151 Results
NIH Makes Substantial New Investment in HIV Cure Research
August 17, 2021
The National Institutes of Health has awarded approximately $53 million in annual funding over the next five years to 10 research organizations in a continued effort to find a cure for HIV.
NIH Launches Study of Third COVID-19 Vaccine Dose in Kidney Transplant Recipients
August 10, 2021
A pilot study has begun to assess the antibody response to a third dose of an authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in kidney transplant recipients who did not respond to two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The Phase 2 trial is sponsored and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
NIH Begins Study of COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Postpartum
June 23, 2021
A new observational study has begun to evaluate the immune responses generated by COVID-19 vaccines administered to pregnant or postpartum people. Researchers will measure the development and durability of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in people vaccinated during pregnancy or the first two postpartum months. Researchers also will assess vaccine safety and evaluate the transfer of vaccine-induced antibodies to infants across the placenta and through breast milk.
NIH Launches Clinical Trial of Universal Influenza Vaccine Candidate
June 1, 2021
A first-in-human, Phase 1 trial assessing the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational nanoparticle influenza vaccine designed to provide long-lasting protection against multiple flu virus strains has begun at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Healthy participants 18 to 50 years old will receive either a licensed seasonal influenza vaccine or the experimental vaccine, FluMos-v1.
NIH Scientists Find that Salmonella Use Intestinal Epithelial Cells to Colonize the Gut
May 26, 2021
The immune system’s attempt to eliminate Salmonella bacteria from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract instead facilitates colonization of the intestinal tract and fecal shedding, according to National Institutes of Health scientists. The study, published in Cell Host & Microbe, was conducted by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) scientists at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana.
Trial of Existing Antibiotic for Treating Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Begins
April 27, 2021
A clinical trial to test the antibiotic dalbavancin for safety and efficacy in treating complicated Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteremia has begun. The trial will enroll 200 adults hospitalized with complicated S. aureus infection at approximately 20 trial sites around the United States. The trial is being sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
COVID-19 Vaccine Responses to be Studied in People with Immune Deficits
April 23, 2021
A study assessing how people with immune system deficiencies or dysregulations respond to COVID-19 vaccination has begun enrolling participants at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The single-site study is led by researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and aims to enroll 500 people, 400 with primary or secondary immune system disorders and 100 without such conditions.
Statement—Large NIH Clinical Trial Will Test Polyclonal Antibody Therapeutic for COVID-19
April 21, 2021
A Phase 2/3 trial to evaluate a new fully-human polyclonal antibody therapeutic targeted to SARS-CoV-2, called SAB-185, has begun enrolling non-hospitalized people with mild or moderate cases of COVID-19. The trial, ACTIV-2, is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The therapeutic was developed by SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Sioux Falls, South Dakota).
Experimental Antiviral for COVID-19 Effective in Hamster Study
April 16, 2021
The experimental antiviral drug MK-4482 significantly decreased levels of virus and disease damage in the lungs of hamsters treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health scientists. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. MK-4482, delivered orally, is now in human clinical trials. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use against COVID-19, must be provided intravenously, making its use primarily limited to clinical settings.
NIAID Funds New Influenza Research Network
April 14, 2021
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has established a network of research sites to study the natural history, transmission and pathogenesis of influenza and provide an international research infrastructure to address influenza outbreaks.
NIH Experts Discuss Post-Acute COVID-19
April 13, 2021
Many people who have COVID-19 make a full recovery and return to their baseline state of health; however, some people have symptoms or other sequelae weeks or months after initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. These heterogeneous symptoms were the subject of the virtual “Workshop on Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19” hosted on Dec. 2 and 4, 2020, by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in collaboration with other institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health. A paper published recently in Annals of Internal Medicine describes the workshop.
