) Subject microorganisms: SARS-CoV-2 (3 strains above) provided by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
In this study, the one purchased from the JCRB Cell Bank, the National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, was used.
(*6) N501Y variant: 501st amino acid of S protein is replaced from aspartic acid (N) to tyrosine (Y).
Compared to the conventional strains, this variant may work as a stronger suppressor of the immune system and vaccination efficiency.

Sixth Wave Detects UK and South African Variants of SARS-CoV-2

Retrieved on:

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Lineage B.1.351, Lineage B.1.1.7, Vaccine, Medical specialties, Branches of biology, Medicine

The virus variants detected include the UK variant and the South African variant.

Key Points:

The virus variants detected include the UK variant and the South African variant.
There are documented cases of new variants circumventing the human immune system and causing reinfection and drastically reduced efficacy of certain vaccines.
Sixth Wave continues to expand the capabilities of the AMIP diagnostic platform as it works on improving the specificity and sensitivity in their prototype devices.
Sixth Wave can design, develop and commercialize MIP solutions across a broad spectrum of industries.

New Study Published in Nature Provides Further Evidence that COVID-19 Vaccine Induced T-Cell Response Targets Known SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Vaccines, Medical specialties, Health, COVID-19 vaccines, Clinical trials, COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, Lineage B.1.351, Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine

The study provides further evidence that the T-cell response may contribute to protection from COVID-19.

Key Points:

The study provides further evidence that the T-cell response may contribute to protection from COVID-19.
In the multinational phase 3 ENSEMBLE trial, participants given Johnson & Johnsons vaccine experienced similar efficacy against the B.1.351 variant.
Mapping exactly how the variants impact different parts of the virus can indicate if the immune response is likely to be affected.
The tool can be used to study the T-cell immune response for vaccine research across COVID-19 variants., mapping across >160KSARS-CoV-2-specific antigen-TCR sequence-level data.

Twist Bioscience Begins Shipping of Synthetic RNA Controls for Kappa (B.1.617.1) SARS-CoV-2 Variants for Development of Accurate Tests

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Health, Infectious diseases, Technology, Nanotechnology, Research, Science, Biotechnology, Coronaviridae, Sarbecovirus, Zoonoses, Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Lineage B.1.617, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Lineage B.1.526, Kappa variant of COVID-19

The company is also working on controls for the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) and B.1.617.3 variants.

Key Points:

The company is also working on controls for the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) and B.1.617.3 variants.
Unfortunately, India is experiencing a massive outbreak and overwhelming challenge with new viral variants and a largely unvaccinated population.
The Twist synthetic controls are designed based on specific SARS-CoV-2 variants, cover the full viral genome and are sequence-verified.
For customers interested in alternative variants of SARS-CoV-2, or synthetic RNA or DNA controls for other sequences, Twist can provide custom controls in multiple formats.

Eurofins Launches a New Multiplex PCR Assay for Rapid Detection of the B.1.617 “India” SARS-CoV-2 Variant

Retrieved on:

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Eurofins Technologies (Paris:ERF) announces the launch of its GSD NovaType III SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay, developed for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern including B.1.617 (India), B.1.427/B.1.429 (California/USA), B.1.351 (South Africa) or P.1 (Brazil).

Key Points:

Eurofins Technologies (Paris:ERF) announces the launch of its GSD NovaType III SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay, developed for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern including B.1.617 (India), B.1.427/B.1.429 (California/USA), B.1.351 (South Africa) or P.1 (Brazil).
The assay facilitates the identification of the relevant mutations E484Q, E484K and L452R in one reaction combined with the simultaneous discrimination from the S gene E484 wildtype variant.
These mutations have been associated with reports of potential decreased efficacy of certain vaccines and an increase in the transmissibility of the virus.
Eurofins Technologies is committed to continue to rapidly adapt its product offering to the meet the evolving challenges of SARS-CoV-2.

Scripps Research Institute testing shows Viraleze highly active against UK COVID strain

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Occupational safety and health, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Variant of concern, Lineage B.1.1.7, Lineage B.1.351, Health, LloydsPharmacy

Starpharma is alsotesting the Japan/Brazil and South African variants of COVID, with the results expected in the coming weeks.

Key Points:

Starpharma is alsotesting the Japan/Brazil and South African variants of COVID, with the results expected in the coming weeks.
The antiviral testing was conducted by the renowned Scripps Research Institute in the US, with the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2, which has been classified as a variant of concern.
The UK variant was recently reported to be responsible for over 98% of the positive COVID infections in England and linked to multiple outbreaks worldwide.
Viraleze is registered for sale in Europe and the UK, and is available through one of the UK's largest pharmacy chains, LloydsPharmacy.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Additional Monoclonal Antibody for Treatment of COVID-19

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Medical specialties, Clinical medicine, Immunology, Medicine, Immune system, Biotechnology, Glycoproteins, Monoclonal antibody, Antibody, Variants of SARS-CoV-2, Antiviral drug, Cancer immunotherapy

This includes, for example, individuals who are 65 years of age and older or individuals who have certain medical conditions.

Key Points:

This includes, for example, individuals who are 65 years of age and older or individuals who have certain medical conditions.
"It is important to expand the arsenal of monoclonal antibody therapies that are expected to retain activity against the circulating variants of COVID-19 in the United States."
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses.
The FDA is carefully monitoring circulating viral variants and their sensitivity to monoclonal antibodies authorized to treat COVID-19, including sotrovimab.