COVID-19 treatment

October 5, 2021

AstraZeneca seeks emergency approval for COVID-19 antibodies isolated at VUMC

Biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has requested emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a long-acting antibody combination originally developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to protect against COVID-19.

By Bill Snyder
October 1, 2021

VUMC research contributed to first COVID-19 pill now under review

Vanderbilt research helped allow pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. to authorization for the first oral antiviral pill to treat COVID-19.

By Bill Snyder
September 23, 2021

From fantasy fiction to patient narratives, the power of storytelling drives Michelle Izmaylov

“If you just simply sit with someone and listen, you will learn incredible things”

By Emily Stembridge
September 22, 2021

Rounds: Hard conversations

By Doug Campbell
September 2, 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis drug combined with standard of care may help reduce mortality for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who received the rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib, in combination with the standard of care including corticosteroids, died less often than those receiving only the standard of care, according to a study released this week in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

By Nancy Humphrey
September 2, 2021

A leading authority in ICU-related depression and PTSD, Jim Jackson’s skills have proven especially critical to helping patients during the pandemic

“The last year has been so traumatizing and hard, but to use the skills and knowledge that we have been developing to good effect in the service of others during this difficult season has been meaningful.”

By Bill Snyder
August 20, 2021

COVID-19 antibody ‘cocktail’ discovered at VUMC protects chronically ill: study

A monoclonal antibody cocktail against the COVID-19 virus discovered at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and developed by AstraZeneca reduced the risk of symptoms in a study of immunocompromised and chronically ill adults later exposed to the virus by 77%, the company announced today.
By Bill Snyder
August 11, 2021

Family pediatricians should be first line of defense for COVID concerns

As the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19 spreads, impacting children, pediatricians at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt say there are steps parents can take to help keep their children safe.
By Jessica Pasley
August 2, 2021

VUMC sees increase of COVID-19 in pregnant patients

Physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have recently noticed an increase in pregnant patients ill with COVID-19. These cases are especially concerning due an increased risk of hospitalization, ICU admission, need for mechanical ventilation and ventilatory support, and increased risk of death in pregnant patients with COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant patients.
By Emily Stembridge
July 26, 2021

VUMC, NIH launch clinical trial to test novel therapies to protect host tissue against COVID-19

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are leading a nationwide clinical trial to explore the safety and effectiveness of a group of novel drugs designed to protect patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at high risk of poor outcomes.
By Craig Boerner
July 8, 2021

Study finds genetic risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness

A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness.
By Bill Snyder
June 22, 2021

Combination antibody therapies should retain effectiveness against emerging COVID-19 variants: study

Five monoclonal antibody “cocktails,” including one developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), are protective in animal studies against several variant strains of COVID-19, according to a report this week in the journal Nature.
By Bill Snyder
June 9, 2021

COVID-19 pandemic brought changes in cigarette smoking: study

Smokers who believed they were at increased risk of getting COVID-19 during the pandemic, or having a more severe case, were more likely to quit while those whoperceived more stress increased smoking, according to new research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
By Craig Boerner