Two drugs join forces against COVID-19
Two drugs, including one developed by a researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 in tests of human cells. Both drugs, vacuolin-1 and apilimod, originally developed years ago, target a large enzyme called PIKfyve kinase. Prior to this study, little was known about this enzyme’s role in COVID-19 infection. Details ... Read More
Boston Children’s Hospital leads national study on pediatric COVID-19 and MIS-C
Why are children largely spared from COVID-19 — and why do a few become extremely sick? To find out, Boston Children’s Hospital launched a national study in April to perform real-time surveillance at more than 35 U.S. children’s hospitals. In May, when multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) began appearing, that still-mysterious condition was added ... Read More
A snapshot of COVID-19 in children admitted to the PICU
Experts have recently warned of cases of serious inflammatory illness in children possibly related to COVID-19. But a report in JAMA Pediatrics this week reinforces the fact that serious complications have been rare in children with the new coronavirus, especially if they have no underlying health conditions. The new study represents the first cross-sectional, multi-hospital ... Read More
Making an IMPACC: Examining immune responses in people hospitalized with COVID-19
We know that the consequences of COVID-19 disease start by infection from a virus. But how does the body react to that viral invasion? To answer that question, Boston Children’s Hospital will play key roles in a nationwide study designed to learn how the immune systems of people hospitalized with COVID-19 respond to the disease ... Read More
COVID-19 and children: Understanding the science
As information on COVID-19 pours in from all kinds of sources, not all of them reliable, we wanted to bring you the facts about how children and teens appear to be responding to the infection. In recent weeks, several highly respected medical journals have published studies and commentaries based on observations in children and teens ... Read More
CRUSH: Developing a sexual education program for young adults on the autism spectrum
For many young adults on the autism spectrum, developing and maintaining positive intimate relationships can be challenging. But collaboration between Boston Children’s Hospital and UMass Boston hopes to provide some on-point guidance through a new initiative¾the Competence in Romance and Sexual Health (CRUSH) program, aimed at developing a new sex education curriculum for young adults ... Read More