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CARB-X awards funding for rapid testing of sexually transmitted infections
CARB-X announced today that it is providing up to $ 3.6 million in funding to Novel Microdevices, Inc. of Baltimore to develop a rapid, portable molecular diagnostic test for sexually transmitted bacterial infections.
Novel’s rapid point-of-care test, which is in early stages of development, would diagnose Neisseria gonorrhea or Chlamydia trachomatis infections within 25 minutes from a vaginal swab or urine sample, and detect genetic mutations that indicate resistance to antibiotics. The lightweight, battery-powered device is particularly suitable for low-resource healthcare environments.
The device will be eligible for an additional $ 10.2 million from CARB-X (the biopharmaceutical accelerator for combating antibiotic resistant bacteria) if certain project milestones are met.
“Novel’s technology is in the early stages of development and, if successful, could be used around the world to help healthcare providers diagnose gonorrhea, including markers of resistance, faster, improving thus making treatment decisions and mitigating the devastating effects of these diseases, ”said Erin Duffy, PhD, head of research and development for CARB-X, in a press release.
Drug resistant gonorrhea has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a high priority pathogen.
April 6 CARB-X press release
Four more Ebola cases reported during outbreak in Guinea
Four more cases were reported in the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, bringing the total to 23, the WHO African regional office said today on Twitter.
On April 1, the country confirmed a new case after reporting no new infections in the outbreak since March 4. Media reported that last week’s case was discovered amid a cluster of suspicious deaths in the area and that sick people had fled the area. .
Today’s WHO update also reports 3 more deaths, bringing the death toll to 12.
April 6 WHO Regional Office for Africa Tweeter
April 2 Analysis of CIDRAP news
As part of another Ebola development, Bavarian Nordic today announced that it has received a new supply order from Janssen valued at $ 28 million to manufacture and deliver in bulk MVA-BN Filo, the Leading Ebola vaccine licensed to Janssen.
The vaccine was developed during the massive outbreak in West Africa and has been tested in Europe and Africa. The European Commission approved the vaccine in 2020, and the WHO is evaluating the vaccine for prequalification, which would allow wider deployment in African countries at risk.
Bulk production will begin in May, with delivery expected in the second half of 2021.
April 6 Nordic Bavarian Press Release
Study Shows HPV Vaccine Exposure During Pregnancy Is Safe
New data from women who received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine inadvertently in early pregnancy shows that the vaccine did not cause miscarriages or an unfavorable birth outcome, study finds published yesterday in JAMA network open.
HPV vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy, but safety data is limited in case of accidental exposure.
To conduct the study, U.S. researchers looked at women exposed to the vaccine from 12 months before the last menstrual period before conception to 20 weeks gestation at seven Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) sites across the country. A total of 1493 pregnancies were included.
Neither nine-valent (9v or nine strains) nor quadrivalent (four strains) HPV vaccines were associated with an increased risk of miscarriage or preterm delivery. HPV vaccine exposures during pregnancy (relative risk [RR], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-2.20), peri-pregnancy (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.65-1.88) and during pregnancy or peri-pregnancy (RR, 1.18; 95% CI 0.75-1.85) were not associated with short stature for gestational age at birth either, the authors wrote.
“We believe this research supports the current recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that the 9vHPV vaccine, although not recommended for use during pregnancy, can be given to women of childbearing potential without routine pregnancy tests. “, concluded the authors.
5 Apr JAMA Netw Open study
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