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COVID-19 may not have appeared first in China, suggests new genomic study

A new study in Acta Mathematica Scientia suggests that the virus may have originated in multiple countries almost simultaneously, rather than spreading from China to the rest of the world.

3 May 2021

Class I HLA alleles shape CD8+ T cell repertoire in SARS-CoV-2 infection

An interesting new study discusses how adaptive cellular immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 is dependent on differences in HLA-encoding genes between patients.

3 May 2021

Most long COVID-19 sequelae affect people under 65, finds study

A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, discusses the typical symptoms and signs of this syndrome, with the intention of improving the specificity of detection and reporting.

3 May 2021

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant (HMN.19B) has been identified in France

New research published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s journal Emerging Infectious Diseases has confirmed the emergence of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant called HMN.19B from the viral clade 19B in France. The 19B viral clade — which includes the D614G variant — was prevalent in late 2019 but had since been rarely observed since early 2020 because of newer viral clades.

3 May 2021

Vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein elicits protective immune response in animal model

New preclinical results from a study led by David Masopust of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA, show that a Had5-based vaccine targeting the nucleocapsid protein can also elicit a protective immune response.

3 May 2021

Applications of nanoparticles in combating COVID-19

Researchers review the various properties and use of nanoparticles in targeting SARS-CoV-2 and how they could be used to develop new therapeutics and diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2.

30 Apr 2021

Could portable air filters promote clearance of SARS-CoV-2-contaminated aerosols indoors?

A new study shows that inexpensive portable air cleaners may boost the removal of aerosols containing the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from indoor spaces by as much as three times, compared to conventional Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

30 Apr 2021

Study develops COVID-19 pandemic reopening strategies in California

A working paper from researchers at the RAND corporation explores the various options to come up with a proposed robust plan for reopening up regions where vaccines have not yet been deployed across the entire population.

30 Apr 2021

Researchers characterize a large set of therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of scientists from A-Alpha Bio., USA, has recently conducted a large-scale screening of 33 therapeutic antibodies to examine their binding affinity to a number of SARS-CoV-2 variants. The team analyzed the impact of potential mutations in the spike RBD on antibody efficacy.

29 Apr 2021

COVID-19 vaccination willingness in Australia hinges on public perception of health threat

A new study reports the results of a survey in Australia on vaccine willingness at two points: the first wave in April 2020, and during November of the same year, when cases had dropped significantly.

29 Apr 2021

Study observes increase in Lyme disease-causing ticks across California’s woodlands and beaches

US-based researchers – at Colorado State University and the Northern Arizona University – have discovered that disease-causing ticks are finding their way onto beachfront properties, including infestations in woodlands and beaches around North California.

28 Apr 2021

Can control theory explain differences in virulence and transmission of SARS-CoV-2?

A new study discusses variations in viral pathogenicity and in transmission, which are responsible for asymptomatic infection and for superspreading events. The ability to understand this would open the way to understand how this virus behaves the way it does, in terms of its virulence, its spread, and its emergent variants of concern.

28 Apr 2021

COVID-19 donor antibodies show broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related viruses

A new study reports on a set of antibodies from COVID-19 donor serum, which seems to be cross-reactive across multiple Sarbecoviruses, including the very similar SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV.

28 Apr 2021

Peptide nucleocapsid vaccine candidate elicits protective T cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

A new study describes a synthetic peptide used as a platform to generate protective adaptive cellular immunity to the virus in rhesus macaques, which are the gold standard for preclinical testing in humans.

28 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 clade linked to disease severity in the early phase of the pandemic

A new study in the journal JAMA Network reports on the disease severity associated with some clades of the virus, from an analysis of genomes from specimens isolated in the initial phase of the pandemic.

27 Apr 2021

Some heart medications may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection through increasing ACE2 receptor levels

An interesting poster, just presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2021, reports an association between the use of certain heart medications and the risk of COVID-19.

27 Apr 2021

Nucleocapsid-based vaccines may prevent SARS-CoV-2 dissemination to distal organs

A team of scientists recently investigated and compared the efficacy of spike-based and nucleocapsid-based COVID-19 vaccines in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Their findings reveal that nucleocapsid-based vaccines are effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in distal organs, such as the brain.

27 Apr 2021

Researchers develop eleven SARS-CoV-2 RBD nanobodies using computational design

To develop therapeutics that block this binding process, a team of researchers recently used an integrated computational approach to design nanobodies (Nbs) against the SARS-CoV-2 RBD, using neutralizing/monoclonal antibodies specific to RBD of the spike protein.

27 Apr 2021

Researchers characterize India’s devastating second wave of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on human health worldwide. The second wave in India has caught everyone by surprise, showing up the total lack of foresight or precautions. With well over 0.2 million deaths in India, and infections raging out of control, a new study predicts 0.35 million daily cases at the peak of the second wave.

26 Apr 2021

Host cell transmembrane protein MARCH8 targets lysine residues to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses

A new study deals with the inhibitory activity of a membrane protein that has broad-spectrum activity against multiple viruses, showing that this is due to its effect on cytoplasmic lysine residue incorporation into replicating virions.

26 Apr 2021

Miscellaneous News

COVID-19 may not have appeared first in China, suggests new genomic study

Class I HLA alleles shape CD8+ T cell repertoire in SARS-CoV-2 infection

Most long COVID-19 sequelae affect people under 65, finds study

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant (HMN.19B) has been identified in France

Vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein elicits protective immune response in animal model

Applications of nanoparticles in combating COVID-19

Could portable air filters promote clearance of SARS-CoV-2-contaminated aerosols indoors?

Study develops COVID-19 pandemic reopening strategies in California

Researchers characterize a large set of therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

COVID-19 vaccination willingness in Australia hinges on public perception of health threat

Study observes increase in Lyme disease-causing ticks across California’s woodlands and beaches

Can control theory explain differences in virulence and transmission of SARS-CoV-2?

COVID-19 donor antibodies show broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related viruses

Peptide nucleocapsid vaccine candidate elicits protective T cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

SARS-CoV-2 clade linked to disease severity in the early phase of the pandemic

Some heart medications may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection through increasing ACE2 receptor levels

Nucleocapsid-based vaccines may prevent SARS-CoV-2 dissemination to distal organs

Researchers develop eleven SARS-CoV-2 RBD nanobodies using computational design

Researchers characterize India’s devastating second wave of COVID-19

Host cell transmembrane protein MARCH8 targets lysine residues to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses

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How the Arts Reshape Brain Function: Susan Magsamen on the Future of Neuroaesthetics

Inside the Alzheimer's Association: Dr. Heather Snyder on Driving Research and Collaboration

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