Infection news round up 2022
See below for a summary and list of infection-related stories from across College news desks in 2022. These are just the tip of the iceberg of Imperial's contribution to the understanding and management of infectious diseases this year.
Research Highlights:
- COVID-19: Continuous insights and advances in the understanding and monitoring of COVID-19 infections and Long Covid, including on the highly infectious omicron variant, and by leveraging the REACT and Human Challenge studies.
- Fungal science: Establishment of the Fungal Science Network and award of NIHR funding for the IMPRINT study, aimed at combatting four major HIV-associated fungal infections
- Antimicrobial drug resistance: Basic discovery science, health innovations and new therapeutics
- Malaria: Fundamental research and diagnostics
Infection-related College news stories in 2022
COVID-19 news stories (2022)
Tracking the spread and impact
- Fall in coronavirus infections in England may have stalled at high level - REACT (Jan)
- "It's certainly not over" warns Imperial academic as COVID-19 restrictions lift (Feb)
- At least 5 million children have lost a caregiver from COVID-19, study suggests (Feb)
- Lateral flow tests may be missing ‘substantial’ number of COVID-19 infections (Feb)
- REACT study shows rapid rise in Omicron while highlighting vaccine success (Feb)
- Coronavirus infections remain high while Omicron ‘stealth variant’ rises - REACT (March)
- COVID-19 mapper reveals symptom variation between countries and health status (March)
- 1 in 16 infected with the coronavirus as REACT study records highest rates yet (May)
- New report tracks two years of changing behaviours and attitudes during COVID-19 (July)
- Q&A: Does COVID-19 spread in schools? (Oct)
- Sewage overspill in the Thames likely does not lead to COVID-19 risk, says study (Nov)
Disease insights and risk factors
- Omicron – latest research and expert views as PCR test rules change (Jan)
- T cells from common colds cross-protect against infection with SARS-CoV-2 (Jan)
- COVID-19 complications in children: What we’ve learnt about PIMS and long COVID (Feb)
- A genetic difference affects the likelihood of severe COVID-19 infection (Feb)
- COVID-19 human challenge study reveals detailed insights into infection (Feb)
- COVID-19 mixed with flu increases risk of severe illness and death (March)
- People with Omicron variant less likely hospitalised compared to Delta variant (March)
- Study shows COVID risk greater for those with poorly controlled or severe asthma (March)
- Ongoing ‘immune injuries’ might cause persistent breathlessness after COVID-19 (March)
- Largest study to date identifies risk factors for severe COVID-19 (April)
- Imperial reactor delicensed and viral variants: News from the College (April)
- Lasting brain impacts of severe COVID-19 equivalent to 20 years of ageing (May)
- Podcast: HIV vaccine progress, COVID and brains, and saving Brazil’s forests (May)
- No ‘safest spot’ to minimise risk of COVID-19 transmission on trains (June)
- Omicron infection is a poor booster of COVID-19 immunity (June)
- How worrying are new Omicron variants - Professor Neil Ferguson (July)
- Real-world study details average duration of infectiousness for COVID-19 (Aug)
- COVID-19 – how long am I infectious and when can I safely leave isolation? (Aug)
- Study reveals extent of lung scarring after COVID hospitalisation (Nov)
- How have COVID-19 symptoms changed with different variants? (Nov)
- Fusion surprises and COVID scars: News from the College (Nov)
Vaccines and treatments
- COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody responses are impaired by some IBD treatments (Feb)
- Aspirin may improve 3-month survival for patients critically ill with COVID-19 (March)
- Interrupting immune-suppressing treatment can boost COVID vaccine response (June)
- Vaccinations may have prevented almost 20 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide (June)
- Effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the timing and flow of menstrual periods (July)
Diagnostics, monitoring and preparing
- Curbing COVID-19 in schools: Imperial scientists support CO2 monitor rollout (Jan)
- Antiviral metabolite identified as potential serum biomarker for viral infection (March)
- Home blood oxygen monitoring can help COVID patients spot early warning signs (March)
- COVID-19 poo test for bats may help pandemic monitoring and conservation efforts (May)
- New machine learning tool can help predict patients most at risk of COVID-19 (Oct)
