StemCell Therapy

The thought of impending sickness has a lot of people on edge. It brings on anxiety, and when youre anxious, you want to do something to relieve it. Thats why you see stories of people stockpiling toilet paper, and disinfecting wipes, and stealing face masks. (None of those things are going to help them stay healthy by the way)

Like you, I cant avoid seeing and hearing all the stories about how to wash hands, avoid sick people, and use hand sanitizer to protect yourself and your family from coming down with COVID-19.

As a health and wellness expert I agree thats good advice, but I also know theyre missing a bigger part of the story.

Why is no one talking about what you can do to build up your immune system from the inside?

Healing is an inside job. Thats an uninspiring message, so it doesnt make the headlines.

Your health comes from the inside. It always has, and it always will. Its human nature to want a quick fix and to try to make someone else responsible for your health, but in the end, youre the only one who can make yourself healthy or sick.

The science behind boosting your immune system isnt complicated. These are common sense habits that science and the medical community stand behind.

Empowering your health by building it up from the inside will do more to protect you and your family than hoarding toilet paper and face masks.

Ill share with you here what science has to say about strengthening your immune system:

*Moderate exercise strengthens your immune response while excessive exercise weakens it.

Regular, moderate exercise decreases the inflammatory response and increases immune regulation.

Exercise helps move and flush pathogens out of your airways, and it causes antibodies and white blood cells to circulate more rapidly and to the farthest reaches of your vascular system.

Exercise reduces the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Elevated cortisol inhibits your immune system.

The temporary increase of body temperature with exercise may weaken or kill certain bacteria or viruses (similar to your bodys fever response).

Tips:Take a 30 minute brisk walk or bicycle ride, play a sports game, work in your yard, do yoga or pilates.Get 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day. Bonus if you do it outdoors.If your workouts are extreme, scale back. Remind yourself moderate exercise builds up and restores the body while extreme exercise wears it down.

The quality of your food will determine the quality of your health, and the typical American diet is not helping you.

Nutrition is linked to your immune system directly by supplying the building blocks your body needs to function at peak performance, and indirectly by influencing your gut microbiome.

Your gut microbiome is responsible for communication between your brain and your immune system.

The gut microbiome also influences how much cortisol you produce. As mentioned above, too much cortisol weakens the immune response.

The health of your gut biome influences the health of your intestinal wall, and that wall is a physical first line of defense against disease.

The typical American diet is notoriously processed. Its full of calories, but short on nutrition. Micro deficiencies of zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, or vitamins A, B6 or E are all linked to a weakened immune system.

Tips:Drink an extra 2 glasses of water per day (on top of what you already drink).Eat one more fruit and one more vegetable per day.Stop eating fried food, foods with added sugars, and replace white grains with whole grains.Eliminate all sweetened drinks (naturally or artificially sweetened).Eat fewer restaurant and fast food meals and more homemade meals.Eat a handful of nuts instead of a handful of chips.

You can only know your vitamin D levels from a blood test, but its easy to get, and your doctor should comply if asked. Low vitamin D is more common than you think, and unless severe and chronic, it doesnt give many symptoms.

Low vitamin D results in poor regulation of your adaptive immune system. Thats the part of the immune system that has a memory, and thats the theory behind vaccines, and why you get immunity from chicken pox once youve had them.

Low vitamin D also increases autoimmune function, and that leads to a multitude of autoimmune diseases.

Tips:Spend 1015 minutes in direct sun every other day with major areas of skin exposed.Let your eyes be exposed occasionally to indirect sun by taking off your glasses.Eat more fish, eggs, and mushrooms.If necessary, take a vitamin D supplement after consulting with your health expert.

Chiropractic adjustments boost the immune system response by addressing and correcting neural dysfunction caused by misalignments of your spine.

Your bodys nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system are all linked, and chiropractic adjustments are supporting the nervous system.

Chiropractic adjustments help improve sympathetic-parasympathetic balance.

HIV positive patients that underwent 6 months of chiropractic adjustments had a 48% increase of CD-4 cells compared to the non-adjusted group. CD-4 cells help coordinate the immune response by stimulating other immune cells, such as macrophages.

Tips:Go see your chiropractor for an occasional tune up.If youve never been to the chiropractor, ask your friends for their recommendations.

Meditation is linked to decreased inflammation. Thats good because inflammation decreases immune function.

Meditation increases immune helper cells called CD-4 cells. CD-4 cells (mentioned above as well) act as a communicator to alert the system that pathogens are present.

Tips:Meditate for even 5 minutes a day. Theres more benefit to daily short meditation than occasional hour long meditation.Keep it simple. Sit quietly and comfortably and play some gentle background music or white noise.

Science says 78 hours per night is needed for optimal health.

Deficient sleep not only increases the chances of you getting sick, it also prolongs your recovery.

Your body produces and releases cytokines when you sleep. Cytokines are proteins that target inflammation.

Sleep also affects your immune system indirectly via your gut microbiome (and your gut microbiome affects your sleep). You can see more about that above and also at this post:

You Have 4 pounds of Bacteria in your Gut that Play a Crucial Role in your Sleep and Health Your gut determines the quality of your sleep.

Tips:Make sleep a priority. You deserve it.Follow the other tips in this post and youll sleep better.Check out this piece about getting better sleep:

Cant Sleep? Change How You Think About it

Drinking alcohol changes how your gut microbiome interacts with your immune system. The ultimate result is fewer macrophages (your 1st line defense cells that eat pathogens), T cells (antibodies), and B cells (white blood cells that secrete cytokines).

Alcohol disrupts your intestinal barrier.

Alcohol even reduces the function of your immune cells in your lungs, the tissue thats most affected by COVID-19.

Tips:I guess Im stating the obvious, but simply drink fewer alcoholic drinks of any sort. The more you drink, the more your immune system is adversely affected.

Cigarettesmoke suppresses the immune system leaving smokers to heal more slowly than non smokers.

Smoking has an adverse effect on the antioxidants (such as vitamin C) that circulate through your body.

Smoking of any sort is a direct irritant to respiratory tissues.

Tips:Reducing or stopping all smoking is ideal. At the least, choose forms of delivery that are less irritating to the lungs.

You were born to be healthy. Health is there for you when you stop covering it up with unhealthy life habits.

Boost your health. I promise youll feel more strong and energized and less anxious.

I want to send you my free guide, 5 Days to More Peace, More Prosperity, and More Happiness.Click here to get the guide for free!

Visit me atwww.christinebradstreet.com

Cross posted atChange Your Mind Change Your Life

All images open source from Pixabay.com

Originally posted here:
The Science Behind Improving Your Immune System During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Thrive Global

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ST. LOUIS - Specialists at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital have new hope for some cancer patients, through therapy using the bodys own immune system to fight the disease.

Its another addition to therapy options for cancer patients at SLU Hospital, home to the only outpatient bone marrow transplant program in the region, offering some patients the ability to go home each evening rather than face a lengthy hospital stay.

Dr. Mark Fesler is a SLUCare oncologist at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital which is home to the only outpatient bone marrow transplant program in the region.

Called CAR T-cell therapy, a patients white blood cells the t lymphocyte aregenetically modifiedto attack and destroy cancer cells.

This is quite likely to change the landscape for treatment of blood cancers, says Mark Fesler, MD, director of the Center for Outpatient Blood and Marrow Transplantation at SLU Hospital and a SLUCare physician.

CAR T-cell therapy is FDA approved for some forms of aggressive, refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma and for patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia up to age 25.

In CAR t-cell therapy, T cells are taken from a patients blood, genetically modified and a special receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) are placed on the patients cancer cells. Large quantities of the CAR T-cells are grown in the laboratory and given to the patient through infusion.

While long-term data on success is still being collected, in clinical trialsmore than 80 percent of CAR -T cell therapy patients experienced either a complete (no signs of cancer) or partial (some reduction in the extent of the cancer) response.

This therapy has been in development since the late 1980s and various refinements have come about to improve the efficacy of this treatment, says Dr. Fesler. We are excited to offer this to our patients.

CAR T-cell therapy isnot the right treatment for every patient. Your doctor will consider the type of cancer, past treatments and your overall health before recommending CAR T-cell therapy.

CAR T-cell therapy is only approved to treat two groups of people with certain types of cancer:

Children and young adults up to age 25 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that hasnt improved with or has returned after treatment

Adults with aggressive large B-cell lymphoma that hasnt improved with or has returned after treatment.

To learn more about CAR T-cell therapy, click herehttps://www.ssmhealth.com/conditions-treatments/cancer-care-support/treatment-procedures/car-t-cell-treatment

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SSM Health SLU Hospital offers CAR T-Cell therapy, using the bodys immune system to fight cancer - fox2now.com

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Money cannot by immunity, but it can help stave it off. Here's how some are spending to both avoid and protect themselves against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Lanserhof, a private medical facility at London's Arts Club, a private members club, has seen an 18% jump in the number of inquiries for its Immune Plus Support Infusion. The 300 ($387) session provides an IV infusion which contains a high dose of Vitamin C, as well as "immune-boosting amino acids and also Zinc which plays a crucial role in our immune system functioning well."

Just up the road in London's West End, Club 51, a private gym-come-health club, has issued advice to its clients about how best to protect themselves against viruses. "We produced a report for all of our clients on ten things you can do that can help protect your body against viruses in general," says Jon Denoris, Club 51's founder.

Programs like these are focused on boosting the body's immune system and are not specifically tailored against COVID-19. Club 51's programs are months-long and tailor-made to each client, combining diet, sleep, exercise with supplements like nootropics.

