A roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus includes research on whether a childhood vaccine may help prevent severe Covid-19 and whether cigarette smoke increases cell vulnerability to Covid-19.

Vaccinating nine in 10 girls under the age of 15 years against cervical cancer, and improved screening and treatment of women could reduce infections by 40% and save 5 million lives by 2050, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

In a Reuters roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for Covid-19, common cold antibodies yield clues to Covid-19 behavior.

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model able to detect asymptomatic Covid-19 cases by identifying differences in the sounds of coughs between healthy and infected people.

Johnson & Johnson plans to start testing the company’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine in youths aged 12 to 18 as soon as possible, a company executive said at a meeting held by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presented complete results from the company’s ILLUMINATE-B Phase III study in children under 6 years with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), a rare disorder affecting the kidneys.

GlaxoSmithKline will move the company’s experimental vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a cause of pneumonia in toddlers and the elderly, into the final stage of testing after experiencing encouraging mid-stage trial results.

Beckman Coulter will be using a grant from BARDA (the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a division of the Dept. of Health and Human Services) to validate the ability of the company’s Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW) hematology biomarker to aid in the rapid detection of a rare but serious complication of Covid-19 affecting children. 

In a Phase III study, the biologic Dupixent met primary and all key secondary endpoints in children ages 6 to 11 who have uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma.

Pfizer and Opko Health reported their Phase III clinical trial of somatrogan met the primary endpoint compared to Genotropin (somatropin) for treating children 3 to 18 years of age with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).