- Jameel Institute Symposium: How can we better prepare for the next pandemic? (Nov)
Recognitions
- Imperial receives Queen’s Anniversary Prize for ‘world-class’ COVID-19 response (Feb)
- Imperial Real-time Modelling Team receives Award for Modelling and Data Support (Oct)
- Imperial researchers recognised for collaborative COVID-19 modelling efforts (Nov)
- Microbiology Society Prize Medal 2023 awarded to Professor Wendy Barclay (Nov)
Drug resistance news stories (2022)
- Engineers create spiky materials inspired by insects that could pop bacteria (Feb)
- Scientists discover new approach to fighting antibiotic resistance (Feb)
- 3D-printed Sensor on Fibre-Optic Probes for Rapid Bacteria Detection (Feb)
- Disease biology pioneers receive Wellcome Trust funding (March)
- EU gives Imperial €2.5 million to delve deeper into bacterial gene swapping (April)
- Bacterial intimacy insights could help tackle antimicrobial resistance (June)
- Imperial College infectious diseases expert warns about drug resistance dangers (June)
- 'Silent’ mutations help bacteria to evade antibiotics (Sept)
- Flexible movement sensors and bacterial toxins: News from the College (Sept)
- Imperial partnering with EnteroBiotix to advance microbiome medical treatments (Nov)
- Clearing the way for new diagnostics to tackle drug resistant infections (Nov)
Diagnostics news stories (2022)
- AMS professorship and disease relapse: News from the College (Jan)
- Antiviral metabolite identified as potential serum biomarker for viral infection (March)
- Imperial partners with laboratory in DR Congo for Rapid Polio detection (May)
- £3m NIHR funding boost for digital diagnostics in African healthcare systems (June)
- Imperial experts to develop low-cost digital crop virus sensors with $1m grant (June)
- Parasite-detecting DNA biosensors offer new tool to tackle schistosomiasis (Aug)
- Innovative test for pig infections will bring the diagnostic lab to the farm (Oct)
- Lab-grown cell machinery prompts real cells to sense and react to outside cues (Oct)
- Imperial students win £7000 prize for norovirus lateral flow test technology (Nov)
Fungal science news stories (2022)
Malaria news stories (2022)
- Disease predictions can be improved by factoring in mosquito predators (Jan)
- Mosquitoes that can’t spread malaria engineered by scientists (Sept)
- Modified mosquitoes and ‘zombie’ cells: News from the College (Feb)
- Podcast: Making malaria history, psychedelics for depression and a new diet (April)
- CRISPR-based oligo recombineering in drug discovery (Nov)
Translation into treatments, policy, and public information (2022)
- Omicron – latest research and expert views as PCR test rules change (Jan)
- Curbing COVID-19 in schools: Imperial scientists support CO2 monitor rollout (Jan)
- "It's certainly not over" warns Imperial academic as COVID-19 restrictions lift (Feb)
- Podcast: Debating vaccines, LGBTQ+ history month, and humans of health research (Feb)
- Podcast: Child COVID condition, health inequalities, and a healthy planet (March)
- Meningitis jab could be cost-effective for combating gonorrhoea (April)
- Podcast: Making malaria history, psychedelics for depression and a new diet (April)
- Podcast: HIV vaccine progress, COVID and brains, and saving Brazil’s forests (May)
- Hepatitis outbreak in children: What we know so far (May)
- Monkeypox outbreak - an Imperial expert explains (May)
- Real-time epidemic forecasting tool to support global outbreak monitoring (May)
- Vaccinations may have prevented almost 20 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide (June)
- Imperial joins UK’s top scientists to battle bird flu outbreaks (June)
- Imperial joins UK’s top scientists to battle bird flu outbreaks (June)
- Professor Neil Ferguson OBE speaks at Westminster event on modelling (July)
- How worrying are new Omicron variants - Professor Neil Ferguson (July)
- Expert Insight: Nick Grassly’s comments on poliovirus detection in the UK (July)
- COVID-19 – how long am I infectious and when can I safely leave isolation? (Aug)
- Imperial expert urges people to get flu vaccine ahead of winter resurgence (Sept)
- Q&A: Does COVID-19 spread in schools? (Oct)
- Why do children need polio vaccine boosters - Q and A (Oct)
- Blocking poxvirus infectiousness with NMT inhibitors (Oct)
- Podcast: Winter viruses, being an engineer, and improving energy efficiency (Nov)
- Multi-million-pound trial will help rapidly find flu treatments this winter (Nov)
- New consortium to tackle monkeypox outbreaks (Nov)
- CRISPR-based oligo recombineering in drug discovery (Nov)