Lab owner sentenced in $14M COVID-19 test fraud; FDA halts trials that sent Americans’ cells abroad for genetic editing; supercharged vaccine shows promise with dual-adjuvant boost – Morning Medical Update

Morning Medical Update © meeboonstudio - stock.adobe.com

Lab owner sentenced to 7 years for $14M COVID-19 test fraud

Zishan Alvi, 46, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for submitting false COVID-19 test claims to the federal government. Alvi admitted to billing over $14 million for tests that were either never performed or improperly diluted to cut costs, then issuing bogus negative results. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and must repay $14.2 million and forfeit luxury assets including $6.8 million in cash and a 2021 Range Rover. The scheme targeted the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s COVID-19 relief program.

FDA halts trials that sent Americans’ cells abroad for gene editing without consent

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has frozen new clinical trials that exported Americans’ living cells to countries like China for genetic engineering, often without participants' knowledge or consent. The agency cited serious ethical and national security concerns, particularly surrounding a 2024 Biden administration exemption that allowed DNA exports despite links to foreign adversaries. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., said the agency will now require full transparency, domestic handling of biological materials, and ethical consent. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is also reviewing its research portfolio to identify federally funded studies impacted by the exemption.

Supercharged vaccine shows promise with dual-adjuvant boost

MIT and Scripps researchers have developed a potential single-dose HIV vaccine that triggers a stronger, longer-lasting immune response in mice. By combining two adjuvants—alum and a saponin-based nanoparticle — scientists achieved a more diverse and robust population of HIV-targeting B cells. The vaccine, which remained in lymph nodes for up to 28 days, outperformed previous formulations in generating antibody diversity, a key to developing broadly neutralizing antibodies. The findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, could pave the way for powerful, low-dose vaccines for HIV, COVID-19 and any future pandemics.