Today the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced an award of $5 million funding award to Ethris a German biotechnology firm working on next-generation RNA vaccines.  The award will help Ethris develop spray-dried RNA vaccines that remain stable at room temperature and are suitable for nasal delivery, CEPI said in a press release The vaccines would use spray-drying technology—the same as used in asthma inhalers—that rapidly dries liquid with hot gas to form stable powders for respiratory delivery via the nose CEPI said the nasal administration could help to achieve mucosal immunity Spray-drying for RNA-based vaccines could make them more practical and accessible similar to the established standards in respiratory medicine "Spray-drying for RNA-based vaccines could make them more practical and accessible similar to the established standards in respiratory medicine," said Christian Plank we aim to demonstrate the feasibility of spray-drying for RNA formulations enabling vaccines to remain stable at room temperature while allowing for simpler this approach has the potential to transform vaccine delivery and accessibility on a global scale." spray-dry vaccines would eliminate the need for cold-chain storage a logistical problem in many low-resource countries Both mRNA vaccines used for COVID-19 require cold storage across the supply chain.  this method would enhance access to RNA-based vaccines by increasing their thermostability and offering an alternative for individuals with needle phobia," said Raafat Fahim the interim executive director of manufacturing and supply chain at CEPI.  Two more illnesses have been reported in Uganda's Ebola Sudan outbreak, raising the outbreak total to nine, according to a weekly infectious disease update from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) The agency based its numbers on information from Uganda's health ministry.  putting the case-fatality rate at 11.1% Uganda is battling its first Ebola Sudan outbreak since 2022 with clusters reported in the family of the index patient—a male nurse who died in the middle of January—and another connected to a healthcare facility.  The first patient's symptoms began on January 19 The man had visited a traditional healer and three separate health clinics before he died in Kampala all factors that pose a risk of further spread China has reported two more H9N2 avian flu infections in humans, both of them patients from Hunan province in the southern part of the country, according to a weekly avian flu update today from the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) One of the patients is a 2-year-old boy whose symptoms began on December 27 which would raise the total for 2024 to 18 The second patient is a 15-year-old boy whose symptoms began on January 8 which would mark the first H9N2 case of the new year The CHP report didn't say how the patients were exposed to the virus though H9N2 infections are sporadically reported in people who have contact with poultry H9N2 is known to circulate in poultry across parts of Asia Illnesses in people are often mild and reported in children People with weakened immune systems—most of whom were vaccinated—made up 4% of a random sample of more than 12 million people in England in 2023 yet represented 22% of both COVID-19 hospital admissions and deaths, according to new findings from the INvestigation oF cOvid-19 Risk among iMmunocompromised populations (INFORM) study.  European researchers and representatives from the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca conducted a retrospective study using the electronic health records of participants aged 12 years and older from a random 25% sample of the English population from January to December 2023 The results were published in the Journal of Infection 11,200 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 2,330 deaths occurred in the study sample Immunocompromised participants accounted for 4.0% of 12.1 million people included in the sample but made up 21.7% and 21.9% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths Beyond three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, immunocompromised individuals remain disproportionately impacted from COVID-19 despite increased vaccination The risk of severe COVID-19 was higher among immunocompromised than otherwise healthy people (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] for hospitalization Immunocompromised participants were more likely to have received at least four doses of COVID-19 vaccine than their non-immunocompromised peers (72.6% vs The aIRRs for COVID-related consultations with a general practitioner and accident and emergency visits were 2.26 and 3.02 for immunocompromised and non-immunocompromised people the risk of COVID-19 hospital admission was highest for recipients of a stem cell transplant in the 2 years before infection (aIRR followed by those who had a solid organ transplant in the 5 years before infection (aIRR Other groups with a threefold or higher risk than those without the immune-weakening condition included those with primary immunodeficiency "Beyond three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, immunocompromised individuals remain disproportionately impacted from COVID-19 despite increased vaccination," the authors wrote "These findings highlight a persistent need for additional COVID-19 interventions for immunocompromised populations." CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) today announced an award of $1 million to Pearl Diagnostics to develop a low-cost rapid test to diagnose pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa from urine samples The award from the latest round of CARB-X funding will help the company evaluate the potential of a prototype assay that can detect microbial extracellular vesicles excreted in urine by organisms in the lungs Pearl has used the technology to develop a urine test that can detect lower respiratory tract infections caused by Aspergillus fungi Pneumonia is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide particularly in people with compromised immune systems non-invasive diagnostics for detecting the causative pathogen in pneumonia patients frequently leads to overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics CARB-X officials say early detection of pneumonia caused by P aeruginosa which has developed resistance to several classes of antibiotics and frequently causes hospital-acquired and community-associated infections in immunocompromised people could