However, Lanserhof says a healthy immune system is the best weapon to fight off any kind of virus, "be that flu, COVID-19 or simply a cold.

"Weaker immune systems are more likely to develop secondary infections such as pneumonia, and thus supporting a strong and healthy immune system through good nutrition, plenty of sleep and exercise as well as IV infusions is key."

Immunity is one thing, but avoidance of the virus is better. Here, again, those with the means are taking extra precautions.

Private jet companies have reported a surge in business since the virus outbreak. Checking-in at private jet terminals and avoiding the circulated air of commercial airliners is a safer option if you really have to travel, as many business executives say they do.

All schools have temporarily closed in Madrid, Spain, to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Avoidance can also be bought for children. Tutors International, which provides elite private tuition services, says it has seen a "massive upswing in requests" since the coronavirus virus outbreak.

"We are putting extra resources into recruiting elite educators able to provide interim private tutoring," says its CEO, Adam Caller. Many of his clients are unable to return home, and others are affected by school closures and changes to examination schedules.

A Chanel mask worn during Paris Fashion Week.

While many take to panic-buying items like toilet-paper, the wealthy have shunned shopping altogether: Luxury retail is expected to take a $33 to $44 billion hit this year as the wealthy stay away from shops. (Many will outsource the buying of essentials like toilet-paper.)

This is most acute in China, which accounts for 40% of the global luxury industry, and Italy, both a manufacturer and luxury-buying tourist hot-spot. The U.K. luxury industry has also suffered for the same reasons, says Walpole, a sector body for British luxury.

Many fear contagion in the retail space. Others see little point in buying things like fashion or jewellery if there is no opportunity to show them off. "I'm just not sure when my next ball will be," says one female financier in London.

The exception to the luxury rule is, bizarrely, fashionable face-masks. The 54 ($69) Airinum Urban Air Mask 2.0 has sold out worldwide. Shoppers are now signing up to a waiting list for these multi-layer masks that claim protection against "airborne particles as small as 0.3m."

Airinum expects to be restocked in July. In the meantime that immune system needs tending to.

Excerpt from:
How The Rich Are Protecting Themselves Against Coronavirus - Forbes

With the number of cases of coronavirus and flu on the rise and fatalities increasing globally, it is time to give our immune systems an opportunity to fight better.

No amount of lifestyle intervention will make you invincible, the Independent quoted Dr. Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist at the University of Sussex. But there are plenty of small things you can do to strengthen your immune system.

Heres a list of evidence-based tips that you can follow to improve your immunity:

1. Follow the Mediterranean Diet

Consuming a low-carb Mediterranean diet rich in colorful vegetables and fruits can give you a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients your body requires to ward off infection. The more colorful the vegetables and fruits, the better nutrients you will be getting. Have them whole alongside their skin as it contains the essential fiber that feeds the healthy bugs in your gut that plays a vital role in fighting an infection,The Independent mentioned.

2. Get Enough Sleep

This is a very simple yet important tip that can help boost your immunity levels. When your body doesnt get eight hours of sleep every night, your immune system cannot work the way it should, WTKR shared.

3. Pay Attention to Your Skin Microbiome

High doses of ultraviolet rays can affect the skin microbiome in a negative way and weaken its protective functions. It can also trigger immune suppression in the skin. Also, ensure not to use strong soaps and antibacterial products since over washing might not be good to the skin microbiome. Perfumes and moisturizers might also have an impact. So,make sure you use the right ones, The Guardian advised.

4. Stay Physically Fit

This can not only boost your immunity but also your overall health. Exercise can help mobilize the sedentary white blood cells and enable them to do their surveillance jobs in other parts of the body, according to Prof Arne Akbar, the president of the British Society for Immunology and a professor at University College, London told The Guardian. Older adults are asked to indulge in any kind of exercise that is possible.

5. Get your vitamins

Although Vitamin C cannot help prevent you from getting Coronavirus, it can certainly help during a cold and can decrease the duration. Also,you need to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight a day. Getting the adequate amount of the sunshine vitamin can help your immune system to function properly, Dr. Ryan Light with Greenbrier Family Medicine told WTKR.

When it comes to fruit and vegetable intake, moderation is key. Photo: Reuters

Original post:
5 Effective Ways To Boost Your Immune System To Ward Off Viruses - International Business Times

Older adults appear to be more severely at risk from the new coronavirus, while young children seem to be largely spared and understanding why could be crucial to treating people with the illness it causes, according to scientists.

Much remains unknown about COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus that is rapidly spreading around the world, but researchers have seized on a factor that seems to influence the severity of infections: the patient's age.

People over age 60, and particularly those with pre-existing health conditions, appear to be most vulnerable to the virus, which has spread to more than 110,000 people in at least 97 countries.

While that is not particularly surprising, the statistics show that young children have made up very few of the confirmed cases so far, a divergence that isn't true for every illness.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

While the immune systems of older people are typically not as robust as those of younger people, leaving them more vulnerable to a wide variety of illnesses, scientists say they can't definitively say why the coronavirus has been harder on people of advanced ages.

"We're trying to figure out why age is a primary feature of this infection, but from a biological perspective, we don't have that answer," said Dr. Srinivas Murthy, a clinical associate professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Understanding that question could help researchers figure out how to treat the illness, particularly in the older populations that appear to be more susceptible to it.

Surgeon General Jerome Adams, speaking Monday afternoon at a news conference, confirmed that the virus had been more severe for older people based on the data currently available.

The first death in the U.S. from COVID-19 was that of a Washington state man in his 50s with underlying health conditions. Since then, the state's health officials have also been battling the spread of the respiratory illness at a nursing facility in Kirkland, where 19 people have died.

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In China, where the coronavirus first emerged, early research also suggests that the coronavirus may pose a graver risk to some populations over others. In a report released last month by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an analysis of 1,023 deaths out of 44,672 confirmed cases diagnosed through Feb. 11 found that 21.9 percent of deaths occurred among patients who were over 80 years old.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Most people who have been infected have experienced mild to moderate symptoms, which Murthy said likely means either that the virus is not penetrating beyond the upper respiratory tract or that patients' immune systems are preventing it from reaching deep into the lungs.

It's thought that the virus spreads through close contact, traveling through tiny droplets and secretions when a patient coughs, sneezes or breathes.

Typically, when a virus infects a cell in the human body, the cell's so-called innate immune system kicks in if foreign genetic material is detected. This is considered the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens. The second line of defense is known as the adaptive immune system, which first has to detect foreign invaders before producing antibodies and T cells to counteract the infection.

But as people age, both of those systems can break down.

"We don't truly know why, but as you get older, the functionality of the innate immune system and adaptive immune system wanes," said Timothy Sheahan, an epidemiologist at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina.

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Coronavirus is hard on older people and scientists aren't sure why - NBCNews.com

Researchers in Germany and San Francisco believe they have identified an antibody that binds to the brains immune cells and causes them to live longer, divide more quickly and better detect unwelcome substances such as the plaques believed to contribute to Alzheimers.

In a report published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich and Denali Therapeutics in San Francisco said that mice studies showed the antibody can cause the brains immune system to attack amyloid plaque more quickly.

Scientists believe that amyloid plaque buildup is one of the key causes of Alzheimers disease.

We may have found a way to specifically remove particularly harmful forms of amyloid, lead researcher Christian Haass said in a news release.

The researchers studied TREM2, a receptor on cell surfaces to which other molecules can attach. They believe that TREM2 can vary greatly from individual to individual and can increase the risk of developing Alzheimers by putting the brains cellsknown as microgliainto a dormant state, which prevents them from recognizing, absorbing and breaking down plaques and dead cells.

Conversely we suspect that activation of the microglia could help to eliminate plaques and thus combat Alzheimers, Haass said.

TREM2 seems to play an important role, he continued. The receptor apparently helps to switch the microglia from dormant to active mode.

However, Haass cautioned that further studies are required before they can test this approach in clinical trials.

We have shown that our approach can work in principle, Haass said. However, there is still a long way to go before it can be tested in humans and additional data is necessary to validate this approach.

The brains immune cells are increasingly being studied by researchers looking to fight Alzheimers and other dementias. In 2017, Being Patient spoke with Dr. Roxana Carare, a professor of clinical neuroanatomy and experimental neuropathology at the University of Southampton, about how the body clears protein plaques from the brain.

Another recent study found that resetting immune cells could help treat traumatic brain injury by delaying or preventing inflammation.

Read this article:
Harnessing the Brain's Immune Cells to Remove Amyloid Plaques in Alzheimer's - Being Patient

Vitamin D's main function is to promote bone health, but it helps with other necessary bodily functions, as well. That's why it's important to make sure you are getting a proper amount of vitamin D, as too little or too much vitamin D can be harmful. Here's what you need to know.

Maintains strong bones: Vitamin D promotes bone health by helping the body absorb calcium, which is a mineral crucial to keeping bones strong. "Calcium is not very well absorbed by the human intestines. Calcium in your bloodstream interacts with the vitamin D in your blood that goes and activates cells in your bone to help you make stronger bones," says David Cutler, MD, family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center.

Promotes muscle strength: Vitamin D can aid in keeping muscles strong. A study published in Plos One in 2017 showed a positive correlation between muscle strength and vitamin D intake.

Boosts immune system: Vitamin D is crucial for a healthy immune system and good health. Immune system cells such as B cells (cells that produce antibodies) and T cells (cells that are critical to the immune response) have receptors for vitamin D. Essentially, the vitamin helps keep the immune system balanced.

