Ashraf Ibrahim, PhD, an investigator at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for more than 33 years, and Assistant Research Scientist, Yiyou Gu, PhD, at TLI for more than eight years, have been conducting research using monoclonal antibodies to address mucormycosis, a fungal infection caused by Mucorales, has high mortality rates in people with weakened immune systems and those suffering from severe trauma like burns, blast injuries or victims of natural disasters. The disease caused serious infection among COVID-19 patients treated with high doses of corticosteroids with mortality rates close to 60 percent. In the United States, there are approximately 4,000 cases per year with a rate of 200,000 in Southeast Asia where the disease is endemic to India. While vaccines and immunotherapies are available for viruses and bacteria, effective antifungal immunotherapies for mucormycosis, specifically, are lacking.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for effective antiviral therapies that go beyond prevention. In a recent study, researchers from Japan used computational methods to screen natural compounds for their ability to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. They identified 11 promising candidates, including caffeine, which exhibited strong binding affinity and stability. Their findings highlight the potential of natural products as antiviral drugs and pave the way for the development of therapeutics and further experimental validation.

People who later experienced persistent shortness of breath or fatigue after a SARS-CoV-2 infection were already taking significantly fewer steps per day and had a higher resting heart rate before contracting the virus, according to a study by the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) published in npj Digital Medicine. This may indicate lower fitness levels or pre-existing conditions as potential risk factors.

Arnold School researchers associated with the South Carolina Smart State Center for Healthcare Quality have published new research in the Annals of Epidemiology regarding the impact of COVID-19 infections on women who were pregnant before and during the pandemic. Led by Maria Sevoyan, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, the team found that mothers who became pregnant after the start of the pandemic, those who experienced moderate-to-severe infections during pregnancy, and those who had infections during the third trimester were more likely to have adverse outcomes (e.g., low birth weight, preterm birth, NICU admission).

Frequent mutations of SARS-CoV-2 have reduced the effectiveness of vaccines, highlighting the need for mutation-resistant treatments. In a collaborative study, researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan developed CeSPIACE, a peptide inhibitor that blocks the virus from binding to host cell receptors. Unlike some existing treatments, CeSPIACE works against many variants, including those from the original strain to Omicron XBB.1.5. This breakthrough could help prevent and treat COVID-19.