Children are an underutilized source of potential antibody therapies to counteract the “ever-evolving” COVID-19 pandemic, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Reporting Nov. 6 in Cell Reports Medicine, Ivelin Georgiev, Ph.D., and colleagues demonstrated that antibodies isolated from children’s blood samples displayed high levels of neutralization and potency against variants of the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, even when the children had not previously been exposed to or vaccinated against those variants.

“These results indicate that children’s samples can play an important role in the discovery of effective SARS-CoV-2 antibody therapeutics,” the researchers concluded.

This is important because, while monoclonal antibodies developed at VUMC and elsewhere initially were quite effective in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, the virus’ ability to mutate rapidly has enabled it to escape from every monoclonal antibody product currently on the market.

It is crucial to find antibodies that can broadly neutralize all variants of the virus, says Georgiev, the paper’s corresponding author and associate professor of pathology, microbiology & immunology, biomedical informatics, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and computer science at Vanderbilt.

Children have been thought to be unlikely sources for new antibody therapies because their immune systems are immature, and they tend to be more susceptible to severe viral illnesses including those caused by influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human metapneumovirus.

When it comes to SARS-CoV-2, however, children experience significantly less severe disease compared to adults. Even when adolescents have severe disease, they are hospitalized less often than adults, require shorter hospital stays, and are less likely to die from COVID-related complications.

Lincoln Tech announces relocation, new old name

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation, a leader in specialized technical training for more than 75 years, has announced the relocation of its Nashville campus.

The new Nashville campus, located on Brick Church Pike, will have more than 120,000 square feet which will enable Lincoln to expand the skilled trades training offered with the addition of electrical and HVAC programs while keeping existing programs in automotive, diesel, heavy equipment, collision repair and welding.

The new campus will also include space to house various partnership training programs beginning with the specialized Peterbilt diesel program as part of Lincoln’s relationship with the trucking giant.

To support students’ career training goals, the campus will contain real-world auto, diesel and heavy equipment bays, on-site collision shops, and a series of individual welding booths. The current campus location will continue to be fully operational to ensure seamless relocation in the first half of 2025.

Shaw also says upon activation of the new Nashville campus, the school will return to the Nashville Auto Diesel College brand name, honoring the 110-year history of the program.

State gas prices fall another 8 cents

Tennessee gas prices are once again trending down with prices during the last week falling 8 cents on average. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $3.02, 26 cents less expensive than both one month and one year ago.

• 63% of Tennessee gas stations have prices below $3.

• The lowest 10% of pump prices are $2.74 for regular unleaded.

• The highest 10% of pump prices are $3.49 for regular unleaded.

• Tennessee is the ninth-least expensive market in the nation.

The national average for a gallon of gas shaved off 8 cents since last week, falling to $3.41, the primary reasons being flat demand and lower costs for oil.

Flu Season late, expected to ramp up for holidays

The current flu season has started later and more gradually than last year, says William Schaffner, M.D., professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, although cases are expected to begin increasing in November before falling off in March.

During this gentle ramp-up, there is some additional cause for optimism: With the earliest cases already beginning, physicians have determined that the flu vaccine seems to be a good match for current viral strains.

“Vaccination remains a safe and reliable therapy at combating the spread and severity of illness caused by influenza,” said Jeffrey Barton, a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) physician assistant at VUMC.

Rates of flu vaccination among the general public are declining, which may lead to a more severe spread. Some patients require further education to debunk myths and understand the importance of getting vaccinated. The most common concerns among patients are safety and whether the vaccine is a good enough match to even be worth it, Schaffner says.

“The flu vaccine isn’t perfect,” he added, “but it prevents severe disease. Yes, it is safe. Your arm might be sore, and some people may feel tired, but that is just your body responding to the vaccine.”

Garth to open new bar with Amazon linestream

Garth Brooks will headline the first-ever Black Friday Amazon Music Live special Nov. 24.