Aids in brain function: Researchers believe there is a link between vitamin D and neurological function. Vitamin D can promote brain development and prevent neurodegenerative conditions. Additionally, preliminary research suggests there may be a link between low vitamin D levels and depression.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to several negative outcomes. Certain groups of people, such as people with dark skin, obese people, and elderly people, should be especially careful in making sure they get enough of the vitamin since they're more predisposed to Vitamin D deficiency.

According to Cutler, lack of exposure to the sun is one of the main causes of Vitamin D deficiency. A study published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health in 2008,showed that Vitamin D supplementation is necessary to maintain good health when living in a northern latitude that has very short daylight hours in the winter.

Additionally, having dark skin can be a risk factor. "If you have very dark skin, you'll tend not to absorb as much sunlight, which is what converts vitamin D from its inactive to its active form," says Cutler. Other risk factors are old age, obesity, and people with Crohn's disease or celiac disease, according to the National Institute of Health.

Vitamin D deficiency most commonly affects your bones. In children, vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets, a condition that results in brittle bones that don't develop properly, causing bowed legs. According to Cutler, this was more common in the 19th and early 20th century, and has become rarer today, thanks to milk and other foods being fortified with vitamin D.

In older adults who are vitamin D deficient, they may have trouble absorbing calcium, which can cause their bones to get weak and brittle. This can contribute to bone disease osteoporosis, says Cutler.

As good as Vitamin D is for you, it is possible to have too much of it. For example, you can experience Vitamin D toxicity if you take too much through supplements. "Vitamin D is in a group of vitamins, which are fat-soluble, unlike the more common vitamins like C and B, which are water-soluble," says Cutler.

If you take too many water-soluble vitamins, they'll go through your kidneys and be flushed out through urination. However, fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D can get absorbed into your body's fatty tissue, liver, and even the brain, according to Cutler. So, your body has a harder time removing excess amounts. That's why it's important not to overdose on any fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin D.

Signs of vitamin D toxicity include nausea, vomiting, weakness, confusion, and even kidney damage. Cutler says that this really only can happen from taking too many supplements. According to Mayo Clinic, the daily recommended amount of vitamin D for children and adults is 600 IU. A toxic level is around 4,000 IU. Your body will not produce toxic amounts of vitamin D from sun exposure.

Additionally, while some people believe vitamin D has anti-cancer properties, the opposite can be true. A study, published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2019, found a link between high levels of vitamin D with higher incidences of skin, prostate, and blood cancers, but a lower incidence of lung cancer.

If you're concerned that you're getting too little or too much vitamin D, speak to your doctor. Blood tests can be ordered to check the levels of the vitamin in your blood, and then you can determine what changes, if any, need to be made.

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What is vitamin D good for: Bone, brain, and immune system health - Insider - INSIDER

Theres a whole lot of scary germs in the world. Stopping for a cocktail wont change that, but a little boost to the immune system via the right ingredients never hurt!

The Remedy

The Remedy at Even Keel Fish and Oyster in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

I grew up in Jamaica where herbs and plants were used to cure everything, so I wanted to create an immune building, anti-inflammatory cocktail inspired by an old family remedy. I use an elixir of roasted, toasted garlic, black pepper, turmeric, ginger, rosemary, honey, lemon juice and Misunderstood Ginger Spiced Whiskey. Between the immune boosting power of ginger, antioxidant rich turmeric and the anti-inflammatory properties of black pepper this family recipe combines plants and herbs that are not only good for you but taste amazing together. Cheers to that! said Gregory Genias, beverage director at Even Keel Fish and Oyster in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

5-Spice Old Fashioned

5-Spice Old Fashioned at Linger in Denver.

At Linger in Denver, thanks to the addition of Chinese 5-Spice, a powerful combination of spices including cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns, star anise, fennel seed and clove, this twist on a classic Old Fashioned is a powerhouse of antioxidants, health-improving essential oils and minerals necessary for boosting the immune system. "While 5-Spice is traditionally used in cooking, it also serves as an excellent component in elevating cocktails and in this case, a boozy way to get your daily dose of antioxidants, says Jeff Wilkins, Bar Director at Linger restaurant in Denver, CO. The spice blend is combined with Bourbon, bitters and orange oil resulting in one of our favorite classic cocktails boosted with cold fighting powers, said Jeff Wilkins, bar director.

Giggle Water

Giggle Water at Brezza Cucina in Atlanta.

At Brezza Cucina in Atlanta, Georgia, Giggle Water is crafted with tequila, curacao, lemon, bubbles and a housemade pomegranate-papaya shrub. Don Pirone, Brezza Cucina's beverage director said: "Citrus, pomegranate and papaya are all known to offer immune-boosting benefits, which makes this drink a go-to for keeping germs at bay. Plus, our pomegranate-papaya shrub is made with apple cider vinegar, which also has been said to have a positive impact on immune health."

Mai Tai Cider

Mai Tai Cider at Plunge Beach Resort's Octopus Kitchen & Bar in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida.

Located in the charming beachfront town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida, the Mai Tai Cider is offered at Plunge Beach Resort's Octopus Kitchen & Bar, and delivers a much needed kick to the immune system. Enjoy the health-inducing goodness of mulled apple cider in a light, refreshing "beachy" cocktail. Made with some of the most powerful medicinal properties found in a cocktail, including fresh cranberries, ginger, cinnamon sticks and lime juice, the Mai Tai Cider also comes with an added punch of Bacardi Rum, maple syrup and Orgeat syrup to help take that edge off. After combining the ingredients with ice until chilled, strain into an old-fashioned glass, top with 151 Dark Rum, and garnish with fresh apple and cranberry - cheers to healthy living! When you infuse the warm, spicy flavors of apple, cinnamon and ginger into a cool, fun & refreshing drink like the Mai Tai, you get the Mai Tai Cider. The perfect drink to ward off any sickness during flu season! Take it one step further by jumping in the Atlantic Ocean after you've finished the cocktail for a true saltwater immune booster - we call that the Mai Tai Cider Plunge, said head bartender Abraham Millett.

Butterfly Effect

Butterfly Effect at Outpost Kitchen in Costa Mesa.

In Costa Mesa, Outpost Kitchen's entire bar program focuses on superfood-charged cocktails. Take the Butterfly Effect for example. This gin-based cocktail features a variety of immune-boosting ingredients like blueberries, fresh-pressed cucumber juice, lemon yogurt, honey, and spirulina - a potent superfood which is widely regarded as one of the most nutrient-dense superfoods in the world. Our entire cocktail program was designed to mirror the ethos of our kitchen. Our menu of superfood-infused drinks extracts bold flavors, vibrant colors, and immune-boosting properties from powerful all-natural ingredients like spirulina, moringa, beetroot, turmeric, and tarragon, said Outpost Kitchen founder Jay Lewis.

Masala Nights

Masala Nights At Dot Dot Dot in Charlotte, North Carolina.

At Dot Dot Dot in Charlotte, North Carolina, this drink is made with Topo spiced rum, chai, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, coconut milk, and served warm. The cocktails base is a traditional chai with black tea and spices. They chose to use coconut milk to make the cocktail vegan. Black tea is known to improve digestion, keep your hormones balanced, and helps protect your cells from free-radicals. Ginger is known to have anti-nausea properties, while also helping reduce inflammation and strengthens the immune system Cardamom and Black Pepper have digestive superpowers, further boosting chais reputation as a potent stomach savior. "I wanted to create a great blustery, cold weather cocktail that warms you up and also makes you feel better. And Ive always loved tea, even since I was young. So I started with a chai (which is the Hindu word for tea) black tea base and added several ingredients and spices known to boost the immune system, like ginger and cardamom." "I used a local spiced rum from Topo Distillery. Their spirits are made exclusively from North Carolina-grown wheat, US-grown sugar cane, and every product is USDA-certified organic and 100% fermented and distilled in Chapel Hill, NC. Domaine de Canton is a French ginger liqueur made from organic Vietnamese baby ginger. The hot cocktail is topped with a fresh, ginger-infused coconut cream whipped topping to create a powerhouse, immune-boosting cocktail! said Brittany Clark, mixologist at Dot Dot Dot.

Pomegranate Nojito

Pomegranate Nojito at ATRIO Wine Bar & Restaurant in New York City.

At ATRIO Wine Bar & Restaurant in New York City, made with fresh pomegranate and blueberries, both rich in health-boosting nutrients, and then garnished with mint and lime this drink is as vibrant as it is flavorful and good for you. Kevin King, director of F&B said: Our Pomegranate Nojito tastes just like a true mojito. The drink features fresh blueberry, which is a fruit known for its fiber, potassium, vitamin C and more. Pomegranate is also loaded with important nutrients and has lots of natural antioxidants.

Thick as Thieves

Thick as Thieves at Madison on Park in San Diego.

At Madison on Park in San Diego, Thick as Thieves is crafted with 1776 Rye Whiskey, Cynar, Thieves Essential Oil and Lo Fi Gentian Amaro. The Thieves Essential Oil is a blend made with cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus radiata, rosemary and lemon essential oils. The combination is inspired by a legend about 15th-century French grave robbers who would use essential oils to protect themselves from diseases. "This is a warming cocktail, that is both spicy and earthy and Thieves is believed to have immune-supporting and antioxidant properties, said bar manager Danny Kuehner.

SAMBA

SAMBA at The Tipsy Alchemist Austin.

At The Tipsy Alchemist Austin, the Samba includes mezcal, fresh lemon juice, honey cinnamon reduction, ginger reduction, and cayenne pepper. Pour all ingredients into your shaker tin, shake and pour into a snifter with round ice, Garnish with a blackened lemon wheel, and a blackened lemon wheel. Cut lemon into a wheel, dust with tajin and cayenne. Blackened with your torch.

