SARS-CoV-2 mutations similar to those in the B1.1.7 UK variant could arise in cases of chronic infection, where treatment over an extended period can provide the virus multiple opportunities to evolve, say scientists.
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine BNT162b2 is likely to be effective against the B1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2, even though its efficacy is modestly affected, say scientists at the University of Cambridge. However, when the E484K mutation – first seen in the South African variant – is added, it substantially increases the amount of antibody required to prevent infection.
Dolutegravir, the current first-line treatment for HIV, may not be as effective as hoped in sub-Saharan Africa, suggests new research published on World AIDS Day. The study finds that this so-called ‘wonder drug’ may be less effective in patients resistant to older drugs.
In late 2019, a new institute opened on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Its timing could not have been better - as the COVID-19 pandemic sent Britain into lockdown several months later, the institute found itself at the heart of the University’s response to this unprecedented challenge.
Professor Ravi Gupta has been named today as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of the Year, in recognition of his work to bring about the second-ever cure of a patient with HIV.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) failure and drug resistance are extremely common in patients living with HIV who are admitted to hospital in Malawi, according to new research published in Lancet HIV.
A Cambridge hospital has piloted the use of combined rapid point-of-care nucleic acid and antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection after researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that this approach was superior to virus detection alone for diagnosing COVID-19 disease.
“This virus is probably going to be circulating for years - it will take a long time to sort out.” In a building that has been largely empty for the past three months, Ravi Gupta has been working non-stop alongside other virus experts. Their trial of a rapid diagnostic test using the ‘SAMBA II’ machine made headlines in April: results are returned in 90 minutes, helping healthcare workers ensure that those infected can be quickly directed to specialised wards. But there remains much work to do.
Researchers say faster tests helped expedite access to life-saving treatments such as organ transplants – and might make all the difference later this year.
A new rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19, developed by a University of Cambridge spinout company and capable of diagnosing the infection in under 90 minutes, is being deployed at Cambridge hospitals, ahead of being launched in hospitals nationwide.
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