National Collaborative Network to Look at COVID-19 Risk in Children
Researchers from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have received a two-year grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development to establish a national collaborative network to determine which factors increase the risk of severe COVID-19 in children. The national “network of networks” will ensure the initiative includes children from across the country. The investigators will incorporate various scientific perspectives into the network. They will also have multidimensional data consisting of clinical, sociodemographic, epidemiologic, and biological factors. “If we can identify pediatric patients or communities at-risk for serious illness due to infection from SARS-CoV-2, then health care providers can be particularly vigilant with children at higher risk of getting the disease,” said principal investigator Lawrence Kleinman, MD, MPH. Read More
DPI for PAH Moves Forward
According to the United Therapeutics Corporation, the BREEZE study of Tyvaso DPI (inhaled treprostinil) met its primary objective. It demonstrated safety and tolerability in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) transitioning from Tyvaso Inhalation Solution. If approved, the company believes the drug’s dry powder formulation will provide patients with a more convenient administration method than the current nebulized form. United Therapeutics plans to submit a New Drug Application for Tyvaso DPI in April. The indications will be for patients with PAH and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease. Read More
Universal Coronavirus Vaccine Under Development
A new universal vaccine against coronaviruses of human and animal origin currently under development by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the U.S. and ConserV Bioscience Limited in the U.K. could ease concerns about SARS-CoV-2 mutations that could render current vaccines less effective. The vaccine consists of conserved immunoreactive regions from external and internal coronavirus proteins from each virus genus, encoded in messenger RNA. “We have identified regions within the proteins of the virus that are not susceptible to change, and if effective, the vaccine promises to protect against a broad spectrum of current circulating coronavirus strains and future emergent ones,” said ConserV Bioscience CEO Kimbell Duncan. Read More
INSPIRE Study to Track Long-Term Outcomes from COVID-19
The CDC is funding a new project called INSPIRE — Innovative Support for Patients with SARS–COV–2 Infections Registry. It will track 3,600 individuals with new COVID-19 symptoms who have been diagnosed with the disease in the preceding four weeks and 1,200 people without COVID-19 to assess the long-term outcomes of infection with the virus on various age groups. Investigators from Rush University, with researchers at the University of Washington, Yale New Haven Health, UTHealth in Houston, UCLA Health, UCSF Health, UT Southwestern, and Thomas Jefferson University, will lead the initiative. The two-year study’s overall goal is to improve our understanding of how COVID-19 impacts survivors’ ongoing health. Read More
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Debbie Bunch is an AARC contributor who writes feature articles, news stories, and other content for Newsroom, the AARC website, and associated emailed newsletters. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, photography, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Connect with Debbie by email or on AARConnect or LinkedIn.
