NEIDL in the News
What Sets Off Deadly Levels of Lung Inflammation in Some COVID-19 Patients? (Video)
Original article from The Brink by Kat J. McAlpine & Carlos Soler. September 8, 2020 A team of infectious disease and regenerative medicine researchers at Boston University, studying human stem cell–derived lung tissue infected with SARS-CoV-2, are discovering new insights into how the novel coronavirus kicks off a cascade of tissue... More
BU lab using microscopic ‘lungs’ to study COVID-19 (Video)
Original article from Boston 25 News by Jim Morelli. August 5, 2020 Scientists sometimes use human lung cancer cells in medical research. But there's just one problem with that, said virologist Elke Muhlberger, PhD. “These cancer cells do not act like lung cells,” she said. “They act like cancer cells.” For her research... More
The new rules for packing a bag during the pandemic
Original article from Science News by Natalie B. Compton. August 3, 2020 Before the pandemic, packing for a flight had a lot to do with your travel style and destination. A carry-on bag for a beach vacation might include a sun hat and a beach read. You could count on business... More
A popular heartburn medicine doesn’t work as a COVID-19 antiviral
Original article from Science News by Tina Hesman Saey. July 27, 2020 An over-the-counter heartburn remedy probably won’t directly stop coronavirus infections, a new study suggests. Anecdotal reports from China suggested people hospitalized with COVID-19 who were taking famotidine (sold under the brand name Pepcid) had better outcomes than people who took... More
The Long Game of Coronavirus Research
Original article from The New Yorker by Jerome Groopman. July 23, 2020 Last month, Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke at a biotech conference, where he emphasized how much is still unknown about the coronavirus. “I thought H.I.V. was a complicated disease,” he... More
Q&A: Pandemic Expert on Ohio Valley Mask Orders, School Reopening
Original article from Ohio Valley ReSource by Sydney Boles. July 19, 2020 Dr. Gerald Keusch is a professor of medicine and international health at Boston University, and the director of the Collaborative Research Core at BU’s National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory. He answered your questions back in April, and joined us... More
Experts: Dr. Fauci’s record is stellar, sidelining him would be a mistake
Original article from The Boston Globe by Martin Finucane. July 13, 2020 Experts in Boston’s medical and public health community say Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, has a sterling reputation, and expressed faith in his work even as the White House appears to be trying to undercut... More
Laboratory-grown lungs simulate coronavirus infection
Original article from ABC News by Dr. Stephanie E. Farber. June 13, 2020 Previous reports have suggested that the lungs are the part of the respiratory system most severely impacted by COVID-19 infection. In Boston, scientists at the National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory have artificially created a lab-grown replica of the... More
Heart conditions drove spike in deaths beyond those attributed to covid-19, analysis shows
Original article from The Washington Post by Reis Thebault, Lenny Bernstein, Andrew Ba Tran, and Youjin Shin. July 2, 2020 The coronavirus killed tens of thousands in the United States during the pandemic’s first months, but it also left a lesser-known toll: thousands more deaths than would have been expected from... More
N.J. Gov. says U.S. needs national pandemic strategy with masks “at the core” (Video)
Original article from NBC News by Ben Kamisar. July 5, 2020 WASHINGTON — Two governors from opposite parties issued warnings Sunday to Americans celebrating the Independence Day holiday as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the country, stressing the importance of wearing masks to curb the spread. In an interview with... More
Ticks and Mosquitoes, Infectious Disease Carriers, Are Expanding Their Range
Original article from The Brink by Jessica Colarossi. June 16, 2020 As the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus continues on—with cases on the rise in some countries and US states—the world also just experienced the hottest month of May ever recorded, and atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide reached unmatched heights... More
Tiny, Decoy “Sponges” Attract Coronavirus Away from Lung Cells
Original article from The Brink by Kat J. McAlpine. June 18, 2020 Imagine if scientists could stop the coronavirus infection in its tracks simply by diverting its attention away from living lung cells? A new therapeutic countermeasure, announced in a Nano Letters study by researchers from Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious... More
Lighting firm Signify says UV light breaks down Coronavirus particles in seconds
Original article from CNBC by Sam Shead. June 17, 2020 Lighting firm Signify says one of its ultraviolet lights can “degrade” the coronavirus in a matter of seconds. The world’s biggest lighting maker tested its latest technology with researchers at Boston University and found that the exposure of the virus to UV... More
Signify: UV Light Could Be Gamechanger in Virus Fight
Original article from Bloomberg. June 17, 2020 Signify's new UV-C technology has been validated through tests by the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Boston University, says Signify chief executive Eric Rondolat. Rondolat tells Daybreak Europe's Caroline Hepker and Roger Hearing that while UV light is not curative, it can clean... More
Events Like Trump Rally Are ‘Perfect Storm’ for Viral Spread, Experts Say
Original article from The New York Times by Pam Belluck. June 14, 2020 Social gatherings and campaign rallies like those planned by President Trump could spread infections this summer. People should wear masks and continue social distancing, public health researchers say. The coronavirus won’t be loosening its grip on the United States... More
WHO backs off claim that people without virus symptoms aren’t transmission risk
Original article from Politico by Brianna Ehley. June 9, 2020 The World Health Organization has walked back a top official’s claim that asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is “very rare” after it sparked controversy and confusion worldwide. The remarks Monday by epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove — the WHO’s technical lead on the pandemic... More
Lab-grown mini-lungs could reveal why covid-19 kills
Original article from MIT Technology Review by Antonio Regalado. June 9, 2020 Inside the biosafety level 4 lab at the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) in Boston, researchers wear three sets of gloves and breathe air piped into moon suits through snaking tubes. Before them, under a plastic shield, are... More
An Infectious Disease Expert’s Perspective As Mass. Enters Phase Two Of Reopening
Original article from WBUR by Bob Oakes. June 8, 2020 Life in Massachusetts starts to look a little more normal today. For the first time in three months, shops and other businesses can open their doors to customers, restaurants can reopen for outside seating only, and playgrounds will open for children. But... More
In It Together: Interview with Dr. Davey
Original article from WGBH by Arun Rath. June 2, 2020 Host Arun Rath spoke with Dr. Chris Gill from Boston University's School of Public Health about weighing risk when it comes to transmission of the coronavirus and resuming daily activities. The conversation is held in the context of recent protests across... More
Scientists put survivors’ blood plasma to the test
Original article from Science Magazine by Kai Kupferschmidt. May 29, 2020 On 13 March, with the COVID-19 pandemic exploding and drugs elusive, Arturo Casadevall published what he considers “maybe the most important paper” of his long career. In The Journal of Clinical Investigation, the infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University... More