Category: Infectious Diseases
Phase 3 Data Show Monoclonal Antibodies Provide long-term Protection Against COVID-19
A single dose of REGEN-COV, a combination monoclonal antibody therapy, reduced the risk of COVID-19 by 81.6% several months after a single dose. UNC School of Medicine’s Myron Cohen, MD, leads monoclonal antibody research efforts as part of the NIH-sponsored COVID Prevention Network. Myron Cohen, MD Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced additional positive results from a phas … Read more
Newsworthy from the Department of Medicine, Week of November 5 – 11
The below clickable headlines link directly to outside media outlets and feature Department of Medicine faculty during the past week, starting Friday, November 5, 2021. Laura Young, MD COVID-19 treatments are not vaccine replacements. Here’s why – Dr. David Wohl (ArcaMax Publishing) Is Type 2 Diabetes Ready for CGM? – Dr. Laura Young (The Journal of Healthcare Contracting) 10 gas … Read more
Newsworthy from the Department of Medicine, Week of October 29 – November 4
The below clickable headlines link directly to outside media outlets and feature UNC Department of Medicine faculty, starting Friday, November 4, 2021. Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS What every parent should know about Halloween safety | Four 2 Five – Dr. Emily Sickbert-Bennett (MSN.com) Food Allergy Families Seek Out Hard-to-Find Immunotherapy – Dr. Edwin Kim (WebMD) Pandemic-r … Read more
Carolina Research Leads to Effective Experimental Pill to Treat COVID-19
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research set the stage to seek emergency authorization of the first oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19, a pill developed by the pharmaceutical companies Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. William Fischer, MD, at the UNC School of Medicine led pivotal clinical trials on the drug molnupiravir. William Fischer, MD Scientists at the Un … Read more
Department of Medicine Grants & Funding: September 1 – September 30, 2021
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Andrea Azcarate-Peril, PhD, received an NC TraCS pilot grant award. Division of Geriatric Medicine Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, received an NC TraCS pilot grant award. UNC’s Center for Aging and Health received a two-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services grant (with University o … Read more
6 Bedtower Earns Gold Beacon of Excellence
Turkeisha Brown The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has awarded 6 Bedtower (6BT) a gold-level “Beacon Award for Excellence” at UNC Medical Center. The Beacon application unfolds a story of a nursing unit’s continuous pursuit of excellence and often tells a story of resilience. Patient Services Manager Turkeisha Brown, MSN, RN, NE-BC, says the three-year recogn … Read more
Medicine Researchers Receive NC TraCS Pilot Grant Awards
NC TraCS recently announced the recipients of new pilot grant awards, and five recipients are from the Department of Medicine. Following is a list of the recipients and their project titles. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, PhD (Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology) Project Title: Safety, Tolerability, and Biosignature of Humanized Prebiotics in Healthy Adults J … Read more
Researchers Seek Suggestions for Improving HIV Research Participation Among Youth in Low and Middle-Income Countries
Credit: VOICE Open Call There are many social, ethical, and legal challenges associated with obtaining consent for young people to participate in HIV research studies. As a result, youth are often excluded from HIV research, resulting in data gaps. Suzanne Day, PhD, MA, and Joe Tucker, MD, from the division of infectious diseases, are seeking to address this gap and encourage par … Read more
Parr, Senior Author of Study That Shows Plasmodium Falciparum Evolving to Escape Malaria Rapid Diagnostics in Africa
Jonathan Parr, MD A major tool against malaria in Africa has been the use of rapid diagnostic tests, which have been part of the “test-treat-track” strategy in Ethiopia, the second most-populated country in Africa. But researchers studying blood samples from more than 12,000 individuals in Ethiopia now estimate these tests missed nearly 10% of malaria cases caused by the parasite … Read more
Weber Study of UV Disinfection Technologies Referenced in Market Research News
David Weber, MD, MPH A study by David Weber, MD, MPH, which offers key insights on UV disinfection technologies, was referenced in a press release that recognizes the global UV disinfection equipment market is expected to reach $6.73 billion by 2025. Weber’s study considered the specifics of manual cleaning, disinfection, and polychromatic actions. Weber is professor of medicine … Read more
COVID Vaccine Updates Feature David Wohl
David Wohl, MD David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, was featured in a number of COVID-19 articles the week of September 10-15. NC Reacts to COVID Vaccine Order – News & Observer (September 11, 2021) As political, medical and business leaders in North Carolina show mixed reactions to President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 mandate, David Woh … Read more
Durham School Board Will Collect Vaccination Data Before Deciding Whether to Mandate Vaccines for its Employees
David Weber, MD, MPH Indyweek covered a recent Durham public school board meeting designed to weigh the pros and cons of requiring mandatory COVID vaccine shots for teachers and staff. The board members opted to develop a plan of action based on data that will indicate what percentage of school employees have already received the vaccine. David Weber, MD, MPH, professor of medici … Read more