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Circular RNA vaccine shows neutralizing activity against B.1.351 variant

New preclinical research led by Wensheng Wei from Peking University in China has proposed the development of a circular RNA vaccine. Their findings showed the circular RNA vaccine creates neutralizing antibodies and strong T-cell responses against the receptor-binding domain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein.

21 Mar 2021

Developing a COVID-19 vaccine using inactivated E. coli

A team of researchers inactivated whole-cell E.coli with a reduced genome and utilized this to express coronavirus-specific fusion peptides, demonstrating a potent anamnestic response.

19 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike stimulates hyperinflammation via Toll-like receptor 2

A new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes the mechanism of inflammation in severe COVID-19, besides revealing a potential new therapeutic target to modulate the severity of COVID-19.

19 Mar 2021

Could cinnamon modulate the immune response in severe COVID-19?

A new study describes the potential for two common plant products to make a difference in the management of severe COVID-19.

18 Mar 2021

Microbiota modulation and re-establishment of eubiosis could help curb COVID-19 complications

In the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, the researchers noted that since both the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal mucosa are affected in COVID-19, it is possible that adjunctive therapies that modulate the gut-lung axis.

18 Mar 2021

Study characterizes shifting neoantigen burden between primary and metastatic tumors within HNSCC

Oncotarget published "Genomic and neoantigen evolution from primary tumor to first metastases in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma" which reported that prior work has characterized changes in the mutation burden between primary and recurrent tumors; however, little work has characterized the changes in neoantigen evolution.

18 Mar 2021

Researchers explore difference in reactions to SARS-CoV-2 infection between children and adults

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 2.67 million lives in less than a year and a half. However, it is uncommon in children, with less than 2% of the cases being in individuals below the age of 19. Most of these are of mild severity, with the clinical features of severe COVID-19 being rare in this age group.

17 Mar 2021

Researchers uncover potential new target for anti-COVID-19 therapies

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Florida Research and Innovation Center have identified a potential new target for anti-COVID-19 therapies.

16 Mar 2021

Which biomarkers can help predict severe COVID-19?

The ability to detect potentially fatal illness early on in the course of the disease would enable a swift prioritization of these high-risk individuals for treatment. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server presents an array of biomarkers that may help achieve this laudable goal.

15 Mar 2021

Cannabis compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that a cannabis plant compound inhibited infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human lung cells.

14 Mar 2021

Impact of type I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies in critical COVID-19

A new preprint discusses the pathogenesis of this critical COVID-19 with reference to autoimmune phenomena involving the key antiviral type I interferon pathway.

12 Mar 2021

Studies reveal how kidney tumors' microenvironments change in response to immunotherapy

In the last two decades, immunotherapy has emerged as a leading treatment for advanced renal carcinoma cancer (more commonly known as kidney cancer).

11 Mar 2021

A genetic variant of TMPRSS2 may confer protection against severe COVID-19

Among a large sample of COVID-19 patients, researchers found that a genetic variant – caused by an amino acid substitution from valine to methionine – is associated with a reduced chance of severe disease.

9 Mar 2021

How do viruses evolve in bats?

Bats have played a crucial epidemiological role in the evolution of many viruses and house many coronaviruses. Until 2002, coronaviruses had been known to cause mild respiratory ailments in human beings. However, this notion changed in the same year when a bat-borne virus caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic.

8 Mar 2021

Study rethinks the role of ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2 viral entry

Researchers in the US recently infected a series of human lung and head/neck cancer cell lines with SARS-CoV-2 that expressed varying levels of ACE2 and the TMPRSS2 protease to reassess their role in viral entrance.

8 Mar 2021

Impairments in immune response contribute to severe COVID-19

New research by a team of scientists at University Hospital RWTH Aachen in Germany and Erasmus Medical Centre in The Netherlands characterized changes in CD8+ T cells in response to SARS-CoV-2.

8 Mar 2021

Apoptosis is an important mediator of pathogenesis in animal coronavirus infection

A new paper in the journal Life presents an early review of the viral factors involved in initiating and effecting apoptosis within infected cells.

8 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 escapes host immune responses by modulating dendritic cell maturation

A team of scientists from Italy and the USA has recently explored the maturation pattern of conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

5 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 proteins are potent suppressors of innate immunity

A new study describes the strong immune-suppressing activity of SARS-CoV-2 genes, among other coronavirus genes.

5 Mar 2021

Identification of neutralizing IFNL3 autoantibodies in severe COVID-19 cases

Scientists have recently developed a novel alternative molecular display technology called Molecular Indexing of Proteins by Self Assembly (MIPSA). Their research explains how this technology overcomes the critical disadvantages of PLATO and other full-length protein array technologies.

5 Mar 2021