Anti-Inflammatory

Anti-Inflammatory at Saffron NOLA in New Orleans.

At Saffron NOLA in New Orleans, inspired by a bedtime elixir of warm milk, honey and turmeric, the Anti-Inflammatory also plays off a New Orleans staple cocktail, the Brandy Milk Punch. The soothing drink luxuriously combines cognac with turmeric-infused coconut milk and honey syrup over crushed ice, garnished with a cilantro sprig and drops of chili oil. "During my upbringing, I was taught to always take care of my gut health to prevent obstruction of nutrients to the rest of my body. This way of thinking has been passed down in my family. Spices including ginger, turmeric, fennel, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, cumin and cayenne, are Ayurvedic spices that aid in digestion and metabolism. They also have the benefit of being natural anti-inflammatories. As a family, we used these spices not only for this organic benefit, but also because it enhanced the flavor of the food. We implement the same use of these spices both in our food and cocktail program at Saffron Nola, a true extension of our home kitchen, said Ashwin Vilkhu.

Think Spring

Think Spring at A.Lounge at the AKA Hotel in New York City.

At A.Lounge at the AKA in New York City, this is a refreshing, immune-boosting 'VOSStail' with Vitamin C and antioxidants, Think Spring is a blend of the AKAs own organic vodka (crafted exclusively for the AKA), simple syrup and VOSS Lemon Cucumber Sparkling Water, infused with fresh lemon and cucumber. "Customers are interested in seasonal beverages that are both refreshing and health conscious. The AKA 'Think Spring' VOSStail hits the palate in all the right ways crafted with vitamin-c rich lemon, nutrient dense cucumber, lemon cucumber flavored sparkling VOSS water, and our very own organic vodka (a.vod). This specialty drink satisfies the taste buds and the immune system alike. With the sweater weather behind us, this low calorie count makes it a happy hour favorite, said Kate W. Lewis, AKA mixologist.

Spill the Tea

Spill the Tea at Riot House Bar located inside the Andaz West Hollywood.

At Riot House Bar located inside the Andaz West Hollywood, this cocktail is made with rum, honey, lemon juice, chamomile tea, blackberries, and ginger beer. All the ingredients have their own medicinal qualities; ginger, lemon and blackberries have antioxidants, chamomile tea have flavonoids, type of nutrients, and combining them, create a calming and relaxing drink that can ease symptoms and boost immune system.

That's All, Folks

That's All, Folks At Beaker & Gray in Wynwood, Miami.

At Beaker & Gray in Wynwood, Miami, the cocktail is comprised of gin, carrots, ginger, lemon, cilantro, and a dash of salt for flavor. "The flavorful concoction combines a touch of gin with some healthful ingredients including carrot juice, ginger, and cilantro. Gin's health benefits are questionable, but the use of juniper for kidney-related health issues was widely used....about 200 years ago. Carrots, on the other hand, have Vitamin A, antioxidants, and fiber all of which are great. Ginger has anti inflammatory properties and citrus has Vitamin C. Cilantro is a mineral-rich herb and a dash of salt help give you the electrolytes. Makes for a great way to replenish some vitamins and nutrients," said Ben Potts, bar director.

Lady of Versailles

Lady of Versailles at Mister French NYC.

At Mister French NYC, the Lady of Versailles is your passport to the South of France with perfectly balanced Belvedere Vodka, Calvados and white wine mixed with fresh lime juice, fresh pressed ginger, pineapple juice, fresh pressed cucumber, organic cane reduction, winter melon bitters, and fresh thyme. Steve Mazzuca, the general manager and creative director of the bar program, says, "Here at Mister French when we say 'drink to your health', we actually mean it. So many of these components are powerful sources of antioxidants that also promote healthy digestion along with anti-inflammatory properties. They are soaring with vitamin C, which of course is vital for a strong immune system and if I might add...great cocktails as well. I usually joke with our guests saying, if you just take out the alcohol you have yourself a health drink!"

Kyuri

Kyuri at Azabu Miami Beach in Miami Beach.

At Azabu Miami Beach in Miami Beach, this cocktail is made with St Georges Gin, fresh muddled ginger, and fresh muddled cucumber. "Before it became popular as an alcoholic beverage, Gin was used to relieve and help improve digestive problems and juniper berries are also super berries that help our health systems overall. Ginger is a natural antibacterial/ antiviral, and also helps to boost our defenses. Cucumbers help to detox. Gin is a great alternative for someone that suffers from digestive problems caused by foods or other alcoholic beverages so its not all over for those that can not drink other spirits like rum, wine, etc, said head bartender Bryan Mayer.

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Drink To Your Health With These 15 Immune-Boosting Cocktails - Forbes

Monica Alba

10h ago / 2:00 PM UTC

There are few things President Trump says he enjoys more than a large-scale rally with thousands of cheering supporters. And while he has pledged to keep up the pace amidconcerns about large gatheringas thecoronavirus outbreakintensifies, his re-election campaign has not announced any upcoming rallies for the weeks ahead, marking the first time without one on the calendar this year.

Read more here.

Lucy Bayly

10h ago / 1:58 PM UTC

Trading on Wall Street's major averages was halted for 15 minutes Monday morning after the S&P 500 plunged by 7 percent, triggering a "circuit breaker."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted at the opening bell, sinking by more than 1,800 points as a fight over crude oil production created heightened pressure on a global economy already suffering the effects of the coronavirus epidemic.

Traders had anticipated a bloodbath on Monday, after oil prices cratered overnight by 30 percent when ongoing talks between OPEC members did not produce an agreement on output cuts.

Ahiza Garca-Hodges

10h ago / 1:54 PM UTC

Amazon has told its warehouse employees that they can take sick days in March without counting toward their unpaid time off, according to CNBC.

The change comes as labor experts have warned that hourly workers and those without sick leave could be at higher risk of both catching the coronavirus and suffering severe financial repercussions as a result.

"We continue to work closely with public and private medical experts to ensure we are taking the right precautions and have implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees, delivery and transportation partners at our sites around the world," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

Stella Kim and Yuliya Talmazan

11h ago / 1:03 PM UTC

South Korea's president said Monday his nation could become "a model case" for dealing with the novel coronavirus if the number of new confirmed cases continued to decrease, but cautioned against being too optimistic about the progress being made.

"The number of new coronavirus confirmed cases peaked to 916 on Feb. 28 and has since been steadily decreasing to 248 on [Sunday]. This trend must continue, President Moon Jae-In said at a presidential staff meeting. As the number of new cases continues to grow in many countries around the world, if we continue with a decrease in the curve, South Korea can be regarded as a model case for good practice for COVID-19 protection.

But Moon said small group infections are still occurring in areas including Daegu and North of Gyeongsang province.

The continued small-scale infections can mean that infections can occur on a larger scale as well, he added. "We should not be relieved by the situation."

South Korea reported 7,478 confirmed cases and 53 virus-related deaths Monday.

Andy Eckardt and Yuliya Talmazan

11h ago / 12:47 PM UTC

A NATO staff member working at the Brussels headquarters has tested positive for coronavirus, the alliance said Monday.

The staff member came back from a holiday in northern Italy, felt unwell at the end of last week and was tested after getting fever-like symptoms, according to a statement from NATO.

"Within minutes of receiving the result, all the immediate work colleagues were informed," the statement added.

The staff member, who wasn't named,is currently working from home, where they are in self-isolation.

NATO said it has already taken preventative measures at its headquarters to reduce the risk of virus spread, includingtemporary suspension of travel for some staff and group visits to NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Amin Hossein Khodadadi and Yuliya Talmazan

12h ago / 12:13 PM UTC

Health officials in Iran reported nearly 600 new coronavirus cases, increasing the total to7,161 as the country struggled to contain the outbreak.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said a total of 237 people have died from the virus since the epidemic began, with 43 new deaths reported Monday.

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Coronavirus updates live: World markets tumble and all of Italy goes on lockdown - NBCNews.com

ByChristabel Addo, GNA

Accra, March 9, GNA- Professor Samuel Ato Duncan, Executive President, Centre of Awareness (COA)Global Peace Mission, on Monday, called for an urgent global partnership inconducting research on its products to ascertain their clinical effectivenessagainst the COVID-19.

He said COA FS,which is a dietary supplement, has proven to boost the immune system to fight avariety of diseases and repair compromised tissues for full recovery.

Prof Duncan appealedto Government, World Health Organisation (WHO), affected and unaffectedcountries worldwide, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research,University of Ghana, and other local and international research institutions tojoin hands with the Centre of Awareness to conduct the study as soon aspossible.

Prof Duncan, who wasaddressing a press conference in Accra, said augmenting the human immune systemwas key to eliminating the COVID-19.

He explained thatall diseases affecting mankind these days took seat in the body when the immunesystem was suppressed.

He said on the otherhand, if the immune system was functioning properly, it identifies a variety ofdisease-causing organisms including viruses, bacteria, fungi, moulds and otherparasites, and distinguished them from the bodys own healthy tissues fordestruction.

Dr Duncan said theCentre believes and hopes that there would be positive results from the trials,and when that occurs, then Ghana and the rest of the world could adopt theformula and the product as the antidote to the COVID-19.

He said the fastrate at which the COVID-19 was spreading across the globe, poses a seriousthreat to global peace, hamper supply chains, lead to stigma, mistrust andviolations of the principles of the International Health Regulations.

