SARS CoV 2 News and Research

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Study identifies new regions of positive selection in SARS-CoV-2

Based on structural modeling of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and proteins, the researchers from Duke University argue that newly identified regions of positive selection in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) likely affect species-specific RNA instead of protein function – improving our understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for highly unique biological properties of this virus.

20 Sep 2020

Researchers try and pop SARS-CoV-2 with an AFM tip - virion surprisingly resilient

Researchers at Semmelweis University and the National Public Health Center in Hungary have conducted an imaging study showing that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a highly dynamic and resilient virus

20 Sep 2020

Large mother-child paired study promises more answers on COVID-19 in pregnancy

A new paper published in the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 reports the design and preliminary findings of an ongoing study on pregnant mothers and their children born during the pandemic.

20 Sep 2020

Novel sequencing method could be useful for COVID-19 research

Researchers at the University of Chicago and the Cleveland Clinic have presented a novel single-cell RNA sequencing method that could be a useful application for research into the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

20 Sep 2020

New method isolates antibody-like proteins that capture and neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Scientists have used a new high-speed, in vitro selection method to isolate 9 antibody-like proteins (ALPs) that bind to the SARS-CoV-2 virus - 4 of which also exhibited neutralizing activity - within 4 days, according to a new study.

19 Sep 2020

UConn researchers validate clinical feasibility of CRISPR-based platform for COVID-19 testing

In March, researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering-- a shared department in the schools of Dental Medicine, Medicine, and Engineering--began to develop a new, low-cost, CRISPR-based diagnostic platform to detect infectious diseases, including HIV virus, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

19 Sep 2020

Scientists identify new drug to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection consequences

Scientists from the Department of Cell Biology of the University of Malaga and the Andalusian Centre for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology have made progress in finding new rapid implementation therapies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying a new drug that could prevent or mitigate the consequences derived from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Sep 2020

Adaptations found in RNA secondary structure in genes of two proteins of SARS-CoV-2

To investigate mutations in coronaviruses, a new study by scientists at Duke University and published on the preprint server bioRxiv, used a computational methodology, adaptiPhy, which identifies extra nucleotide substitutions in certain parts of the viral genome compared to mutations that have no effect on the genome.

18 Sep 2020

Genetic variants of human ACE2 are differentially recognized by SARS-CoV-2

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin reveals that the genetic variants of human angiotensin 2 (ACE2) receptors can have altered recognition by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

18 Sep 2020

Researchers develop non-infectious nanoparticle probes to study SARS-CoV-2

Scientists and researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, submitted their findings to ACS Nano, a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal, on their collaboration to develop SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle probes that are used to study fundamental interactions between SARS-CoV-2 Spike proteins and human cells.

18 Sep 2020

Ineffective immune responses may be responsible for COVID-19 mortality rates in men and the elderly

News-Medical speaks to Dr. Nicole Lieberman about her latest research that discovered delayed immune responses may affect COVID-19 mortality rates.

18 Sep 2020

S-pseudotyped VLPs offer promising COVID-19 vaccine platform

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 reports on a Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) platform that produces VLPs expressing the important spike antigen of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Sep 2020

Study invalidates Ebselen and other broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors

Other novel compounds with Mpro inhibitory activity have also been claimed to have antiviral activity. These include ebselen, disulfiram, tideglusib, carmofur, shikonin, and PX-12. A new research paper discusses the role of these molecules as potential Mpro inhibitors in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

18 Sep 2020

Study: 90-minute COVID-19 test has high sensitivity and specificity

A 90-minute COVID-19 test has been shown to have over 94 per cent sensitivity, and 100 per cent specificity in a new study.

18 Sep 2020

Study sheds new light on the mechanism of COVID-19 infection

The spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can adopt at least ten distinct structural states, when in contact with the human virus receptor ACE2, according to research from the Francis Crick Institute published in Nature today.

18 Sep 2020

Engineered, high-affinity ACE2 receptors neutralize SARS-CoV-2

In a study published in the preprint server bioRxiv, researchers from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and Osaka University Japan, discuss how they engineered ACE2 to enhance its affinity to RBD in human cells.

17 Sep 2020

Animal data supports efficacy of baricitinib vs SARS-COV-2

The high burden of disease caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to much research on effective ways to mitigate the health, social, and economic impact of the spread of the infection. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 reports on the characteristics of the drug baricitinib when used as monotherapy to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

17 Sep 2020

T cells on the front line of COVID-19 response

In the new study, published in the journal Cell, the team has found that the uncoordinated responses produced by the immune system, especially in people who are more than 65 years old, maybe the reason why older adults are more at risk.

17 Sep 2020

Safer UVC light effectively kills SARS-CoV-2

A study conducted by Hiroshima University researchers found that using Ultraviolet C light with a wavelength of 222 nanometers which is safer to use around humans effectively kills SARS-CoV-2 -- the first research in the world to prove its efficacy against the virus that causes COVID-19.

17 Sep 2020