No trace of mRNA vaccine found in breast milk; Gene found that helps identify early stage COVID-19

July 19 (Reuters) – Here is a summary of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

No trace of vaccine mRNA in breast milk

No trace of mRNA vaccines are found in breast milk, suggests a small study. Pfizer / BioNTech (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccines provide a synthetic version of messenger RNA molecules, designed to instruct cells to build replicas of the coronavirus spike protein. The immune system then learns to recognize the peak and make antibodies to attack it, while the messenger RNA quickly breaks down into inert chunks. Although these beneficial antibodies can pass from mothers to infants via breast milk, the milk does not contain the mRNA itself, researchers found in their analyzes of 13 breast milk samples from seven vaccinated women. The World Health Organization recommends that breastfeeding mothers be vaccinated against COVID-19 and does not advise stopping breastfeeding afterwards. Many mothers have refused vaccination or stopped breastfeeding for fear that the vaccine could affect breast milk. Writing in JAMA Pediatrics, the authors of the new study said more data is needed to better estimate the effect of vaccines on breastfeeding. But the new findings “reinforce current recommendations that mRNA vaccines are safe during lactation and that breastfeeding people who receive the COVID vaccine should not stop breastfeeding,” said co-author Dr Stephanie Gaw from the University of California at San Francisco, in a statement.

Researchers discover gene that helps identify cases of COVID-19

A gene called IFI27 that turns on early in COVID-19, even without symptoms, could help identify people most likely to have contracted the virus after coming into contact with an infected person, the people said. researchers. Four hundred British healthcare workers filled out weekly questionnaires on symptoms of COVID-19 and provided blood samples and nasal swabs for PCR testing for six months. In 41 workers diagnosed with COVID-19, the IFI27 genes were “turned on” at the time of their first positive PCR test, even in asymptomatic individuals, according to a report published in The Lancet Microbe. In some cases, IFI27 could predict infection a week before a positive PCR test, said co-author Joshua Rosenheim of University College London. Overall, IFI27 testing correctly identified 84% of COVID-19 cases and correctly excluded it in 95% of uninfected participants. Blood biomarkers like IFI27 can signal other viruses as well, so PCR remains the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. “However, blood biomarker testing is still helpful,” Rosenheim said. “IFI27 predicted infection despite having no symptoms in the person and often before a positive PCR test, so it could be used in contact tracing. The IFI27 tests in people who have recently come into contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient could allow for earlier diagnosis and treatment and “could even allow us to recommend self-isolation in a more targeted manner.”

Intranasal vaccine aims to block virus at point of entry

An experimental intranasal COVID-19 vaccine currently being tested for the first time in humans has shown promising results in monkeys, researchers will report Thursday at ASV 2021, the annual meeting of the American Society of Virology. The protection provided to primates by a single dose of Meissa Vaccines’ vaccine was equivalent to the protection provided by currently licensed vaccines, according to a press release from the company. Like injected vaccines, the intranasal vaccine, which is given as a drop or spray into the nose, stimulates the body to make antibodies that circulate in the blood. But the intranasal vaccine also stimulates the production of antibodies on the mucous surfaces that line the airways, where the virus first comes into contact and enters the body, the research team reported in an article seen by Reuters and submitted for publication prior to peer review on the bioRxiv preprint server. The human pilot study, which began in March, is expected to recruit 130 volunteers to assess the safety, tolerability and effects on the immune system of various doses of the vaccine. Once it selects a safe dose that is likely to be the most effective against the virus, the company will need to conduct larger and more rigorous trials. “We believe Meissa’s intranasal COVID-19 vaccine has the potential to be an important part of the final solution to contain SARS-CoV-2,” Roderick Tang, Scientific Director of Meissa Vaccines, said in a statement.

Click for a Reuters graphic on vaccines in development.

Reporting by Nancy Lapid and Megan Brooks; Editing by Bill Berkrot

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