Dr Duncan said inthe quest to find an antidote to the CODVI-19, the Centre, about two weeks agosent some of its COA products to China via an individual, to be tried onpatients infected with the virus.

He said informationreaching us indicates that there has been a significant improvement in thecondition of some infected patients who were given COA products.

He said even thoughthis was good news, it was not scientific and not conclusive, and that was whyit was calling for further collaborative research for wider empirical evidence.

He said the visionof the Centre is to be a selfless Non-Governmental Organisation with a divinemission poised at looking at the total welfare and wellbeing of humanity onearth.

The Center alsoseeks to ensure a peaceful world, free from wars, political, and socialinjustice, ethnic conflicts, religious rivalry, discrimination, racism,poverty, immorality, selflessness, and greediness.

It also seeks tofind cure for diseases that has no cure like HIV, cancers and renal failures.

GNA

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Augmenting the immune system is key to eliminating COVID-19 - Prof Duncan - Ghana News Agency

TAMPA, Fla. You've probably been focusing on the basics to keep from getting sick washing your hands and disinfecting your home and work areas.

But staying healthy isn't just about cleanliness and hygiene. What you put in your body is just as important because eating right can help maintain your immune system.

"There's no one specific diet that is an immune booster," Dr. Crystal Jacovino said. She's an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at USF Health.

That's because the immune systemis exactly that a network of cells, tissues, proteins and organs working together with a common mission. Jacovino says maintaining the immune system is more of a lifestyle.

"It is a marathon, not a sprint. We are preparing our bodies, preparing our immune systems the whole year long. It doesn't do any good to all the sudden eat your vegetables during cold and flu season," Jacovino said.

"We want to train ourselves for the whole year by making healthy choices."

So, what should we be eating?

"I recommend lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins. I also recommend avoidance of certain foods, such as fried or fatty foods, red meats, sodas, juices, things like that," Jacovino said.

Here are five things to think about adding to your diet right now:

And of course drink lots of water to stay hydrated!

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Concerned about getting sick? Here's what you should eat to boost your immunity - WTSP.com

Researchers at UT Southwestern have helped identify a human protein they say inhibits the coronavirus.

The protein LY6E is produced naturally by the human immune system, and the researchers say it impairs the ability of several coronaviruses to initiate infection, including the one fueling the current COVID-19 outbreak.

This protein seems to be able to stop the ability of the virus to ... [cause infection], or at least hinder it pretty significantly, said Dr. John Schoggins, associate professor in UT Southwesterns microbiology department.

The group which also includes researchers from New York and Switzerland detailed their findings in a report published Saturday, but the report has yet to be peer-reviewed.

Schoggins first researched the protein several years ago in a lab in New York. At the time, he discovered that LY6E enhanced influenza infection.

Another researcher at the lab used Schoggins screening technology in 2017 and determined LY6E inhibited coronavirus infection.

The team of scientists had worked for years on its study of the protein before the current outbreak, Schoggins said.

As the new coronavirus spread in Wuhan, China, and beyond, researchers in Switzerland worked to figure out whether the protein was effective against it, he said. They determined it was.

Meanwhile, UT Southwestern researchers examined the protein in mice and determined they are more susceptible to coronavirus when their cells lack the protein.

Schoggins noted however that coronavirus in mice is different from coronavirus in humans. The illness infects the liver in mice, causing hepatitis. Meanwhile, coronavirus causes a respiratory illness in humans.

In spite of those differences, its widely accepted as a model for understanding basic concepts of coronavirus replication and immune responses in a living animal, Schoggins said in a written statement. Our study brings new insight into how critical these antiviral genes are for controlling viral infection and mounting proper immune responses against the virus.

He cautioned that the researchers arent claiming to have found a cure for the virus. The work is simply focused on how a naturally occurring protein interacts with the virus.

The team will need more time to see whether the information can be used to advance therapeutic options for COVID-19.

This is sort of natures antiviral defense system, he said of the LY6E protein. We figured out how nature figured out how to inhibit these viruses. Can we do something as scientists to do the same thing?

He added that its still not certain whether the protein has helped infected people recover during the current outbreak. But he noted that the majority of people survive the illness.

Its key for the public to remember that, in general, our immune systems handle viruses pretty well," he said. "It remains to be seen if in humans our protein contributes to that. But at least in the mouse, the datas very clear that the immune system is very reliant on this ... protein to control the mouse coronavirus.

See the article here:
UT Southwestern researchers help identify human protein that inhibits coronavirus - The Dallas Morning News

Friday I looked over the small-molecule landscape in this post, which has been updated and will continue to be as more news comes along. Today lets look at the biologics landscape. One thing that I want to emphasize up front, as I did in the earlier post, is that none of these things are available right now, and that its very likely that none of them will be available for many months even if things run as quickly and perfectly as possible.

The anti-corona biologics field divides into several smaller categories (well get to those) and two large ones, antibodies and vaccines. The way to think of that is that the former would be dosing external antibodies that have already been targeted to some part of the coronavirus, while the latter would encourage your own immune system to raise such antibodies itself. There is an overview list here at BioCentury, open-access.

Where do you get such external antibodies? Takeda has an effort underway to isolate them from the plasma of people who have already developed immunity (immunoglobulin therapy). This program (TAK-888) would take around a year, give or take some months, to start treating high-risk patients. But how many? One recovered-patients worth of plasma might only be enough to treat one other person; we just dont know. It might be a bit better; it could be worse. So this is going to be something for people who are in bad shape and need something immediate. This technique gets broken out during severe epidemics, and has already been tried on an emergency basis in China, but we really dont have any well-controlled data to work with yet. The hope is that such a therapy could skip Phase I (immunoglobulin therapy has a long history of clinical use) and go straight into Phase II, then perhaps skip an actual Phase III and let clinical evidence accumulate in real-world use. Well see.

The isolate-from-plasma route has the advantage of being polyclonal (a mixture of antibodies to several different features of the viral proteome), but that has a potential disadvantage as well, as pointed out here. Antibody-dependent enhancement is a concern for this sort of therapy and for vaccines as well in general, the antibodies developed against one virus can actually make later infections with later viruses even worse. If the antibodies bind to the new viral proteins but do not actually neutralize them, they can enhance cellular uptake of them, which is exactly what you dont want.

There are also a number of organizations working on monoclonal antibodies to particular coronavirus proteins (heres another recent summary of this area, PDF here). As youll see in that papers Table 1 and Table 2, there are a number of epitopes that were targeted for the SARS and MERS coronaviruses (an epitope, for those just jumping into this subject, is an exposed region on a protein that you can potentially raise an immune response to). This new coronavirus, like the others, bristles with spike proteins that interact with human cell receptor proteins, so those are high on the list. Were seeing similar work being done right now on 2019-nCoV; see the bottom of the page on that BioCentury list linked in the first paragraph).

When would these come on line? Monoclonal antibody production is a big industrial field, and theres a lot of expertise out there. Regenerons CEO (Lenny Schleifer) said last week that the company could get 200,000 doses/month coming from their own production in August, but we have to remember that he was saying that in front of President Trump at a White House meeting. To my eyes, thats about as optimistic an estimate as one could possibly commit to; I would expect things to take longer (and note that Schleifer appears to be just talking about the production aspect, not the demonstration of efficacy and safety in the clinic).

Now to vaccines. That list Ive been referring to has a long string of people working in this area, and thats a good thing, because a vaccine is probably the best long-term solution. A safe and effective vaccine, let me amend that, while noting that proving both of those is what makes vaccine development the field it is. You have the antibody-enhancement problem mentioned above, you have the potential for a pathogen to mutate its way out of efficacy, and you always have the risk of immunological side effects. Readers my age and older will recall the 1976 swine flu debacle, in which a huge campaign was launched to vaccinate the public against an epidemic that never actually materialized, while also setting off hundreds of well-publicized cases of Guillain-Barr syndrome. That is a well-known immune disorder that usually occurs after a mild viral infection, where the nervous systems myelin sheaths come under attack. It generally resolves, but not always, and can land patients in intensive care. The swine flu vaccine (a live-attenuate-virus preparation) is the largest vaccine-driven GBS incident that Im aware of, and we do not want to repeat that.Vaccines by definition are being given to large numbers of healthy people its vital that you do not cause more trouble than youre trying to prevent.

That said, I have little doubt that a good 2019-nCoV vaccine can be realized. But that too is going to take time, and its definitely not going to be coming on in time to help us right now. No one knows if were going to be seeing this pathogen as a regular feature in human disease or if it will disappear like some others have. Its reasonably likely that the virus will decrease in the currently affected areas during the warmer months (perhaps becoming more of a problem in parts of the Southern hemisphere?), but we dont know that for sure, either. If its going to be with us, though, we will be vary glad of a vaccination program.

What that vaccine will look like is anyones guess. There are a lot of traditional development programs underway, along with some that we havent had available in the past. Moderna and others are working on RNA- and DNA-derived vaccines, which have the advantage of being potentially faster to develop, but the disadvantage of never having been all the way through human trials yet for anything. Its a field with a lot of promise, but it needs a lot of proof, too. This Stat article has some interesting info on synthetic biology approaches to a vaccine (nanoparticles, etc.), but those also remain unproven. It may well be that more tried-and-true vaccine development (immune response via proteins, rather than via DNA/RnA) blows all of these things from the landscape eventually, but for now Im glad to have a lot of approaches going on.

