Powerful New Antibody Neutralizes All Known COVID Variants
Future vaccine development may be inspired by new research findings. Scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital have created an antibody, SP1-77, that successfully neutralizes all tested…
Boston Children’s Hospital News
Catching COVID in the Past Won’t Protect You Against Omicron
However, a study of neutralizing antibodies reveals that vaccinations are protective. Children who previously had COVID-19 (or the inflammatory condition Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children)…
The Origins of Our Blood May Not Be What We Thought
Groundbreaking New Research Upends Understanding of How Blood Is Formed ‘Barcoding’ studies discovered two independent sources for blood cells in mice. If confirmed in humans,…
Why the 100-Year-Old BCG Tuberculosis Vaccine Is So Broadly Protective Against Infections in Newborns
Researchers discover changes in metabolite and lipid profiles, providing clues for designing future vaccines for newborns. The century-old Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine against tuberculosis is…
Why the COVID-19 Delta Variant Spreads So Easily and Infects People So Quickly
Findings have implications for next-generation COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has swept the globe, becoming the dominant variant within just a…
New Nanobody COVID Vaccine Design Is Easier To Make, Doesn’t Need Cold Storage
Protein-based vaccine elicits strong immune responses in mice; approach could be used for other diseases. Currently available COVID vaccines require cold storage and sophisticated manufacturing…
Bio-Inspired Slow-Release System: Mimicking Nature To Provide Long-Lasting Local Anesthesia
Bio-inspired slow-release system for site 1 sodium channel blockers mimics the anesthetics’ natural receptors in the body. Site 1 sodium channel blockers such as tetrodotoxin…
Structural Changes Identified in COVID Alpha and Beta Variants – Suggests Need for Updated Vaccine Booster
Changes to the ‘spike’ protein explain Alpha variant’s faster spread, and how Beta evades immune responses, suggesting the need for a booster with an updated…
Genetic Mutation Reveals Surprising Role of Bioelectricity in Early Brain Formation
A mutation in four children with polymicrogyria illuminates the role of bioelectricity in early brain development. In polymicrogyria, the cortex of the brain has many…
Sturdier Coronavirus Spike Protein Explains Faster Spread of COVID Variants From UK, South Africa, and Brazil
Cryo-EM study show how structural alterations in G614 variants stabilize the spike. The fast-spreading UK, South Africa, and Brazil coronavirus variants are raising both concerns…
New Technique to Monitor Pressure in the Brain Is Much Less Invasive
New technique could help doctors determine whether patients are at risk from elevated pressure. Traumatic brain injuries, as well as infectious diseases such as meningitis,…
International Team of Scientists Reveal a New Type of Botox
A new source of the botulinum neurotoxin was discovered by Canadian and American scientists in a strain of animal gut bacteria known as Enterococcus faecium….
Researchers Reverse Diabetes in a Mouse Model Using Modified Stem Cells
Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital have successfully reversed type 1 diabetes in a mouse model by infusing blood stem cells pre-treated to produce more of…
Researchers Generate Blood-Forming Stem Cells in the Lab Using Pluripotent Stem Cells
For the first time, researchers have generated blood-forming stem cells in the lab using pluripotent stem cells, which can make virtually every cell type in…
Stem Cell Researchers Use iPS Cells to Find Drugs For Rare Blood Disorder
For the first time, a team of researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Stem Cell Research Program were able to use patients’ own cells to create…
Engineers Develop Soft Robotic Sleeve to Help the Heart Beat
A team of researchers from Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital has developed a customizable soft robot that fits around the heart and helps it…
A Light-Reflecting Balloon Catheter Repairs the Heart Without Surgery
Using a catheter aided by UV light, researchers have developed a new technique to repair holes in the heart without surgery. Harvard-affiliated researchers have designed…
New System Converts MRI Scans into 3D-Printed Heart Models for Surgical Planning
Engineers and computer scientists at MIT and Boston Children’s Hospital have developed a new system that can convert MRI scans of a patient’s heart into…