Several months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many journalists began reporting on the fact that, due to reduced levels of transportation, lockdowns were leading to reduced air pollution. This news was celebrated, as we’ve known for decades that air pollution is detrimental to human health. However, there is also a troubling connection between air …
Are Sports Bubbles Effective in the Fight Against COVID-19?
The word bubble has several meanings. Although it’s most commonly used to describe a sphere of liquid enclosing air or gas, it can also be used to describe an inflatable dome-shaped structure or an enclosure that protects patients from infection. Lately, bubble is also being used to describe an area in which competing sports teams reside in isolation in …
Resiliency in CRO Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A Conversation with QPS Holdings LLC Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ben Chien, PhD NOVEMBER 2020 As QPS Holdings LLC Chairman President, and CEO, Ben Chien, PhD, leads a large global organization with locations across the US, Europe, and Asia. Since its inception in 1995, the company has grown from a three-employee molecular bioanalysis …
What Field Researchers Can Teach Us About Quarantine and Isolation
As countries around the world move through various stages of quarantine and restrictions on public life, many people are finding themselves more isolated than they are accustomed to. Contact with someone who has the novel coronavirus can require a two-week quarantine, further restricting their movement and contact with others. For most people, this is an …
QPS COVID-19 Testing Capabilities
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a call to arms for many of the world’s biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Although progress has been made, these companies must continue to use their top scientists, creative thinking skills, and material sources to blunt and reverse the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. This is especially important …
Oligonucleotides: Innovations in Antivirals for Novel Viruses
As scientists, doctors and researchers race to develop vaccines and therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2, several drugs have emerged as promising candidates. Oligonucleotide therapeutics are one such type of drug, according to Zamas Lam, Senior Vice President of Preclinical Development at QPS, and John Kolman, Vice President of Translational Medicine at QPS.
UK COVID-19 Challenge Trials to Infect Healthy Volunteers with Coronavirus
As communities strive to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the United Kingdom is funding research trials that will deliberately infect healthy young volunteers with the coronavirus. With these COVID-19 challenge trials, the government hopes to accelerate the development of safe, effective vaccines. However, the strategy is controversial. Researchers must weigh …
Animals and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Contributions and Risks
Global cases of the novel coronavirus have surpassed thirty-seven million, and the global fatality count is now more than one million. Most media and scientific coverage of the pandemic has focused on its impact on humans. But animals have also been affected by the virus — and many have also played major roles in SARS-CoV-2 …
23andMe Data Bolsters Link Between COVID-19 and Blood Types
Did you know that a person’s blood type may be linked to the likelihood that they will catch COVID-19 and experience severe symptoms? Recently 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company best known for providing direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, published preliminary data for an upcoming study that strengthens prior research on this subject. Although the study has not …
COVID-19 versus the Seasonal Flu: Facts and Figures
Since SARS-CoV-2 (or the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19) emerged, many have compared it to the seasonal flu. The seasonal flu virus and SARS-CoV-2 can present with similar symptoms: both seasonal influenza strains (flu A and flu B) and SARS-CoV-2 are contagious viruses that cause respiratory illnesses in humans. The outcomes of the …