Past antibodies and vaccines we get to more exotic stuff like direct siRNA treatments, which Alnylam and others have announced work on. No disrespect to some good researchers and companies there, but I have these on a lower rung than the other possibilities. I dont see these things as having any shorter path to development than the more well-worked-out antibody and vaccine routes, and they have more uncertainties around them. Not least in dosing getting good systemic levels of something like an siRNA therapeutic is very much nontrivial. The oligonucleotide vaccine idea at least has the potential for a smaller dose needed, since its just trying to prime the immune system in general.

Ive no doubt missed some other approaches, and Ill update this post with more information as I have been doing for the small-molecule one. Final thoughts? I think that the biologic agents are likely to be the main line of defense against this coronavirus; there is every reason to believe that we can get an effective therapy out of one or more of these approaches. But none of them are going to be coming on in time to help the crisis were looking at right now. As I said before, look around you: we are fighting this epidemic with the tools we have on hand at the moment, and the chances of anything new and dramatic arriving shortly are very, very low. Months, many months, maybe a year or two, and thats if everything goes really, really well. Thats when the good stuff will be arriving.

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Covid-19 Biologic Therapies Reviewed - Science Magazine

As the recent news about the spread of novel coronavirus, WHO makes its headlines as the virus has spread from China to the rest of the world and the most attention part has been directed towards the quarantine and prevention program across the globe.

While taking precautions of washing hands properly and to avoid crowds might be a better option when you are living in an affected area or near the place where it has been reported. Today there is a necessity to take steps for boosting and improving your immune system in case you come in contact with the virus to effectively fight back against it.

By nature, our immune system can fight back infections and diseases caused by a virus and certain other bacteria as it has a number of defense mechanism to recognize the foreign particles entering our body that includes parasites, virus, fungi, bacteria or other unhealthy cancerous cells. The viruses need their machinery to produce their proteins and stay in the body. These are intracellular parasites that get replicated along with the cells inside and this is the main reason why they are not considered to be alive. The most efficient method for the innate response towards the viral infections is through interferon and by activation of NK natural killer cells.

Here are some tips to boost up your immune system to fight back against the virus: reduce stress, Exercise daily but dont overdo, have a balanced diet food with complete vegetables and fruits along, try not to smoke as it might reduce the fighting efficiency against the virus, have enough sleep for a day, and have a note on the supplement list at the back of medications before consuming them.

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How To Improve Your Immune System To Protect Yourself From Coronavirus - The Digital Wise

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading across the U.S. and the world, and Americans are being advised by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to remain vigilant and take precautions such as regular hand washing and hand sanitizing, avoiding unnecessary contact and gatherings, and for personal protection, maintaining a healthy diet and strong immune system.

Chiropractic care focuses on the central nervous system that regulates virtually every bodily function, including the immune system. The nervous system must communicate with the rest of the body, which is where coronavirus and chiropractic care cross paths as chiropractic comes in to remove nerve blockages via spinal misalignment.

Many chiropractors also specialize in nutrition, and while you may not be able to avoid contracting the coronavirus, the flu or a cold, you can control your own immune system and strengthening it against illness.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with patients about their immune and nervous systems, says Bill Esteb, DC. Remember, if germs automatically caused disease, the human race wouldnt be around to debate the issue. Many forget that Louis Pasteur, the father of the germ theory, recanted his belief. On his deathbed he observed, Its the soil, not the seed. In other words, without the right environment, germs can do little harm.

Ryan Andrews, RD and principal nutritionist for Precision Nutrition, offers advice for what to eat to maximize your immune system, and what to eat and nutritional supplements if you contract the coronavirus or a flu.

Eating poorly can make you ill, and eating poorly while ill can extend your illness.

If your diet is lousy, youll get sick more often than someone who eats a healthier diet, Andrews says. Viruses and bacterial infections will hit you harder and keep you out for longer. Meanwhile, eating poorly while you are sick will only make you sicker. Good nutrition allows our bodies to respond to germy invaders quickly and efficiently, and in order to function well, the cells of our immune system need plenty of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids.

A healthy gut is essential to immunity, and prebiotics and probiotics in food and supplements help prevent illness.

The best whole food sources of prebiotics are vegetables like asparagus, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, and onions, Andrews says. Carbs like barley, beans, oats, quinoa, rye, wheat, potatoes, and yams; fruit such as apples, bananas, berries, citrus, kiwi; and fats such as flax seeds and chia seeds.

Probiotics the bacteria themselves have been shown to help us recover faster, once we get sick. The best whole-food sources of probiotics are dairy such as yogurt, cheese, and kefir with live and active cultures; fermented vegetables like pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi; fermented soy such as miso and tempeh, and soy sauce and wine.

For supplementation of prebiotics, Andrews recommends 2-4 grams of prebiotics per day to help feed healthy gut bacteria and keep things balanced. You may actually feel worse before you feel better, he says, since bacteria release toxins.

Things to do to avoid getting sick according to Andrews include avoiding over- or under-exercising, avoiding over- or under-eating, maintaining a healthy body weight, washing your hands, getting enough sleep consistently, managing stress, eating plenty of nutrient-dense foods, and feeding your healthy bacteria.

Foods that can hasten recovery when you have a virus or infections are:

Garlic Acts as an antibiotic and lessens the severity of colds and other infections.Chicken soup Commonly touted as a food for colds, chicken soup (made from scratch, not a can) provides fluids and electrolytes, is warm and soothing, and may also contain anti-inflammatory properties that decrease cold symptoms. Green tea Boosts the production of B cell antibodies, helping us rid ourselves of invading pathogens.Honey Has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and is an effective cough suppressant. In one study it was as effective as a cough-suppressing drug. A few teaspoons in a cup of green tea is all you need.Elderberries These have antiviral properties and are loaded with phytonutrients. A few small studies have found the elderberry extract reduces the duration of colds and other upper respiratory tract infections.

If youre already sick, says Andrews, drink lots of fluids (especially water and green tea), rest as much as possible to recover, focus on immune-boosting foods, supplement with pre- and probiotics, and use immune-boosting supplements.

Coronavirus and chiropractic are a pairing that remain vital, says Esteb, to maintain health and not handicap your immune system. Dont wait until you become ill, he says, as maintenance health care is key.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus COVID-19, and the CDC recommends the basics such as avoiding close contact with people who are sick; avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; staying home when you are sick; covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash; and cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

For more recommendations or updates from the CDC go to cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.

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Coronavirus and chiropractic: nutrition for avoiding, recovering - Chiropractic Economics

News Release

Monday, March 9, 2020

New strategy could be applied to other infectious diseases.

A new approach to direct the body to make a specific antibody against HIV led to sustained production of that antibody for more than a year among participants in a National Institutes of Health clinical trial. This drug-delivery technology uses a harmless virus to deliver an antibody gene into human cells, enabling the body to generate the antibody over an extended time. With further development, such a strategy could be applied to prevent and treat a wide variety of infectious diseases, according to the study investigators.

Researchers from NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported the findings on March 9 in an oral presentation at the 2020 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).

Antibodies are immune system proteins that help prevent or clear infections. Traditional vaccines induce the immune system to generate protective antibodies. Another approach to preventing infections is to deliver monoclonal antibodies preparations of a specific antibody designed to bind to a single target directly into people. Monoclonal antibodies also are used therapeutically, with many already approved for treating cancer, autoimmune diseases and other conditions and others being evaluated for treatment of infectious diseases, such as Ebola virus disease.

Administering proteins to people requires periodic injections or infusions to retain protective or therapeutic levels, which can be challenging, particularly in resource-limited settings. Delivery of antibody genes using a virus as a carrier, or vector, offers a potential alternative.

Monoclonal antibodies hold enormous promise for preventing and treating both established and emerging infectious diseases, said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Novel delivery platforms such as viral vectors could facilitate the future development and deployment of antibody-based prophylaxis and therapy, and these findings are a promising first step in that direction.

The drug-delivery system developed by scientists at NIAIDs Vaccine Research Center (VRC) uses adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8) to deliver an antibody gene. AAVs small viruses that do not cause disease in humans have proven to be safe, well-tolerated vectors for gene therapy. In a previous study in animal models, VRC researchers found that using AAV8 to deliver genes for antibodies against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the monkey equivalent of HIV, led monkeys to safely produce high levels of anti-SIV antibodies and protected them from acquiring SIV.

Building on this preclinical work, researchers designed a Phase 1 clinical trial known as VRC 603. It aims to assess the safety and tolerability of an AAV8 vector carrying an anti-HIV antibody gene in adults living with well-controlled HIV, and to evaluate whether it could cause human cells to produce the antibody. The vector carries the gene for an anti-HIV monoclonal antibody called VRC07, which was originally isolated from the blood of a person with HIV.

VRC07 is a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb), meaning it can stop a wide range of HIV strains from infecting human cells in the laboratory. Other clinical studies are underway to determine whether bNAb infusionscan protecthumansfrom acquiring HIV. Scientists also are evaluating whether combinations of HIV bNAbs can suppress the virus in people living with HIV.

The CROI presentation by Joseph P. Casazza, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of VRC 603, described initial results from the first eight participants in the ongoing trial, which is being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Each of these individuals, aged 30 to 60 years, received a single dose by intramuscular injection of one of three different dose levels of AAV8-VRC07. They continued taking daily antiretroviral therapy.

Following injection with AAV8-VRC07, all eight participants produced VRC07 at levels detectable in the blood. VRC07 production reached an early peak four to six weeks after injection, then decreased, and slowly began to increase again roughly 16 weeks after the injection. The researchers have monitored the five participants who received low or intermediate AAV8-VRC07 doses for one and a half to two years. For three of these five individuals, antibody levels one year after injection were higher than those observed at four to six weeks. The three volunteers who received the highest AAV8-VRC07 dose have so far been monitored for five months to one year. Two produced VRC07 at concentrations higher than those seen in the low and intermediate dose groups.

