SARS CoV 2 News and Research

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Zinc deficiency linked to poor COVID-19 outcomes

A team of researchers from various universities and institutes in Spain recently published a paper on the preprint server medRxiv,* in which they hypothesize that serum zinc levels have a significant influence on COVID-19 progression and thus may be a useful biomarker in predicting severe disease in early stages of COVID-19 infection.

12 Oct 2020

Why blood type O might lower risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection

The author hypothesizes that people with non-O blood groups may have highest contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus via the formation of in intermediate structure, resulting in possibly higher infection rates and more severe symptoms.

12 Oct 2020

Genoscience Pharma's GNS561 shows potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 shows that a combination of a new compound GNS561 and remdesivir act synergistically against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This suggests that autophagy inhibitors could be an alternative strategy for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

12 Oct 2020

Suramin shows promise as COVID-19 treatment

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports the elucidation of the mechanism of inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 by a non-nucleotide inhibitor called suramin. This is the first such compound to be shown to have such activity and shows promise for use as a repurposed drug against COVID-19.

12 Oct 2020

Integrin b3 and ACE2 linked by short linear motifs enabling endocytosis and autophagy of SARS-CoV-2

A new study by Uppsala University researchers published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 shows possible links between the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) host cell receptors for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the entry of viral particles into the cell via endocytosis and autophagy.

12 Oct 2020

Sub-second heat inactivation of coronavirus

Three coronaviruses (CoVs) have caused global outbreaks within the past 20 years, and with the COVID19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) still ongoing, methods that can rapidly inactivate these viruses can play critical roles in ensuring public safety and safeguarding personal health.

12 Oct 2020

Italian research shows low transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within schools

A team of scientists from Italy has recently conducted a study to investigate the incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among students attending Italian schools after reopening after COVID-19 lockdown. The findings reveal that the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is low among younger students. The study is published on the medRxiv preprint server.

12 Oct 2020

Universal facemask use could prevent hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 deaths

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) COVID-19 Forecasting team has advised that universal mask-wearing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could save hundreds of thousands of lives and delay the need for mitigation measures such as stay-at-home policies.

12 Oct 2020

Newly identified coronavirus epitopes induce robust antibody responses

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have conducted a study showing that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-C0V-2) triggers robust immune responses to epitopes across the full viral proteome.

12 Oct 2020

COVID-19 susceptibility is independent of age, research shows

Scientists have estimated that the age of an individual does not indicate how likely they are to be infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, development of symptoms, progression of the disease, and mortality are age-dependent.

12 Oct 2020

COVID-19-positive mothers rarely transmit the virus to their newborns

Mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection rarely transmit the virus to their newborns when basic infection-control practices are followed, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.

12 Oct 2020

Optimizing allocation of future COVID-19 vaccine can double effectiveness

In anticipation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine deployment, the Australian and US researchers utilized an age-structured mathematical model to appraise the potential benefits of optimizing age-specific dose allocation for suppressing SARS-CoV-2 transmission – and reaffirmed the notion that vaccination alone may be inadequate to achieve herd immunity in some settings. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

12 Oct 2020

Nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine shows promising results in mice

With promising vaccines comes a new candidate that has shown potent pre-clinical immune responses. The vaccine, developed by scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), induced a potent T-cell response at the mucus layer of the lungs, including killer CD8+ T-cells, which can recognize and kill virally infected cells.

12 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 can survive for 4 weeks on glass, money and metal

Published in the Virology Journal, the study shows that the virus can stay infectious for more extended periods on surfaces such as phone screens, stainless steel, and banknotes than previously thought.

12 Oct 2020

Peer reviewers flag misleading studies on COVID-19

The preprints selected for review in Rapid Reviews: COVID-19 (RR:C19), an open-access overlay journal published by the MIT Press, cover a wide range of subjects, with peer reviewers finding a study that higher levels of cytokines IL-6 and IL-10 are associated with increased severity of COVID-19 is particularly noteworthy and could be useful in clinical care.

12 Oct 2020

Researchers identify molecular mechanisms of IFN responses in SARS-CoV-2 infection

As of October 2020, SARS-CoV-2 causes an ongoing pandemic, with more than 35 million reported cases and more than 1 million deaths worldwide. One prominent feature that distinguishes COVID-19 from SARS in terms of immune responses is the poor induction of a type I interferon (IFN) response by SARS-CoV-2 compared to SARS-CoV and influenza A virus.

12 Oct 2020

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious on surfaces for long periods of time

Researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can survive for up to 28 days on common surfaces including banknotes, glass - such as that found on mobile phone screens - and stainless steel.

12 Oct 2020

COVID-19 survivors may have protective antibodies for 4 months

The study, published in the journal Science Immunology, highlights the body's immune response against COVID-19. Also, it offers hope that people who are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus will develop lasting protection against reinfection.

11 Oct 2020

Cloth masks should be machine washed daily during COVID-19, study says

A team of researchers reports that cloth masks effectively protect against infection if they are washed every day. The researchers recommend daily washing of cloth masks at high temperatures to reduce the likelihood of contamination and transmission of viruses such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

11 Oct 2020

Elevated plasma ACE2 activity persists months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Recently, researchers from the University of Melbourne and Immune Therapies Group, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, reported that downregulation of cardiac ACE2 is linked to increased plasma ACE2 activity. This study is summarized in a preprint paper published in medRxiv.

11 Oct 2020