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Updated vaccine provides strong immune response against previous and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

New research using live SARS-CoV-2 virus reveals an updated vaccine provides a strong immune response against previous strains and emerging variants.

29 Apr 2024

RNA editing using CRISPRs shows promise for genetic disease treatment

A team at Montana State University published research this week that shows how RNA, the close chemical cousin to DNA, can be edited using CRISPRs.

29 Apr 2024

Age and sex impact antimicrobial resistance levels, research shows

New research presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona 27-30 April) shows that levels of resistance to antimicrobials (AMR) varies with age and sex, with age in particular showing substantial variation both between and within countries.

29 Apr 2024

Targeting skin microbiome rivals: Unveiling epilancin A37's antimicrobial mechanism

Many bacteria produce substances to gain an advantage over competitors in their highly competitive natural environment.

29 Apr 2024

Enzyme discovery paves the way for developing universal donor blood

Researchers at DTU and Lund University have discovered enzymes that remove hindrances that stood in the way of developing universal donor blood.

29 Apr 2024

Leveraging CRISPR/Cas technology to address antimicrobial resistance

In the second new research review on this subject, Assistant Prof. Ibrahim Bitar, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Plzen, Charles University in Prague, Plzen, Czech Republic, will give an overview of the molecular biology of CRISPR technology in explaining how it can used to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

26 Apr 2024

Putting genomic surveillance of pathogens at the forefront of future pandemic preparedness

The Covid-19 pandemic turned the world upside down. In fighting it, one of our most important weapons was genomic surveillance, based on whole genome sequencing, which collects all the genetic data of a given microorganism.

25 Apr 2024

Giant virus takes down deadly brain parasite

The single-celled organism Naegleria fowleri ranks among the deadliest human parasites. Researchers around Matthias Horn and Patrick Arthofer from the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna, in an international collaboration, have discovered viruses that infect this harmful microbe.

24 Apr 2024

New tARC-seq method enhances precision in tracking SARS-CoV-2 mutations

A tARC-seq approach to precisely determine SARS-CoV-2 mutation frequency.

24 Apr 2024

Study discovers hidden mechanism behind rapid COVID variants

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID has the unsettling ability of often generating variants of itself. Other viruses also mutate, but as SARS-CoV-2 quickly spread throughout the entire human population during the pandemic, killing millions, the virus' dynamic evolution posed a serious problem: it repeatedly challenged our bodies' immune response fighting the virus and hindered the process of getting updated vaccines ready.

23 Apr 2024

Metabolic health determines effectiveness of influenza vaccination

Metabolic health (normal blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, among other factors) influences the effectiveness of influenza vaccinations. Vaccination is known to be less effective in people with obesity compared to those with a healthier body mass index (BMI), but St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have found it is not obesity itself, but instead metabolic dysfunction, which makes the difference.

18 Apr 2024

Breakthrough research offers hope for patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms

Tulane University researchers have identified a promising new approach to treating persistent neurological symptoms associated with Lyme disease, offering hope to patients who suffer from long-term effects of the bacterial infection, even after antibiotic treatment.

18 Apr 2024

Tracking arboviruses by nanopore sequencing of mosquitoes

The technology used to sequence SARS-CoV-2 at record speed early in the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully tested as a technique to monitor arboviruses and diseases transmitted mainly by mosquitoes.

17 Apr 2024

Novel antibacterial discovery: Umbrella toxin particles secreted by Streptomyces

Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors, especially others of their own species.

17 Apr 2024

Study highlights how age affects nasal cell response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers reveal age-related differences in nasal epithelial cell responses to SARS-CoV-2, showing variations in cell types and viral dynamics across pediatric, adult, and older adult groups.

16 Apr 2024

Study reveals human gut plasmid with biomarker potential

A component of the human intestinal flora that has been little studied to date is the focus of a new study.

16 Apr 2024

Novel vaccine approach effective against all virus strains

Scientists at UC Riverside have demonstrated a new, RNA-based vaccine strategy that is effective against any strain of a virus and can be used safely even by babies or the immunocompromised.

15 Apr 2024

Study reveals age-specific differences in nasal cells' response to SARS-CoV-2

Important differences in how the nasal cells of young and elderly people respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, could explain why children typically experience milder COVID-19 symptoms, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

15 Apr 2024

KAIST researchers propose microbial food production from sustainable raw materials

The global food crisis is increasing due to rapid population growth and declining food productivity to climate change.

13 Apr 2024

Unraveling the mysteries of gastro-esophageal junction development

The transition from the esophagus to the stomach is a delicate region from a medical point of view, often associated with pathological disorders leading to cancer.

13 Apr 2024