Thursday 20th August 2015- BBC News: Vaccine for Mers coronavirus ‘looks promising’

‘A prototype vaccine against the lung infection Mers coronavirus has shown promising results, scientists say.

The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests the vaccine guards against the disease in monkeys and camels.

Researchers hope with more work it could be turned into a jab for humans.

Mers has infected 1,400 people and claimed 500 lives since 2012. But no specific treatment or preventative medicines exist.

In the majority of cases, individuals are thought to have caught Mers (Middle-East respiratory syndrome) through close contact with infected patients in hospital.’

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Vaccine for Mers coronavirus ‘looks promising’

Wednesday 1st July 2015- The Scientist: MERS Help on the Horizon?

‘New research finds that a treatment for Middle East respiratory syndrome can prevent and treat the disease in mice, while an experimental vaccine moves into human testing.’

‘With the death toll from Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS)  rising in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and, most recently, South Korea, researchers are scrambling to develop a treatment that can slow the coronavirus. This week (June 29), researchers at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the University of Maryland announced progress on this front: antibody-based technology, which has been used to design experimental treatments against Ebola, has yielded a treatment that can tackle MERS in mice.’

‘First, the researchers had to establish a mouse model of MERS by genetically engineering the animals to express human immune receptors. “Mice are typically not susceptible to MERS,” coauthor Matthew Frieman, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of the Maryland School of Medicine’.

‘The team then screened some 1,000 antibodies that bind to the MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and tested the most-promising ones in humanized mice just before and just after they were infected with the virus. Two antibodies, dubbed REGN3051 and REGN3048, were able to neutralize the virus, making them the first treatments to successfully protect and treat an animal model of MERS, according to the press release.’

‘The researchers are now working to move the two antibodies into human trials. “There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be successful, but it’s very hard to predict until it’s actually in clinical trials [in people].” Columbia University’s Stephen Morse told MIT Technology Review.’

See:

MERS Help on the Horizon?

Thursday 26th March 2015- World health organisation: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

‘Between 11 and 22 March 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 15 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 3 deaths.’ Details of each individual case are available on the link below.

‘Globally, WHO has been notified of 1090 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 412 related deaths.’

‘Infection prevention and control measures are critical to prevent the possible spread of MERS-CoV in health care facilities. It is not always possible to identify patients with MERS-CoV early because like other respiratory infections, the early symptoms of MERS-CoV are non-specific.’

‘Until more is understood about MERS-CoV, people with diabetes, renal failure, chronic lung disease, and immunocompromised persons are considered to be at high risk of severe disease from MERS‐CoV infection. Therefore, these people should avoid close contact with animals, particularly camels, when visiting farms, markets, or barn areas where the virus is known to be potentially circulating.’

See:

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia