COVID-19 Infections in U.S. Nearly 3X Greater Than Reported, University Model Estimates February 12, 2021
World health experts have long suspected that the incidence of COVID-19 has been higher than reported. Now, a machine-learning algorithm developed at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center estimates that the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. since the pandemic began is nearly three times that of confirmed cases.
The algorithm, described in a study published in PLOS ONE, provides daily updated estimates of total infections to date as well as how many people are currently infected across the U.S. and in 50 countries hardest hit by the pandemic.
Prolonged activation of innate immune pathways by a polyvalent STING agonist” published in
Nature Biomedical Engineering shows that a pH-sensitive nanoparticle-based drug developed by Dr. Jinming Gao and team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) could boost the body’s innate immune pathways in the treatment of multiple cancers with a unique mechanism of activating the
STimulator of
INterferon
Genes (STING). OncoNano licensed this technology from UTSW for further development as part of the company’s proprietary pH-activated micelle platform, and Dr. Gao, a co-founder of OncoNano, currently also serves as a consultant for the company.
“We are excited about the study published by our colleagues at UTSW demonstrating that the STING activating polymeric micelle can be selectively triggered in the endosomes and enter the cytoplasm of phagocytic cells to achieve robust antitumor immunity,” said Marty Driscoll, CEO at OncoNano Medicine, Inc. “The
COVID-19 Cases Have Been Severely Undercounted, Study Says medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Clinical laboratories prepare for coronavirus variants
Adam Bonislawski, 360Dx
NEW
YORK
– As new variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to emerge, clinical labs are having to develop new and evolve existing approaches to test for the virus.
While existing molecular tests appear to be capable of detecting the new UK and South Africa SARS-Cov-2 strains that have been the focus of much recent attention and concern, the appearance of these and other variants could require changes in labs testing processes and the development of better tools for monitoring the presence of relevant variants in the patients they serve.
The most immediate concern from a lab s perspective is that the mutations that characterize major SARS-CoV-2 variants may make molecular or antigen tests for detecting the virus less effective by altering the regions of RNA or protein these tests target.
Severe undercounting of Covid cases worldwide: Study
February 09, 2021
Over 20 per cent of UK, US population already infected
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center used a new machine learning technique to estimate the actual number of coronavirus cases within 50 US States and 50 countries.
The study, published in the journal
PLOS One, revealed that during the ongoing pandemic, US States and many countries have reported daily counts of Covid-19 infections and deaths confirmed by testing.
However, many infections have gone undetected, resulting in under-counting of the total number of people currently infected at any given point in time. The authors of the study believe that this is an important metric to guide public health efforts.