Study participants have not experienced any major side effects due to AAV8-VRC07. Some volunteers experienced transient mild tenderness at the injection site or mild muscle pain.

To the best of our knowledge, this marks the first time that an AAV-based technology to deliver an antibody gene has resulted in safe and sustained levels of that antibody in blood, said NIAID VRC Director John Mascola, M.D. We hope that further development of this technology will yield a drug-delivery strategy applicable to a broad range of infectious diseases.

Administration of monoclonal antibody-based therapies sometimes results in a persons immune system developing antibodies against the therapy. Only three of the eight VRC 603 participants developed antibodies against VRC07; it is not yet clear whether these anti-drug antibodies could reduce VRC07s ability to neutralize HIV. The VRC 603 participants HIV was kept under control with continued antiretroviral therapy during the trial.

The concentrations of VRC07 observed in the study participants were lower than the antibody concentrations observed in animal studies of the AAV8-based technology. The VRC researchers are analyzing data from VRC 603 to better understand the factors that determine how much bNAb is produced by human cells. They also are continuing to monitor the VRC 603 participants and to enroll new volunteers into the trial.

AAV8-VRC07 was developed by VRC scientists in collaboration with David Baltimore, Ph.D., of the California Institute of Technology and Alejandro Balazs, Ph.D., of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. AAV8-VRC07 was manufactured by the Clinical Vector Core of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. More information about the VRC 603 trial is available on ClinicalTrials.gov using identifier NCT03374202.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

JP Casazzaet al. Durable HIV-1 antibody production in humans after AAV8-mediated gene transfer. Oral presentation at the 2020 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). Presented March 9, 2020.

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Drug-delivery technology leads to sustained HIV antibody production in NIH study - National Institutes of Health

Its been a long, wet winter. Everybody has got colds, and now we are braced for a coronavirus epidemic. Boosting our immune system has rarely felt more urgent, but, beyond eating more tangerines and hoping for the best, what else can we do?

Sheena Cruickshank, a professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, has a shocking cold when we speak at a safe distance, over the phone. To know how to take care of your immune system, she says, first you need to understand the weapons in your armoury a cheeringly impressive collection, it turns out.

When you come into contact with a germ youve never met before, she says, youve got various barriers to try to stop it getting into your body. As well as skin, we have mucus snot is a really important barrier and a microbiome, the collective noun for the estimated 100tn microbes that live throughout our bodies, internally and externally. Some of these helpful bugs make antimicrobial chemicals and compete with pathogens for food and space.

Beneath these writhing swamps of mucus and microbes, our bodies are lined with epithelial cells which, says Cruickshank, are really hard to get through. They make antimicrobial products including, most relevant to coronavirus, antiviral compounds that are quite hostile.

If a pathogen breaches these defences, it has to deal with our white blood cells, or immune cells. One type, called macrophages, inhabit all our body tissue and, says Cruickshank, have all these weapons ready to go, but theyre not terribly precise. They report to the cleverer, adaptive white blood cells known as lymphocytes. They are the ones that remember germs, so if you meet that germ again, says Cruickshank, theyll just deal with it probably without you even knowing. Thats when youve got immunity and is the basis of vaccination. Its trying to bypass all the early stuff and create the memory, so you dont have to be sick.

Our immune systems may have blind spots. This might mean that our immune response doesnt recognise certain bugs, she says, or the bugs have sneaky evasion strategies. Personally, my immune system is not necessarily very good at seeing colds. But a healthy lifestyle will ensure your defences are as good as they get.

Seeing as our bodies contain more cells belonging to microbes, such as bacteria and yeasts, than human ones, lets start with the microbiome. We live in a symbiotic relationship with our gut bacteria, says Prof Arne Akbar, the president of the British Society for Immunology and a professor at University College, London. Having the right ones around, that we evolved with, is best for our health. Anything we do that alters that can be detrimental.

Not only do our microbes form protective barriers, they also programme our immune systems. Animals bred with no microbiome have less well developed immune responses. Older people, and those with diseases that are characterised by inflammation, such as allergies, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, tend to have less varied gut microbiomes.

To feed your gut flora, Cruickshank recommends eating a more varied diet with lots of high-fibre foods. Being vegetarian isnt a prerequisite for microbiome health, but the more plant foods you consume, the better. The microbiome really likes fibre, pulses and fermented foods, she adds.

Kefir yoghurt and pickles such as sauerkraut and kimchi are among the fermented delicacies now fashionable thanks to our increasing knowledge of the microbiome. But the evidence for taking probiotic supplements, she says, is mixed. Its not a dead cert that they will survive the journey through your digestive tract, or that they will hang around long enough if they do. Its more effective to change your diet, says Cruickshank.

The skin microbiome is important, too, but we know less about it. High doses of ultraviolet light (usually from the sun) can affect it negatively, weakening any protective functions (as well as triggering immune suppression in the skin itself). Overwashing with strong soaps and using antibacterial products is not friendly to our skin microbiomes. Combinations of perfumes and moisturisers might well also have an effect, says Cruickshank.

To be immunologically fit, you need to be physically fit. White blood cells can be quite sedentary, says Akbar. Exercise mobilises them by increasing your blood flow, so they can do their surveillance jobs and seek and destroy in other parts of the body. The NHS says adults should be physically active in some way every day, and do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (hiking, gardening, cycling) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running, swimming fast, an aerobics class).

The advice for older people, who are more vulnerable to infection, is to do whatever exercise is possible. Anythings better than nothing, says Akbar. But a lifetimes exercise could significantly slow your immune system declining with age. In 2018, a study by University of Birmingham and Kings College London found that 125 non-smoking amateur cyclists aged 55 to 79 still had the immune systems of young people.

The other side of the coin, says Akbar, is elite athletes who become very susceptible to infections because you can exercise to a point where it has a negative impact on your immune system. This problem is unlikely to affect most of us unless, says Cruickshank, youre a couch potato and suddenly try and run a marathon, this could introduce stress hormones and be quite bad for your immune system.

One of the many happy side-effects of exercise is that it reduces stress, which is next on our list of immune-boosting priorities. Stress hormones such as cortisol can compromise immune function, a common example of which, says Akbar, is when chickenpox strikes twice. If you have had it, the virus never completely goes away. During periods of stress, he says, it can reactivate again and we get shingles.

Forget boozing through the coronavirus crisis, because heavy drinking also depletes our immune cells. Some studies have suggested that the first-line-of-defence macrophages are not as effective in people who have had a lot of alcohol, says Cruickshank. And theres been suggestions that high alcohol consumption can lead to a reduction of the lymphocytes as well. So if the bug gets into you, youre not going to be as good at containing and fighting it off.

Cruickshank says that vitamin D has become a hot topic in immunology. It is used by our macrophages, and is something that people in Britain can get quite low on in the winter. Necking extra vitamin C, however, is probably a waste of time for well-fed westerners. Its not that vitamin C isnt crucial to immune function (and other things, such as bone structure). All the vitamins are important, says Cruickshank, but vitamin C is water soluble, its not one that your body stores. Eating your five a day of fruits and vegetables is the best way to maintain necessary levels.

Exercising and eating well will have the likely knock-on effect of helping you sleep better, which is a bonus because a tired body is more susceptible to bugs. One study last year found that lack of sleep impaired the disease-fighting ability of a type of lymphocyte called T cells, and research is demonstrating the importance of our natural biorhythms overall.

Janet Lord, a professor at the University of Birmingham, recently showed that vaccinating people in the morning is more effective than doing so in the afternoon. Your natural biorhythms are, to some extent, dictated by sleep, says Akbar. If youve got a regular sleep pattern, you have natural body rhythms and everythings fine. If they go out of kilter, then youve got problems.

The seriousness of an infection largely depends on the dose you are hit with, which could in turn depend on how contagious the carrier is when they cough near you. Were constantly exposed to germs, and we only get sick from a handful of those, says Cruickshank.

If youre reasonably young and healthy, says Akbar, the mild benefits you may achieve from being extra good probably wont fend off a severe dose of coronavirus or flu. The likely scenario if you catch the infection is, he says, youll be sick for a while and you will recover.

From a public-health perspective, when nasty viruses such as coronavirus are doing the rounds, Akbars priority is not boosting already healthy peoples immune systems, but protecting the vulnerable people. Older people dont respond that well to the flu jab, though its better for them to have it than not. Its a general problem of immune decline with ageing.

When we get older, he says, the barrier function in the gut doesnt work that well, so you have something called leaky gut syndrome, where bugs creep into our bodies causing mild infections. This causes inflammation around the body, as does the natural accumulation of old zombie cells, called senescent cells, and inflammation compromises the immune response.

Akbar is working on developing drug treatments to reduce inflammation in older people but they are a way off yet. Age 65 is when, medically, one is considered older, but thats arbitrary, says Akbar. Some old people might get problems much earlier. And there are older people who are totally healthy.

In terms of coronavirus, says Cruickshank, its mostly spread by droplet transmission, as far as we can tell, so the biggest thing is hygiene. So wash your hands, and sneeze and cough into tissues, she suggests, between sniffles. No one can completely avoid getting sick, not even top immunologists.

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How to boost your immune system to avoid colds and coronavirus - The Guardian

With the COVID-19 coronavirus spreading, should older adults be flying? (Photo: Getty)

If you are 65 years of age or older or have a chronic medical condition, you may want to think twice about air travel given the COVID-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) situation. Think twice may include trying to recall if you actually have your own private jet.

