Spike Protein News and Research

RSS

Both mRNA vaccines protect against emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States and Canada have conducted a study showing that just a single dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is likely to protect against emerging variants.

9 Feb 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine effective against variants, study shows

Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York have conducted a study demonstrating the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNtech BNT162b2 vaccine against recently emerged variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

9 Feb 2021

Inhibition of protein glycosylation successfully prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

A new study provides direct evidence that the oligosaccharides attached to the viral surface spike protein are essential for viral infection, offering new approaches to preventive and therapeutic drugs.

9 Feb 2021

Emergence and transmission of UK SARS-CoV-2 variant in the US

Researchers describe the impending rise to dominance of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant in the US. Understanding this development will help to shape preventive action to reduce the infection and mortality rates.

9 Feb 2021

Vaccinated mothers may pass on SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to newborns

A new study describes the first case of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detected in the cord blood of an infant born to a mother immunized with the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine three weeks earlier.

9 Feb 2021

A precursor to remdesivir shows therapeutic potential for COVID-19

A new study points to the potential to use the remdesivir precursor, GS-441524, as a treatment choice for COVID-19.

9 Feb 2021

One-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine policy may lead to antigenic evolution, study finds

In a new study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, an international team of researchers found that a one-dose policy may increase the potential for antigenic evolution. The study revealed that focusing on one dose may decrease infections in the short term, but longer-term outcomes rely on this immune strength.

8 Feb 2021

Researchers find new clues to how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells

The molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 enters cells and infects them are still not clear. Researchers at Uppsala University have tested the bioinformatic predictions made by another research group and have identified receptors that could be important players in the process.

8 Feb 2021

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine effective against emerging variants

Researchers have conducted a study showing that the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine effectively protects against recently emerged variants of SARS-CoV-2 – the agent that causes COVID-19.

8 Feb 2021

Scientists produce active antigen in bacteria to help combat SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have developed a bacterial strategy for the expression and purification of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD).

8 Feb 2021

Furin cleavage SARS-CoV-2 spike deletions mostly suppressed within infected airway epithelium, says study

A team of researchers recently examined the SARS-CoV-2 transcriptome and the dynamics of the S gene furin cleavage site in primary human airway epithelia.

8 Feb 2021

Bioengineered ankyrin compounds show high in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 mutants

A new study describes the use of DARPin (designed ankyrin repeat proteins) therapeutic agents, each of which contains three different DARPin domains within the same molecule.

8 Feb 2021

Could graphene be an effective antiviral platform against SARS-CoV-2?

The urgent need for novel therapeutics has spurred investigation into broad-spectrum inhibitors of viral infection and replication. A new study describes the antiviral activity of synthesized graphene platforms, pointing to new therapeutic approaches against this virus.

8 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations identified against monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal immune sera

A recent study describes the experimental selection of SARS-CoV-2 mutants associated with resistance to antibodies, with important implications for vaccine development and therapeutic antibody use.

8 Feb 2021

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Writing in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, Professor Dongki Yang, from the Department of Physiology, Gachon University, South Korea, has reviewed the available knowledge on the coronaviruses, current approaches to tackle the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the innovative application of nanotechnology in the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Feb 2021