October 16, 2026

Vaccination: AI Biotechnology

Accelerated Discovery of Thermostable mRNA–lipid Nanoparticle Vaccines Using Data-efficient AI Biotechnology.
The instability of mRNA−lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) necessitates ultra-cold storage, limiting global distribution and their broader application in advanced delivery systems. Solid-state, water-free formulations enhance thermostability and enable integration into emerging delivery modalities such as microneedle patches. Previous efforts to stabilize mRNA−LNPs have been constrained by narrow formulation scope and low-throughput screening methods. Here authors introduce Algorithm-Guided Experimental design for lipid Nanoparticle Thermostabilization (AGENT), an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven framework that couples high-throughput experimentation with Bayesian optimization to identify thermostable mRNA−LNP formulations. AGENT extracts maximal information from sparse experimental datasets, enabling efficient formulation optimization in six iterations completed within one month. We stabilized mRNA vaccines with two clinically relevant LNPs representative of the Moderna (SM-102-based) and Pfizer-BioNTech (ALC-0315-based) compositions into solid-state formulations that retained 100% bioactivity after storage at 37 °C for more than two months. In rodents and non-human primates, thermostable, solid-state vaccine formulations induced antigen-specific immune responses non-inferior to those elicited by intramuscular delivery of freshly prepared soluble vaccines.

COVID: The Late Phase/PASC/Long COVID

Characterizing Sleep Disturbance Phenotypes in Long COVID: An EHR-based Study from a Safety-net Hospital
These are the results of a retrospective chart review of 496 adults evaluated between 2022 and 2023 at an urban safety-net hospital’s Long COVID clinic. Sleep disturbances were reported by 71.8% of participants. Insomnia (34.8%) and mixed phenotype (20.8%) were the most common, followed by hypersomnia (9.3%). Insomnia and mixed types were associated with pre-existing cases of anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and use of benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, and muscle relaxants. Mixed type was additionally associated with chronic heart disease (odds ratio (OR) = 5.0, p = 0.02), obstructive sleep apnea (OR = 3.2, p = 0.02), and chronic pulmonary disease (OR = 2.8, p < 0.01). Hypersomnia was not linked to prior medical or psychiatric history but was predicted by PASC symptoms of post-exertional malaise (OR = 10.4, p < 0.01), fatigue (OR = 6.1, p < 0.01), dysautonomia (OR = 5.6, p = 0.02), and gait instability (OR = 9.2, p = 0.01). Insomnia in PASC aligned with pre-existing medical, psychiatric, and medication-related vulnerabilities, whereas hypersomnia appeared to emerge de novo alongside hallmark PASC symptoms. These divergent profiles suggest distinct pathophysiologic pathways and may inform more targeted diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Sputum and Oral Microbiota Profiles are Associated with Long COVID Severity and Phenotype Post-hospitalisation: A UK Multicentre, Prospective Cohort Study
In this study adults were prospectively recruited to the longitudinal UK Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID). Patients were grouped by previously described “severity clusters” (of ongoing health impairments) and symptom subgroups. Oral and sputum microbiota (at six months post-discharge) were characterised through 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing, and microbiota diversity was assessed. 771 participants had their microbiota assessed. Of participants with oral rinses and “severity cluster” assignment (mean age 57.5 years), 278 out of 722 (38.5%) were women. The “very severe” cluster, in which disease was predominantly pulmonary in nature, was associated with a distinct microbiota profile post-COVID-19. Reduced lung function was associated with a distinct oral microbiota profile. Persistent neurocognitive symptoms were associated with a distinct oral microbiota profile, while gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with a distinct sputum microbiota profile. Microbiota keystone taxa shifted to a higher prevalence of lactic acid bacteria associated with worse health outcomes. Lactic acid bacteria abundance was associated with elevated blood inflammatory proteins.