Key immunological factors underlying the clinical stages of COVID-19 that could be targeted by therapeutic drugs is outlined in a review by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) researchers and published in Frontiers in Immunology on May 29. Discuss
As researchers race to find vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, drug repurposing has emerged as potentially the fastest route to get drugs to market. A new research effort aims to speed up the process by creating a repository for data on drugs that have already been used off-label to treat COVID-19. Discuss
Researchers have created a comprehensive map of cardiac neurons at the cellular scale that allows for gene expression data to be superimposed, giving insight into the functional roles of specific neuron clusters. The work was published in iScience on May 26. Discuss
A new study of COVID-19 infections in Italy suggests that factors associated with social isolation help explain why Italy's large senior population has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings were published May 21 in the journal PLOS One. Discuss
With the urgent need for COVID-19 therapies and vaccines, funding agencies have prioritized biomanufacturing; companies in turn are preparing to ramp up a variety of biologics. The strong demand for bioprocessed medicines in 2020 will continue to drive growth of the industry. Discuss
U.K. virologists have reviewed over 40 studies on SARS-CoV-2 immunity and discussed how this current knowledge about immune responses can inform virus control strategies. They shared their analysis in an article published in the Journal of General Virology on May 20. Discuss
A new pipeline that combines high-dimensional microscopy with big data analysis to gain molecular insights in T-cell biology and vaccine development was introduced in a paper published in Cell Systems on May 20. Discuss
A new open-access tool provides information on the effects of nearly 1 million compounds in a wide range of biological settings. The new tool, published in Nature Biotechnology on May 18, may change the drug discovery process by moving beyond reliance on chemical information alone. Discuss
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on May 19 announced a new project to promote U.S.-based pharmaceutical manufacturing to secure the supply of essential medicines during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. The project includes a $354 million contract with Phlow of Richmond, VA. Discuss
Academic labs could be converted to perform clinical work and process SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic assays with rapid turnaround times to meet increased demand for testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigators from Boston University and Boston Medical Center provided an outline of how they adapted a lab in an article published online May 10 in Med. Discuss