Livestreamed from the grand opening of Brooks’ new Nashville bar, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, the AML special will give Brooks’ millions of fans around the globe a front-row seat for one of his famed “Dive Bar” concerts.

The sold-out concert in Nashville has already earned more than 3 million ticket requests from Brooks’ fans.

Airing on Prime Video and Twitch at 6 p.m. Central time, the Black Friday AML special will find Garth Brooks performing brand-new music, live for the very first time to eager fans around the globe.

His set will also include chart-topping hits, fan favorites, and beloved deep cuts from his discography, including tracks from his upcoming studio album, “Time Traveler.”

Prime Video will provide free access to AML – even to those without a Prime membership or an Amazon account.

Fans will be able to tune into the AML preshow hosted by Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson, the hosts of Country Heat Weekly, the original podcast from Amazon Music that brings listeners the latest news and interviews from the biggest names in country music.

Realtor.com: Prices stable amid inventory drought

While home prices remained relatively stable year over year in October, limited inventory continues to hamper homebuyers as the number of homes actively for sale shrank on an annual basis (-2.0%) for the fourth month in a row, according to the Realtor.com October Monthly Housing Trends Report.

However, inventory rose unseasonably (5.1%) between September and October this year as mortgage rates exceeded 20-year highs and created additional headwinds for homebuyers.

While home prices stayed flat, the share of price reductions, while down year over year, continued to grow on a monthly basis, indicating that home prices could potentially soften in the coming months.

Inventory down 41.8% below typical 2017 to 2019 pre-pandemic levels, still-climbing mortgage rates and elevated home prices continued to deter potential buyers in October. To help offset scarce inventory and affordability challenges, many homebuyers are turning to affordable new construction, while those who choose to remain renters for longer are quickly absorbing more affordable new units coming onto the market.

Relevance Ventures on ‘founder-friendly’ list

Relevance Ventures, a Native American-owned venture capital firm based in Nashville, has been included on Inc. Magazine’s prestigious 2023 Founder-Friendly Investors list for the second consecutive year.

The final list recognizes 218 firms that remain actively involved with the businesses they invest in, and that have earned the trust of the entrepreneurs they support to help drive growth.

Introduced in 2019, the Founder-Friendly Investors list quickly established itself as one of Inc.’s most resourceful franchises. It has become a go-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies while retaining an ownership stake.

As a testament to Relevance’s dedicated commitment to impactful investments, two portfolio companies have expressed their resounding support, further endorsing the company’s inclusion in the 2023 Founder-Friendly list.

VUMC named a Best for men in nursing

For the fourth time, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been recognized with the Best Workplace for Men in Nursing Award from the American Association for Men in Nursing.

The AAMN is a professional organization that works to improve gender diversity and inclusion in nursing. VUMC received the award at the 48th annual AAMN Conference in New Orleans, which was held Oct. 19-21.

Criteria for the award included recruitment materials featuring men in nursing, strategic plans to increase gender diversity, historical evidence demonstrating an increase in the number of men in nursing, and evidence of male nurse involvement. About 10% of Vanderbilt’s nurses are male.

Among Vanderbilt’s gender-inclusive policies is the parental leave policy that allows new fathers as well as mothers to receive two weeks of paid parental leave. Nursing recruitment materials are inclusionary of males.

Mitsubishi partners with Tucker’s House for SUV

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. is partnering with Middle Tennessee-based nonprofit organization Tucker’s House, providing the organization with the use of a 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid SUV.

As part of MMNA’s Community Utility Vehicle program, MMNA lends vehicles to nonprofit organizations, helping to make a difference in their local communities.

Tucker’s House, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the only organization of its kind in the area providing assistance for children and young adults with disabilities and their families, by making their homes safer and more accessible.

Tucker’s House’s retrofitting solutions include installing ramps, modifying bathrooms and doorways to be wheelchair accessible, installing wall lifts, replacing carpets with solid flooring for wheelchair accessibility and other accessibility adaptations. A physical therapist also oversees every phase of adaptive equipment selection, installation and training.