Research News
NEIDL Researcher Wins a 2024 Kilachand Fund Award
What if we could find a way to bring mRNA vaccines and antibodies together, so each retains their benefits while reducing their limitations? A new Boston University project aims to do just that. More
A New Type of RNA Could Revolutionize Vaccines and Cancer Treatments
An accidental discovery turned into an unexpected success, when a team of interdisciplinary BU researchers created a new and improved COVID vaccine. More
Modified Self-Amplifying RNA Provides Opportunities For New Vaccines And Treatments
A paper published on July 8, 2024 in the journal Nature Biotechnology presents promising data that offers a foundation for developing future vaccines and treatments. More
Is COVID-19 Still a Pandemic?
The Brink asked three Boston University researchers—a virologist, an epidemiologist, and an emergency room physician—to explain the shifting status of COVID, how to decide when a virus has gone from a pandemic to endemic, how much people should protect themselves and others, and why language matters. More
Novel compound protects against infection by virus that causes COVID-19, preliminary studies show.
Compounds that obstruct the “landing gear” of a range of harmful viruses can successfully protect against infection by the virus that causes COVID-19 finds a new study from NEIDL researchers and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. More
BU Researchers Join $100 Million Effort to Fight Future Deadly Pathogens
Original article from The Brink by Andrew Thurston. February 17, 2023 Scientists from NEIDL and medical and dental schools part of Howard Hughes Medical Institute push to get ahead of pandemics like COVID-19 The next pandemic could already be lurking somewhere, and scientists want to make sure the world is ready when it springs. More
Lab-leak fears are putting virologists under scrutiny
Original article from the Washington Post by Joel Achenbach. January 18, 2023 BOSTON — The experiment probed a coronavirus mystery: Why is the omicron variant apparently less deadly than the original Wuhan strain? The researchers at Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratories (the NEIDL, pronounced like “the needle”) created a new... More
Coronavirus ‘chimera’ made in lab shows what makes omicron seemingly less deadly
Original article from the Washington Post by Joel Achenbach. January 11, 2023 A controversial coronavirus experiment at Boston University has identified a mutation in the omicron variant that might help explain why it doesn't appear to be as likely to sicken or kill as the original strain that emerged in China. The finding... More
NEIDL Researchers Discover New SARS-CoV-2 Weak Spot—Which Could Inspire Improved Vaccines
Original article from The Brink by The Brink Staff. January 11, 2023 Nature publishes BU-led COVID study that made international headlines; scientists find viral protein called NSP6, not just spike, responsible for making Omicron less dangerous than past variants After three years of infections, lockdowns, and vaccinations, we know a lot about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19—but... More
BU Responds to NIH Funding Clarification Request after False Stories about NEIDL’s COVID Work
Original article from The Brink by The Brink Staff. November 4, 2022 Confirms University did fund headline-making study and that researchers will update paper citations Boston University has responded to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) request for more information about how researchers cited funding in a COVID-19 study paper that sparked international... More