Scientists from Bristol have made what they have described as a ‘game-changing’ discovery in the fight against coronavirus.

They said that in the short-term, their discovery could lead to better treatment of Covid-19, and in the longer term, it could mean they are able to stop the virus being infectious altogether and ‘stop the virus in its tracks’.

The team at the University of Bristol have released their findings in the journal Science, and describe the study that they undertook as ‘ground-breaking’.  

The team was headed by Prof Christiane Schaffitzel from Bristol’s School of Biochemistry, and Prof Imre Berger from the Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology - effectively teaming up biochemists with another team that use powerful microscopes that freeze the virus and enable it to be looked at in tiny detail.

The team discovered that buried deep within the spikes that the SARS CoV-2 protein uses to latch onto the inside of people’s bodies was a small molecule called linoleic acid.

This fatty acid is what the virus uses to bind itself together and spread - and the team have described this discovery as important because it now means there is a way to disrupt that binding fat, and potentially render the virus not infectious.

The discovery of this fatty acid is described as a ‘druggable pocket’ by scientists - a way in for drugs to take on the virus and disarm it.

“Our discovery of a druggable pocket within the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein could lead to new anti-viral drugs to shut down and eliminate the virus before it entered human cells, stopping it firmly in its tracks,” she added.

The discovery of the 'druggable pockets' is the second major breakthrough in the fight against coronavirus Covid-19 involving the University of Bristol. Last month, a team from Bristol were part of a global study that proved the use of a cheap £5 drug cut death rates for Covid-19 patients by a fifth.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/game-changing-coronavirus-breakthrough-discovered-4537472.amp

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​We have previously documented that the UK case-fatality rate (CFR) has fallen substantially from its peak in April. One explanation is that, unlike in March and  April, new cases are predominantly in younger people who have a better outcome. 

We, therefore, sought to examine trends in CFR over time to see if the fatality rate was declining across all age groups.  

Due to the absence of age-stratified case data in the UK (although we’re working on this) we have used German data which reports lab-confirmed cases and deaths by broad age categories. 

This analysis shows that the fatality rate from COVID-19 has declined in all age groups, and the older age groups drive the overall reduction.

Britain could return to pre-lockdown normal by next summer if a vaccine succeeds and was rolled out in the early part of 2021, health minister Matt Hancock said on Monday, adding that the most vulnerable might be vaccinated at the end of this year.

“For the mass rollout we’re talking about the first bit of next year, if all goes well... There’s still a chance of it coming on stream before Christmas, but we’ve then got to roll it out, and the first people who get it, are the people who are most vulnerable people,” Hancock told ITV’s This Morning.

Asked when there would be a return to the old normal, Hancock said: “If... one of the vaccines comes off, in the early bit of next year, we are looking, I hope, by next summer.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-vaccine/normality-could-return-in-summer-2021-if-vaccine-succeeds-uk-health-minister-idUSL5N2GI25Q

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With the latest press conference in the UK from Chief Medical Adviser, Prof Chris Whitty and the Chief Scientific Adviser - Sir Patrick Vallance a bleak picture was painted for the UK over the coming months.  Whilst this maybe the case we have to highlight all of the positive news that are ongoing with treatments and vaccines.

Treatments

Here are a few of our recent articles on treatment options and how they are improving all the time :

Covid Grows Less Deadly as Doctors Gain Practice, Drugs Improve

Roche says its drugs reduce ventilator need for COVID-19 patients

Lilly’s Covid-19 antibody helps some patients rid their systems of virus sooner in early analysis

COVID-19 patients in the Netherlands now spend only 8 days in ICU compared to 22 days in March/April, says chairman of Dutch ICU association

We are finally unravelling the mystery of what causes severe covid-19

New Study: Vitamin D reduces risk of ICU admission 97%

Vaccines

Moderna expects to make 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccine by 2020 end

Hundreds of thousands have been given Chinese COVID-19 vaccines without a single infection

Pharma company drastically boosts its potential coronavirus vaccine production

Moderna expects to know if its coronavirus vaccine works by November, CEO says

AstraZeneca trial illness likely not linked to Covid vaccine, Oxford says

Pfizer reports 'potential' with COVID-19 candidate vaccine after expanding trial to 44,000 people

Dr. Siegel on potential COVID vaccine effectiveness: Unlike annual flu, virus is not 'a moving target'

Pfizer CEO: Chances 'quite' good will know by October if vaccine works

Things will improve, things look negative at the moment but all around the world there are positive developments.  Hopefully this offers some glimmer of hope.