NIH Experts Call for Accelerated Research to Address Concurrent HIV and COVID-19 Pandemics
April 8, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people with or at risk for HIV both indirectly, by interfering with HIV treatment and prevention services, and directly, by threatening individual health. An effective response to these dual pandemics requires unprecedented collaboration to accelerate basic and clinical research, as well as implementation science to expeditiously introduce evidence-based strategies into real-world settings. This message comes from a review article co-authored by Anthony S.
NIH Begins Study of Allergic Reactions to Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines
April 7, 2021
A clinical trial is underway to determine whether people who are highly allergic or have a mast cell disorder are at increased risk for an immediate, systemic allergic reaction to the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. A systemic allergic reaction to a vaccine occurs in one or more parts of the body beyond the injection site. If such an allergic reaction occurs in study participants, investigators will assess whether the reactions are more frequent in participants who are highly allergic or have a mast cell disorder than in participants with no allergic history.
NIH Clinical Trial Evaluating Moderna COVID-19 Variant Vaccine Begins
March 31, 2021
An investigational vaccine designed to protect against the B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant has been administered as part of a new Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the vaccine candidate’s safety and immunogenicity in adult volunteers. The vaccine, known as mRNA-1273.351, was developed by the biotechnology company ModernaTX, Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The trial is led and funded by NIAID. The trial will enroll approximately 210 healthy adult volunteers at four clinical research sites in the United States that are part of the NIAID-funded Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC).
T Cells Recognize Recent SARS-CoV-2 Variants
March 30, 2021
When variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) emerged in late 2020, concern arose that they might elude protective immune responses generated by prior infection or vaccination, potentially making re-infection more likely or vaccination less effective. To investigate this possibility, researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues analyzed blood cell samples from 30 people who had contracted and recovered from COVID-19 prior to the emergence of virus variants.
NIH Awards Grants to Support Bacteriophage Therapy Research
March 11, 2021
NIAID has awarded $2.5 million in grants to 12 institutes around the world to support research on bacteriophage therapy.
NIH Scientists Use Human Cerebral Organoid to Test Drug for Deadly Brain Disease
March 9, 2021
After establishing a human cerebral organoid system to study CJD, NIAID researchers have developed the model to screen drugs for potential CJD treatment.
Statement from NIH and BARDA on the FDA Emergency Use Authorization of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
February 27, 2021
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the Janssen Pharmaceuticals Companies of Johnson & Johnson for its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, called Ad.26.COV2S or JNJ-78436725. The Janssen vaccine is a recombinant vector vaccine that uses a human adenovirus to express the spike protein found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
Monoclonal Antibodies Against MERS Coronavirus Show Promise in Phase 1 NIH-Sponsored Trial
February 23, 2021
A NIH-sponsored Phase 1 clinical trial of two mAbs directed against the coronavirus that causes MERS found they were well tolerated and generally safe.
Scientists Identify Locations of Early Prion Protein Deposition in Retina
January 29, 2021
The earliest eye damage from prion disease takes place in the cone photoreceptor cells according to a new NIH study of prion protein accumulation.
Statement—Janssen Investigational COVID-19 Vaccine—Interim Analysis
January 29, 2021
NIH reports that an investigational COVID-19 vaccine by Janssen Pharmaceuticals appears to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in adults.
Bulletin—Update on SARS-CoV-2 Variants
January 27, 2021
Recently, NIH notes that media reports and pre-print scientific papers on SARS-CoV-2 variants have discussed various genetic mutations in the virus.
Antibody Infusions Prevent Acquisition of Some HIV Strains, NIH Studies Find
January 26, 2021
NIH finds that an investigational anti-HIV antibody prevented acquisition of some HIV strains, but did not significantly reduce overall acquisition.
Media Availability—NIH Officials Highlight COVID-19 Vaccine Facts, Unknowns for Healthcare Providers
January 18, 2021
NIAID Director urges healthcare providers to be able to explain the latest data supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines for COVID-19.
NIH Scientists Identify Nutrient that Helps Prevent Bacterial Infection
January 15, 2021
NIAID scientists studying natural defenses against bacterial infection found that taurine helps the gut recall prior infections and kill invading bacteria.