If you dont have your own airplane, then consider the recommendations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website now has for those at higher risk for bad COVID-19 outcomes. As the CDC website explains, older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease seem to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. Early data suggest older people are twice as likely to have serious COVID-19 illness. (If you want to learn more about why such illnesses tend to be more serious in older adults, Miriam Knoll, MD has previously written for Forbes on this topic.) Nowhere on the CDC web page does it explicitly tell older individuals or those with weaker immune systems to avoid air travel. Nevertheless, take a look at the actual recommendations:

These recommendations dont exactly scream that its OK to get on a commercial flight. After all, commercial flights that arent ghost flights tend to have crowds on them called passengers. Completely avoiding other passengers might require either riding on the wing or spending the entire flight in the bathroom chanting, dont come in here. Theres bad stuff in here. Plus, how can you keep space between yourself and others when you are so close to your neighbors that you cant quite tell which seat belt is whose? These CDC web page even says, avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. And spring breeze is probably not the first thing that you think of when on a commercial flight.

Mike Stobbe reported for the Associated Press that the White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus. However, Katie Miller, the Press Secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, tweeted the following about this AP report:

Regardless of who actually said what or did what, it is hard to reconcile the current CDC recommendations with older adults taking a commercial flight. Thus, if you are 65 years or older, have a chronic medical condition like diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or cancer, are on medications such as steroids that may weaken your immune system, or have some other reason why your immune system may not at peak condition, you may want to do whatever you can to avoid air travel. That includes canceling or postponing flights if feasible. Unless, of course, you have your own plane.

In fact, other aspects of the CDC recommendations essentially paint the general picture that older individuals and others with weaker immune systems should begin to distance themselves from others. That doesnt mean start acting aloof and cold and saying, bye, Felicia to everyone. Rather, it means maintaining more physical distance from others. If you are in the higher risk group, prepare to spend more time at home.

When you are older or have chronic medical medical conditions, the recommendation usually isnt too interact less with people. In fact, meeting new people can be a great way to cope with loneliness and other challenges. But these are not typical times. A potentially deadly and not yet well-understood infectious disease is spreading and the situation continues to evolve. Social distancing doesnt mean cut off all social ties. Technology now allows you to maintain and even grow social ties without always having to be physically next to each other. For example, you can start a massive amount of different hashtags or like everything that everyone says on Twitter. The CDC also isnt recommending that you become a hermit. Just make sure that face-to-face interaction is not literally face-to-face. Also, make sure that the people you do interact with in person are not sick and know what precautions to take to keep themselves and you from getting infected.

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Are You At Higher Risk For Serious COVID-19 Illness? Here Is What To Do - Forbes

Posted: Mar 6, 2020 / 11:57 PM EST / Updated: Mar 6, 2020 / 11:57 PM EST

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) With all the viruses going around, many of us are looking for ways to strengthen our immune systems.

On Point Health and Wellness in Beckley has safe alternative methods to keep your family healthy.

According to owner and licensed acupuncturist, Kacy Korczyk, acupuncture can naturally boost immunity and help with inflammation by releasing neuromodulators in the brain. She said you can also relax in the salt cave, and breathe in the therapeutic salt in the air. It is both anti-bacterial and antiviral.

Its really something super easy and super affordable, said Korczyk. You literally just go sit in a room and breath in salt air, and it can work wonders for your sinuses and respiratory tract along with skin issues It can also help with muscle tension and sleep as well.

People can use the salt cave anywhere from two to three times a week to once a month depending on your needs.

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Alternative methods to boost your immune system - WVNS-TV

WASHINGTON A team of scientists jostled for a view of the lab dish, staring impatiently for the first clue that an experimental vaccine against the new coronavirus just might work.

After weeks of round-the-clock research at the National Institutes of Health, it was time for a key test. If the vaccine revs up the immune system, the samples in that dish blood drawn from immunized mice would change color.

Minutes ticked by, and finally they started glowing blue.

Especially at moments like this, everyone crowds around, said Kizzmekia Corbett, an NIH research fellow leading the vaccine development. When her team sent word of the positive results, it was absolutely amazing.

Dozens of research groups around the world are racing to create a vaccine as COVID-19 cases continue to grow. Importantly, theyre pursuing different types of vaccines shots developed from new technologies that not only are faster to make than traditional inoculations but might prove more potent. Some researchers even aim for temporary vaccines, such as shots that might guard peoples health a month or two at a time while longer-lasting protection is developed.

Until we test them in humans, we have absolutely no idea what the immune response will be, cautioned vaccine expert Dr. Judith ODonnell, infectious disease chief at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Having a lot of different vaccines with a lot of different theories behind the science of generating immunity all on a parallel track really ultimately gives us the best chance of getting something successful.

First-step testing in small numbers of young, healthy volunteers is set to start soon. Theres no chance participants could get infected from the shots, because they dont contain the virus itself. The goal is purely to check that the vaccines show no worrisome side effects, setting the stage for larger tests of whether they protect.

First in line is the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. It is preparing to test 45 volunteers with different doses of shots co-developed by NIH and Moderna Inc.

Next, Inovio Pharmaceuticals aims to begin safety tests of its vaccine candidate next month in a few dozen volunteers at the University of Pennsylvania and a testing center in Kansas City, Missouri, followed by a similar study in China and South Korea.

Even if initial safety tests go well, youre talking about a year to a year and a half before any vaccine could be ready for widespread use, stressed Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

That still would be a record-setting pace. But manufacturers know the wait required because it takes additional studies of thousands of people to tell if a vaccine truly protects and does no harm is hard for a frightened public.

I can really genuinely understand everybodys frustration and maybe even confusion, said Kate Broderick, Inovios research and development chief. You can do everything as fast as possible, but you cant circumvent some of these vital processes.

Behind-the-scenes in NIHs lab

The new coronavirus is studded with a protein aptly named spike that lets the virus burrow into human cells. Block that protein, and people wont get infected. That makes spike the target of most vaccine research.

Not so long ago, scientists would have had to grow the virus itself to create a vaccine. The NIH is using a new method that skips that step. Researchers instead copy the section of the virus genetic code that contains the instructions for cells to create the spike protein, and let the body become a mini-factory.

Inject a vaccine containing that code, called messenger RNA or mRNA, and peoples cells produce some harmless spike protein. Their immune system spots the foreign protein and makes antibodies to attack it. The body would then be primed to react quickly if the real virus ever comes along.

Corbetts team had a head start. Because theyd spent years trying to develop a vaccine against MERS, a cousin of the new virus, they knew how to make spike proteins stable enough for immunization, and sent that key ingredient to Moderna to brew up doses.

How to tell its a good candidate to test in people?

Corbetts team grew spike protein in the lab lots of it and stored it frozen in vials. Then with the first research doses of vaccine Moderna dubbed mRNA-1273, the NIH researchers immunized dozens of mice. Days later, they started collecting blood samples to check if the mice were producing antibodies against that all-important spike protein. One early test: Mix the mouse samples with thawed spike protein and various color-eliciting trackers, and if antibodies are present, they bind to the protein and glow.

Corbett said the work couldnt have moved so quickly had it not been for years of behind-the-scenes lab testing of a possible MERS vaccine that works the same way.

I think about it a lot, how many of the little experimental questions we did not have to belabor this time around, she said. When she saw the first promising mouse tests, I felt like there was a beginning of all of this coming full circle.

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INOVIOS APPROACH

Inovios approach is similar -- again using genetic code, in this case packaged inside a piece of synthetic DNA that acts as the vaccine. One advantage Broderick cites for a DNA approach is that unlike many types of vaccines, it may not need refrigeration.

A MERS vaccine that Inovio designed the same way passed initial safety studies in people, paving the way for testing the new COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Inovio is doing similar animal testing to look for presumably protective antibodies.

While it gets ready for human safety tests, Inovio also is prepping for another piece of evidence whats called a challenge study. Vaccinated animals will be put in a special high-containment lab and exposed to the new coronavirus to see if they get infected or not.

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PLACEHOLDER VACCINES?

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is exploring a different approach: simply injecting people with coronavirus-fighting antibodies instead of teaching the body to make its own. This method could provide temporary protection against infection or work as a treatment for someone already infected.

Regeneron vaccinated mice genetically engineered to make human antibodies. From small blood samples, researchers culled hundreds of different antibodies, and now theyre teasing out which seem most potent against that notorious spike protein, said Christos Kyratsous, Regenerons chief of infectious disease research.

Regeneron developed this monoclonal antibody approach as a life-saving treatment for Ebola. Last year, it performed a successful safety test of experimental antibodies designed to fight MERS.

The difference between using antibodies as a treatment or a vaccine? Low-dose shots in the arm every few months might give enough antibodies to temporarily ward off infection, while treatment likely would require far higher doses delivered intravenously, Kyratsous said. Regeneron is pursuing both, and hopes to begin first-step safety testing in early summer.

The antibodies are the same, he said. We would like to have an antibody that is as flexible in administration as possible.

Whichever of these approaches, or others in the pipeline, pan out, NIHs Corbett said scientists one day hope to have vaccines on the shelf that could be used against entire families of viruses. One frustration when scientists have to start from scratch is that outbreaks too often are waning by the time vaccine candidates are ready for widespread testing.

This is the fastest we have gone, Fauci said of the NIHs vaccine candidate, although he warned it might not be fast enough.

Still, he called it quite conceivable that COVID-19 will go beyond just a season, and come back and recycle next year. In that case, we hope to have a vaccine.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Behind the scenes, scientists prep for COVID-19 vaccine test - Northwest Herald