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A rapid test can accurately diagnose a coronavirus infection within 90 minutes without needing a specialist laboratory, say scientists.

The study by Imperial College London showed the "lab-on-a-chip" gave comparable results to current tests.

The device is already being used in eight NHS hospitals to quickly identify patients who are carrying the virus.

However, experts warn that the kit will not be a solution to the beleaguered Test and Trace programme.

The device, developed by the company DnaNudge, can be used by anyone capable of taking a swab of the nose or throat.

The swab is placed inside a disposable blue cartridge which contains the chemicals needed for the test.

This in turn is slotted into a shoebox-sized machine to perform the analysis.

The UK has already ordered 5,000 of the Nudgebox machines and 5.8 million of the disposable cartridges.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54190434

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Symptoms that prompted the University of Oxford and partner AstraZeneca Plc to pause trials evaluating their experimental coronavirus vaccine probably weren’t related to the shot itself, according to documents sent to participants.

Safety reviews were carried out when volunteers in the Oxford study developed unexplained neurological symptoms including limb weakness or “changed sensation,” a participant information sheet posted online by Oxford shows.

“After independent review, these illnesses were either considered unlikely to be associated with the vaccine or there was insufficient evidence to say for certain that the illnesses were or were not related to the vaccine,” the letter reads. “In each of these cases, after considering the information, the independent reviewers recommended that vaccinations should continue.”

The details shed more light on an episode reported last week in the U.K. trial and the safety data that triggered the halt. AstraZeneca and Oxford have continued to face questions about the event, and their vaccine study remains on hold in the U.S. pending a regulatory review, federal officials said. It’s the first indication from Oxford as to the nature of the illness, which sparked widespread concerns about vaccine safety.

https://theprint.in/health/astrazeneca-trial-illness-likely-not-linked-to-covid-vaccine-oxford-says/504486/

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The UK today (14th September) announced only 1 death in a hospital setting.  This is the lowest number since the pandemic began.

In all settings the total number of deaths for today was 9.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/

A small clinical study will explore the effects of delivering the vaccines to the airways.

Imperial researchers are set to begin trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of two of the UK’s coronavirus vaccines in development, when inhaled into the lungs.

The clinical team will compare COVID-19 vaccine candidates being developed by both Imperial College London and Oxford University, delivering the vaccines directly to the respiratory tract of human volunteers, by inhalation through the mouth.

The UKRI-NIHR funded research, led by Dr Chris Chiu, head of the Imperial Network for Vaccine Research, aims to assess the safety and efficacy of administering the vaccines as airborne droplets inhaled by a volunteer, rather than an injection into muscle.

The hope is that directly targeting the cells lining the airways – the typical point of infection for respiratory viruses – may induce a more effective immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

This could potentially accelerate the development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 by exploring additional delivery methods and targets.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/203653/landmark-coronavirus-study-trial-inhaled-imperial/

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A new antibody treatment is to be trialled on Covid-19 patients in UK hospitals.

Monoclonal antibodies, which are potent, laboratory-made antibodies, will be given to about 2,000 people to see if they are effective against coronavirus.

It forms part of the UK Recovery Trial, which found that a cheap steroid called dexamethasone could save lives.

The first patients will be given the new drugs in the coming weeks.

Prof Martin Landray from the University of Oxford, who is co-leading the Recovery Trial, said: “This is the first type of treatment that's targeted for this specific virus.

“There are lots of good reasons for thinking it might well be effective - stopping the virus from reproducing, stopping the virus from causing damage, improving survival for patients.

“We need to know, and the way to know is to do the trials that will tell us whether that hope turns into reality.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54120753

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Trials of a Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will resume after being paused due to a reported side effect in a patient in the UK.

On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said the studies were being paused while it investigated whether the adverse reaction was linked with the vaccine.

But on Saturday, the university said it had been deemed safe to continue.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomed the news that the trials would resume.

"This pause shows we will always put safety first. We will back our scientists to deliver an effective vaccine as soon as safely possible," he added.

The university said in a statement that it was "expected" that "some participants will become unwell" in large trials such as this one.

It added that the studies could now resume following the recommendations of an independent safety review committee and the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54132066

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