Researchers hope two new drugs that block COVID’s access to cells will pass clinical trials and be added to the global toolkit to stop the pandemic in its tracks.
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QIMR Berghofer scientists develop new drugs to fight COVID-19
Scientists from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland have developed two new drugs to both prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, and also treat people who have been exposed to the virus so they do not develop severe disease.
The peptide-based drugs are now being tested in hamsters at France’s pre-clinical and clinical research facility, IDMIT, with promising early results showing they are not toxic and have few side effects. The drugs are also stable and can be stored at room temperature – which would make them easy to distribute.
The study findings have been published overnight in the prestigious journal Nature Cell Discovery.
Bogus or beneficial? The verdict on vitamin D startsat60.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from startsat60.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
NSW Government ‘Retires’ Accellion File Transfer System Amid International Cyber Breach
The NSW government has blocked access to an international file transfer company after servers at the state’s health and transport department were among those in major organisations hacked by international cybercriminals.
The move comes as the personal information of at least 104,000 people, including NSW staff accounts, were compromised in a phishing attack that occurred in April 2020, according to a NSW Inquiry into Cybersecurity (pdf).
Cyber Security NSW was first made aware of vulnerabilities to the Accellion File Transfer Appliance (FTA) in January and established “Strike Force Martine” with NSW police to investigate the impacts on the breach.
Trial gives hope for better control of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks ANI | Updated: Feb 03, 2021 10:34 IST
Washington [US], February 3 (ANI): An international study, led by QIMR Berghofer researchers, has shown that a new device that targets Aedes aegypti mosquitos could be extremely useful in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika.
The randomised field trial used small, insecticide-treated, plastic mesh devices called emanators to target Aedes aegypti mosquitos in homes in the state of Yucatan in Mexico. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland coordinated the trial in partnership with colleagues at the Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan in Mexico and Emory University in the United States.