Research Roundup: Science to Celebrate
Need some hopeful news? This recent research could lead to real-world solutions.
An omicron-specific vaccine is coming
All those boosters we’ve been getting are for the original COVID-19 variant. Since the virus has mutated significantly since 2020, the boosters aren’t all that effective anymore. Moderna is in clinical trials on a new, omicron-specific vaccine. Early evidence shows that the vaccine increases antibodies eight-fold, strengthening people’s ability to fight off COVID, and the immune response is longer-lasting. The new vaccine is expected to be available in late summer or fall. That could make the holidays a lot merrier and brighter. See this story: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/us/politics/moderna-vaccine-booster-omicron-variant.html
Dogs are more accurate than COVID tests
Dogs do even better than PCR tests at detecting asymptomatic carriers of COVID19. They’re way more accurate than antigen tests, and much cuter than a swab up the nose. Using sweat samples, trained dogs found 97% of the COVID cases identified by PCR tests, researchers reported. And the dogs found every single COVID case among people who tested positive but didn’t have symptoms. They also identified more COVID cases than home antigen tests. They could even identify people with COVID up to 48 hours before people tested positive by PCR test. The dogs were not harmed. See this story: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-dog-detection-pcr-test-screening-coronavirus
Shortening “forever” for terrible toxins
PFAS chemicals are often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally; once they are released, they are typically in the environment forever. These compounds are highly toxic and carcinogenic. But a new study found that just three ingredients can break down nearly all the PFAS in a liquid within hours. The ingredients are ultraviolet radiation, iodide (often added to table salt), and sulfite (a common food preservative). This means that “forever chemicals” might not really be with us forever—an environmental second chance. See this story: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/pfas-forever-chemicals-uv-iodide-perfluoroalkyl-polyfluoroalkyl-sulfite
Scientists found how to make leukemia cells harmless
By changing the epigenetic markers of messenger RNA, researchers in Barcelona, Spain were able to turn leukemia cells into normal cells in the laboratory. Since a drug already exists that targets those epigenetic markers, clinical trials could begin soon. See the study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-022-01621-1
Drumming improves symptoms in autistic adolescents
Researchers found that drumming for 90 minutes a week improved symptoms in adolescents with autism in as little as eight weeks. Scientists detected positive changes in brain function in the centers that control self-regulation and motor impulsivity. Drumming helped teens delay the onset of dysfunctional motor responses and reduced their hyperactivity and attentional symptoms. See the research paper here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2106244119