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A largescale global trial designed to test the theory that the widely-used BCG vaccine could help protect against COVID-19 will soon recruit healthcare staff and care home workers in the UK. The University of Exeter is leading the UK arm of the trial, called the ‘BCG vaccination to Reduce the impact of COVID-19 in healthcare workers’ (BRACE) Trial.

By applying natural language processing tools to the movements of protein molecules, University of Maryland scientists created an abstract language that describes the multiple shapes a protein molecule can take and how and when it transitions from one shape to another.

A drug costing < 2 euros per dose could reduce the long-term consequences of a heart attack. Metoprolol, a beta-blocker drug has been in use for more than 40 years, has been found to possess unique cardioprotective properties.

Researchers from Osaka University have mechanically reprocessed silk into a biologically compatible component of bioinks that improves the structural fidelity of 3D-printed hydrogels containing cells for use in drug development and regrowing lost or damaged body parts.

Scientists have discovered parameters to better predict which neoantigens can stimulate a cancer-killing effect.

Neurobiologists at Heidelberg University have discovered how a special receptor at neuronal junctions that normally activates a protective genetic programme can lead to nerve cell death when located outside synapses. Research by Prof. Bading and his team is focused on the so-called NMDA receptor. This receptor is an ion channel protein that is activated by a biochemical messenger.

Houston Methodist researchers found that mice harboring human glioblastoma tumors in their brains had greatly enhanced survival and weight gain when given a newly developed prodrug. Human glioma cells were removed from patients during surgical excision and isolated within 10 minutes after removal. The glioblastoma cells were injected into the brains of 48 female mice for a 300-day study. The prodrug was well tolerated, and, when given on its own, extended survival by more than a factor of three.

A survey of UT Southwestern clinical research professionals found that most clinical trial coordinators, managers and nurses report positive experiences with COVID-related study adjustments.

Researchers from the University of Delaware are creating new drug delivery systems with the potential to improve treatment for diseases that affect connective tissues.

Two teams of scientists have devised pathways around a synthetic biology roadblock by developing a set of machine learning algorithms that can analyze reams of RNA-based “toehold” sequences and predict which ones will be most effective at sensing and responding to a desired target sequence.