Georgia Bio Blog
Abbott Labs Eclipses 1.4 Million Rapid Coronavirus Tests Shipped Across U.S.
Abbott Laboratories has shipped 1.4 million of its highly touted “rapid” molecular tests for the Coronavirus strain COVID-19 in the last month across the U.S., keeping ahead of its commitments to ramp up production. The ability of Abbott to increase production and distribution of its ID NOW COVID-19 test is significant because it has been hailed in…
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New CRISPR-based test for Covid-19 could be a simple, cheap at-home diagnostic, scientists say
The revolutionary genetic technique better known for its potential to cure thousands of inherited diseases could also solve the challenge of Covid-19 diagnostic testing, scientists announced on Tuesday. A team headed by biologist Feng Zhang of the McGovern Institute at MIT and the Broad Institute has repurposed the genome-editing tool CRISPR into a test able to…
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Regeneron Covid-19 Antibody Treatment Could Be Available by Fall
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said an experimental antibody treatment for Covid-19 could be available as soon as this fall, an expedited timeline for a drug that’s scheduled to be studied in humans for the first time in June. To meet the fall time line will “depend on a lot of factors,” including whether the treatment works…
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Clear, Blue Skies During the Pandemic Not All it’s Cracked Up to Be
This stunning gallery on Quartz highlights one of the most popular and positive headlines to come out of the coronavirus pandemic—the touting of clear, blue skies and wild animals roaming streets. While the images are beautiful, a disappointing truth (often buried at the end of these articles) is that this is a very little sign of optimism.…
Read MoreUS government will decide where remdesivir goes amid coronavirus pandemic, drugmaker says
(CNN) – The federal government will begin shipping “tens of thousands” of courses of remdesivir early this week and will decide where the medicine goes, according to Daniel O’Day, chairman and CEO of Gilead Sciences, the maker of the investigational drug. In early results from a trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, remdesivir…
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FDA Sets Standards for Coronavirus Antibody Tests in Crackdown on Fraud
The Food and Drug Administration, under criticism for allowing hundreds of antibody tests for the new coronavirus on the U.S. market without prior review, has imposed rigorous precision standards on commercial test companies and said it is cracking down on fraudulent actors. At least 160 antibody tests for Covid-19 entered the U.S. market without previous…
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After 2 months of work, Alnylam has its top pick for a COVID-19 drug
Alnylam and Vir had been partners well before the coronavirus pandemic hit. In late 2017, they entered into a agreement that gave Vir the power to license a handful of infectious disease drugs made with Alnylam’s RNA interference technology. The companies chose to expand that agreement in March, amid rising global concerns over the spread of…
Read MoreFree COVID-19 testing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium thanks to Blank Foundation, CORE
Testing, testing, testing. One of the keys to fighting the coronavirus pandemic is to expand testing so people can know whether they need to be quarantined and so public health officials can keep track of the spread of the disease. Leaders in Atlanta’s philanthropic community realized there was not adequate testing – especially among workers…
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Researchers Explore Using Common Blood-Plasma Treatment to Fight Coronavirus
The goal is to tamp down an out-of-control immune response that seems to cause many deaths Researchers are investigating whether a common blood-plasma product used in treating immune-system disorders could also be effective in coronavirus patients and potentially shape future trials of new treatments specific to Covid-19. Already, some industry experts have raised concerns that…
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