Today, the partners in the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator announced grants of $20 million to three institutions—the University of Washington, University of Oxford, and La Jolla Institute for Immunology—to fund clinical trials in order to identify highly potent immunotherapies for the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants mark the first investments to come from the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, a large-scale initiative launched by…
Two studies are underway in the Chu lab in the fight against coronavirus. Dr. Helen Chu, a UW Medicine infectious diseases expert and researcher, is looking into different aspects of the disease and how the body might overcome it. One of the studies will take a look at remdesivir, an experimental antiviral. “The goal of the remdesivir trial is really to understand whether something…
Among the accomplishments Adina Mangubat lists on her LinkedIn page is her Forbes magazine “30 under 30 — Science and Health” recognition that places her among the “entrepreneurial, creative and intellectual best of their generation.” She also proudly includes winning the 2009 Hell Night business plan competition at the University of Washington Bothell. It was more significant, she said. It changed her career direction. “That was the moment I realized I could…
Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing is expected to make a big leap forward this week as a new test will be released that can give results in as little as five minutes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed Abbott Labs, a medical devices and health care company, to roll out the test. However, that test is based on technology from the early…
March is National Kidney Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about kidney health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 15 percent of adults in the United States—more than 37 million people—have chronic kidney disease. Moreover, 9 out of 10 people with chronic kidney disease are unaware they have it and find out only after irreversible…
The COVID-19 virus has spread across the globe with breathtaking speed. But all along, an international team of computational biologists has been close behind. The researchers behind Nextstrain.org, which was co-created by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Basel, are using genetic clues to track the virus’ spread and evolution in near real-time. Their work is…
Researchers are investigating whether hydroxychloroquine, a commonly used anti-malarial and autoimmune-disease treatment, can prevent COVID-19. A multi-site clinical trial, led by the University of Washington School of Medicine in collaboration with New York University Grossman School of Medicine, aims to definitively determine whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent transmission in people exposed to the virus. “We currently don’t know if hydroxychloroquine works, but we…
When Seattle Children’s posted on social media asking followers to consider donating any unopened masks in light of a global manufacturing shortage and the impact of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the community responded in a big way. In one week, community members near and far rallied to donate more than 17,000 masks and these numbers are expected to increase…
In work published recently in Nature Structural & Mechanical Biology, scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center described self-assembling, donut-shaped protein nanoparticles designed from scratch. The team showed that the nanoparticles, which can act as scaffolds for the organization and display of biomolecules currently used in various clinical and research applications, could someday enhance these applications by simplifying biomolecule production or by…
While pregnant women are included in those thought to be at high risk for COVID-19, not much is actually known yet about the virus’ potential impacts on pregnancy. But a University of Washington obstetrician and professor hopes to change that, shifting her lab’s research into the new virus. Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf will move from Zika research to investigating such…