Research News

Zydus Cadila announced that its Phase III clinical trials with Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2b, PegiHepTM has shown promising results in treating COVID-19. In what could be a breakthrough in the disease management of COVID-19, the interim results indicate that PegIFN when administered early on, could help patients recover faster and avoiding much of the complications seen in the advanced stages of the disease. PegIFN in COVID19 has several add-on advantages compared to other anti-viral agents.

Genome sequencing of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples shows that surges of COVID-19 cases are driven by the appearance of new coronavirus variants, according to new research from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, published April 1 in Scientific Reports.

UConn researcher Paulo Verardi, associate professor of pathobiology and veterinary science in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, has demonstrated the success of a vaccine against Zika virus and recently published his findings in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research publication.

Efforts to find a treatment for mitochondrial disorders is set to get a major boost with a team of researchers at the Department of Biotechnology’s National Institute of Immunology (DBT-NII) figuring out a way to tackle autosomal dominant progressive external ophthalmoplegia (adPEO), which is a widely prevalent mitochondrial disorder.

Replacing regular common salt consumed by hypertensive patients in rural areas with a salt substitute can have a significant impact in terms of lowering their blood pressure, a new study by The George Institute for Global Health (GIGH) has revealed.

Despite rising cases of corona infection, the rate of deaths due to Covid-19 outbreaks has been lower in India than in the US and the United Kingdom. This has emerged in a new study by scientists of the National Institute of Immunology (NII) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) based in New Delhi. Researchers say one of the reasons for the decrease in the rate of deaths caused by Covid-19 in India may be prior exposure to the corona responsible for the common cold.

New research published this month in Frontiers in Medicine (Gastroenterology) reveals that individuals with both obesity and severe fatty liver are five times more likely to require hospitalization for the illness. The non-invasive liver imaging technology — Perspectum’s LiverMultiScan — was used to gather MRI scans for the study.

ICMR reported that Covishield and Covaxin vaccines are effective against the UK and the Brazilian variants of coronavirus, and several laboratories are involved in work against South African strain. Addressing a weekly press conference of the Union health ministry, ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava also said of 11,064 genome samples sequenced in the country, the UK variant of the virus was detected in 807, the South African variant in 47 and the Brazilian variant was found in one.

A new once-weekly basal insulin injection demonstrated similar efficacy and safety and a lower rate of low blood sugar episodes compared with a daily basal insulin, according to a phase 2 clinical trial. The study results, which will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, compared an investigational drug called basal insulin Fc (BIF) with insulin degludec, a commercially available long-lasting daily insulin, in patients with type 2 diabetes.