Features

Remdesivir Is Active Against MERS Coronavirus in Monkeys

Drug Also Being Tested in Clinical Trials Against the New Coronavirus

BY BIJETA PRASAI, NHLBI

The drug remdesivir has antiviral effects against a variety of viruses including Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in rhesus monkeys, according to a study conducted by NIAID researchers at the Rocky Mountain Labs in Hamilton, Montana. Because MERS-CoV and the new COVID-19 coronavirus are closely related viruses, the scientists believe that remdesivir treatment will work against the new coronavirus as well. Clinical trials of remdesivir for COVID-19 are already underway

Part of the Next Generation of Clinical Researchers

BY LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER

Congratulations to the five investigators who recently joined the ranks of the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program, NIH’s collaborative effort with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation to nurture the next generation of clinical researchers: Sean Agbor-Enoh; Paule V. Joseph; Joanna Klubo-Gwiezdzinska; Nirali N. Shah; and David Takeda.

A Giant Leap of Love, Faith, and Courage

A Husband-Wife’s Quest to Cure a Genetic Prion Disease

BY SUNITA CHOPRA, NCI

Sonia Vallabh and her husband Eric Minikel hadn’t set out to build careers in science. But a tragic event changed their careers and they became patient-scientists in search of a cure for prion disease.

Blood Test May Point to Timing of Breast-Cancer Diagnosis

Shifts in White Blood-Cell Types Leading Up to a Breast-Cancer Diagnosis

BY MARLA BROADFOOT, NIEHS

Shifts in the populations of different types of leukocytes, or white-blood cells, in a woman’s bloodstream may signal a later diagnosis of breast cancer according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Improving End-of-Life Care for Dying Children

NIH Researchers Develop an Illustrated Storybook

BY SOFIYA HUPALO, NIGMS

Palliative-care researchers Lori Wiener and Meaghann Weaver have written a children’s storybook—The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers—to help families and caregivers of children with a terminal illness talk about progressive illness, engage children in decision making, and reduce the stigma surrounding the topic of death.