help clinicians quickly target appropriate antibiotic treatment "Pearl Diagnostics' innovative prototype assay has the potential to offer a groundbreaking approach to early, accurate, and non-invasive diagnosis of lower-respiratory-tract infections," CARB-X research and development chief Erin Duffy, PhD, said in a CARB-X press release "The ability to detect such infections through urine especially for patients with compromised immune systems could significantly shift the way we diagnose and manage these multidrug-resistant infections enabling more targeted treatments and better patient outcomes." "Pearl Diagnostics' Smart Antibody technology represents a paradigm shift in diagnosing lung infections," said Pearl Diagnostics CEO DeWayne Davenport. "We're excited about the potential impact our Pseudomonas aeruginosa test will have on patient outcomes and healthcare globally." Demonstrating proof of concept for diagnosing lower respiratory tract infections from novel sample types is one of the distinct product themes in CARB-X's 2024 funding round CARB-X has funded 113 early-stage projects designed to prevent Global Virus Network scientists highlight the need for robust surveillance and readiness for potential human-to-human viral transmission only the severe infections continued to cause symptoms.  Almost 90% of the European cases were reported in Romania The Wall Street Journal reports the Trump administration is investing $500 million in the universal vaccine project There are currently 59 herds quarantined in 4 Idaho counties The CDC today addressed what's known about treatments pushed by Kennedy urging caution about vitamin A use and citing individual decision-making by heath providers for others Yet uptake of the vaccine was extremely low—less than 4% through November 2024 Today Novavax weighed in on the FDA's latest stipulations noting that postmarketing commitments aren't unusual and are in place for many approved drugs and biologics 44% of respondents said the new leaders will make them trust their health recommendations less than they used to and Ohio notes an infection in an unvaccinated adult CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research & PolicyResearch and Innovation Office Email us © 2025 Regents of the University of Minnesota All rights Reserved.The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer Research and Innovation Office |   Contact U of M  |  Privacy Policy Newsletter subscribe Learn about the best filament dryer and dry boxes to DIY or buy but you also need good agronomic practices.” Globally, Odjo pointed out, one third of agricultural production is lost in the postharvest phase. In tropical Mexico, postharvest losses among smallholder maize farmers can reach up to 40% As the recently published findings of a two-year-long research project led by CIMMYT researchers show which was conducted in 2017 and 2018 across dozens of sites in Mexico representing a broad range of altitudes and ecologies tested multiple storage technologies to determine which are most effective at avoiding postharvest losses using real-world smallholder practices and regardless of climatic and environmental factors Researchers compared storage outcomes using conventional methods such as storing untreated maize in 50 kg polypropylene bags, storing maize in polypropylene bags and treating it with one of various agents — including aluminum phosphide, deodorized malathion or inert dusts — and hermetic storage options such as hermetic metal silos, two types of GrainPro hermetic plastic bags and low-cost alternatives like plastic bottles and silage bags they found that loss outcomes were highly variable for conventionally stored maize While untreated grain stored in polypropylene bags in temperate conditions at Texcoco only exhibited only 2.2% insect-damaged maize grain treated with aluminum phosphide and stored in conventional bags in tropical conditions at Cotzocón suffered 46.3% insect damage maize stored in low-cost hermetic alternatives such as plastic bottles and silage bags exhibited a maximum of 1.2% insect-damaged grain across all sites Hermetic metal silos and GrainPro bags performed similarly well across climates The percentage of insect-damaged grain for maize stored in hermetic metal silos at Zacaultipán was 13.5% Maize stored in GrainPro bags at this site suffered 8.1% insect damage silos occasionally did not meet the national standard and had to retrofitted to ensure hermeticity as the example of Zacaultipán demonstrated poor pre-storage processing of grain can compromise the effectiveness of hermetic storage technologies Over the course of carrying out the experiment the researchers discovered other challenges as is often true among smallholders globally women are largely in charge of postharvest activities “But we noticed that it was largely men who showed up to the trainings,” Odjo said Researchers had to think of strategies—from being more careful about meeting timings to enlisting the support of local women leaders—to ensure that the trainings were reaching the women who actually carry out this work resolving these kinds of implementation and advocacy challenges—from ensuring adequate training and familiarity with the technologies on the ground to encouraging public and private sector partners to make the technologies more broadly available—is the next step for the project “The less complex part of this work is the technical part,” he said “Our job now at CIMMYT is to bring these innovations to farmers… We need to get all the relevant stakeholders involved in the game.” The project was carried out in partnership with the Mexican government via MasAgro, and received funding from the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) Its implementation involved collaboration with dozens of local partners throughout Mexico and was carried out in response to the suggestions of smallholder farmers Read the full paper: Hermetic storage technologies reduce maize pest damage in smallholder farming systems in Mexico This story was originally published on the MAIZE website Cover image: Evaluating grain quality after six months of storage in Venustiano Carranza As part of the efforts of the Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture program aimed at improving food security based on maize landraces in marginal areas of the state of Oaxaca Agriculture in Mexico has not stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic A new study tests a stepping-stone for small-scale precision agriculture fertilizer application.