Archive for coronavirus
Immune biomarkers predicted COVID-19 severity and could help in future pandemics
Why did some people fall critically ill from COVID-19 and others not? In May 2020, as COVID-19 swept the world, Boston Children’s Hospital helped launch a national, NIAID-funded study called IMPACC (IMmunoPhenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort). Taking a “systems immunology” approach, the goal was to document the virus’s impact on the immune system in ... Read More
Deep plasma proteomics: Back to the future
Blood plasma is collected from people routinely during clinical care and for research. It is potentially a rich source of protein biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, for measuring response to treatment, and for revealing disease biology. Yet identifying such biomarkers in plasma with proteomics, our best available tool, has been a challenge: Ninety-nine percent ... Read More
Research 2022: Tackling disease in new ways
Researchers across Boston Children’s spent 2022 imagining new solutions to old challenges in health and medicine, opening the door to brand-new treatments. Here are a few areas where research is poised to make a difference in children’s — and even adults’ — lives. Rethinking disease through genetics Genetic sequencing is becoming a fundamental tool for discovering ... Read More
Using germs against themselves: How vaccines work
Germs are all around us. When a germ (in the form of virus or bacteria) enters your body, it tries to make you sick. Some germs cause minor colds, but others can cause serious disease. Fortunately, your immune system is your body’s internal defense system. It protects you by creating immune cells (T cells) and ... Read More
Beyond COVID-19: Why kids need other vaccines, too
As you consider immunizing your child, it’s natural to have questions about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. But the recent detection of polio in New York illustrates how diseases that were once thought to have been eradicated can reemerge when vaccination efforts lag. While COVID-19 vaccines have understandably drawn attention during recent years, it’s important to ... Read More
Eight tips to get your kids on a good sleep schedule
If your kids are staying up past midnight and not getting out of bed until after noon, they are in good company. Since kids have been out of school for the summer and have spent their days and nights with their friends or staying up late to binge a TV show, many are off their ... Read More
How protected am I from COVID-19? A new test could tell you at home
Say you’re going to a wedding or a concert or are about to leave the country. You’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, even boosted, but you have an underlying medical condition. You might have a young child who’s received only one vaccine dose. How much protection do you and your family have? Do you need another ... Read More
Powerful new antibody neutralizes all known coronavirus variants
As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, newer variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus have been evolving ways to evade the antibodies we make in response to vaccines or prior infections. As a result, we’ve seen breakthrough cases, antibody treatments that once worked have also become less effective over time. Scientists have been searching for an antibody ... Read More
Lingering health problems in children and youth after COVID-19 and MIS-C
More than one in four children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) had persisting health problems two to four months later, finds a study led by Boston Children’s Hospital, one of the largest of its kind to date. Just published in the journal Pediatrics, the study tracked 358 patients ... Read More
Making a difference in children’s lives: A guide to the 2022 election season
Voting is your right and your way to make a difference in children’s lives. When you cast your vote, you’re letting elected officials know where you stand on issues such as access to health care, behavioral health, and child nutrition programs. In this spirit of civic engagement, Boston Children’s Hospital encourages all eligible citizens to make their voices ... Read More