Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Asthma may influence the evolution of influenza virus, study shows

A subtype of asthma in adults may cause higher susceptibility to influenza and could result in dangerous flu mutations.

16 Feb 2021

Mink-derived SARS-CoV-2 mutations reduce antibody effectiveness

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server shows that these mutations disrupt inhibition by neutralizing antibodies, both natural and therapeutic.

16 Feb 2021

RIG-1-like receptors may play dominant role in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by researchers at the University of Connecticut Health Center, USA, reports the crucial nature of the pathogen pattern recognition receptor (PRRs), especially the two RLRs, retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), in triggering host cell immune responses within the cell. The RLRs are viral RNA sensors.

15 Feb 2021

Premature relaxation of restrictions following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could lead to new mutations

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server addresses the need to assess this risk by examining whether SARS-CoV-2 transmission can interact with vaccination rates to select vaccine-resistant strains. The study aims to provide data to shape effective countermeasures against the threat of viral resistance.

14 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 was in NYC a good month before it was first identified, say researchers

Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have provided evidence suggesting that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – was infecting people in New York City (NYC) at least one month before the first case was officially documented in the city.

14 Feb 2021

New tool enables study of SARS-CoV-2 mutant spectrum by ultrasequencing

SARS-CoV-2 genome is three times larger than influenza genome. Both consist of NRA molecules that mutate when replicate.

13 Feb 2021

Lessons learnt from the annual influenza season

Australian researchers have come up with two key recommendations from studies of the annual influenza season - one highlighting the benefits of antivirals in reducing repeat hospitalisation, and the other to watch for underlying cardiovascular disease.

12 Feb 2021

Reparations before COVID-19 pandemic could have reduced infections, deaths in the U.S.

Civil rights activists have long called for monetary reparations to the Black descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States as a financial, moral, and ethical form of restitution for the injustices of slavery.

12 Feb 2021

Study: Risk of death from COVID-19 is 3.5 times higher than from influenza

A new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) found that the risk of death from COVID-19 was 3.5 times higher than from influenza.

11 Feb 2021

1918 pandemic provides a cautionary tale of potential future pandemic

The 1918 influenza pandemic provides a cautionary tale for what the future may hold for COVID-19, says a Michigan State University researcher.

10 Feb 2021

Substrain of SARS-CoV-2 variant in UK may resist antibody neutralization

Researchers at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw have identified a substrain of the recently emerged B.1.1.7 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that may confer resistance to antibody neutralization.

10 Feb 2021

Smartphones could help manage chronic cardiopulmonary disease, predict next pandemic

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a simple optical technique used to detect volumetric changes in peripheral blood circulation. It's used in smart watches, for example, to monitor pulse and heart rate, but PPG biosensors are also found in millions of smartphones, but without any current clinical applications.

10 Feb 2021

Scientists urge health agencies to invest in COVID-19 vaccine development to prevent next pandemic

As new COVID-19 variants begin to throw vaccine efficacy in question, two leading scientists are calling for health agencies to invest in the development of vaccines that would be broadly effective against many different variants and strains of potential pandemic viruses.

10 Feb 2021

Relaxed control measures are driving wintertime outbreaks of COVID-19

Wintertime outbreaks of COVID-19 have been largely driven by whether people adhere to control measures such as mask wearing and social distancing, according to a study published Feb. 8 in Nature Communications by Princeton University researchers.

10 Feb 2021

Researchers develop self-assembling nanoparticle SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Researchers in China have developed three SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccines, containing receptor-binding domain (RBD) trimer, S1 trimer, and ectodomain (ECD) trimer, respectively. To do this, they have used Ferritin nanoparticle self-assembly technology.

9 Feb 2021

Vaccinated mothers may pass on SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to newborns

A new study describes the first case of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detected in the cord blood of an infant born to a mother immunized with the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine three weeks earlier.

9 Feb 2021

Delayed reactions and decentralized approach on 1918 pandemic had more fatal consequences

In the event of a pandemic, delayed reactions and a decentralized approach by the authorities at the start of a follow-up wave can lead to longer-lasting, more severe and more fatal consequences, researchers from the universities of Zurich and Toronto have found.

9 Feb 2021

History of vaccines offers guidance on COVID-19 prevention in pregnant women

Pregnant women, who are at increased risk of preterm birth or pregnancy loss if they develop a severe case of COVID-19, need the best possible guidance on whether they should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to an article by two UT Southwestern obstetricians published today in JAMA.

8 Feb 2021

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Writing in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, Professor Dongki Yang, from the Department of Physiology, Gachon University, South Korea, has reviewed the available knowledge on the coronaviruses, current approaches to tackle the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the innovative application of nanotechnology in the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Feb 2021

Comparing death tolls from covid to past wars is fraught

Counting the dead is one of the first, somber steps in reckoning with an event of enormous tragic scope, be it war, a natural disaster or a pandemic.

5 Feb 2021

Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Asthma may influence the evolution of influenza virus, study shows

Mink-derived SARS-CoV-2 mutations reduce antibody effectiveness

RIG-1-like receptors may play dominant role in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 infection

Premature relaxation of restrictions following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could lead to new mutations

SARS-CoV-2 was in NYC a good month before it was first identified, say researchers

New tool enables study of SARS-CoV-2 mutant spectrum by ultrasequencing

Lessons learnt from the annual influenza season

Reparations before COVID-19 pandemic could have reduced infections, deaths in the U.S.

Study: Risk of death from COVID-19 is 3.5 times higher than from influenza

1918 pandemic provides a cautionary tale of potential future pandemic

Substrain of SARS-CoV-2 variant in UK may resist antibody neutralization

Smartphones could help manage chronic cardiopulmonary disease, predict next pandemic

Scientists urge health agencies to invest in COVID-19 vaccine development to prevent next pandemic

Relaxed control measures are driving wintertime outbreaks of COVID-19

Researchers develop self-assembling nanoparticle SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Vaccinated mothers may pass on SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to newborns

Delayed reactions and decentralized approach on 1918 pandemic had more fatal consequences

History of vaccines offers guidance on COVID-19 prevention in pregnant women

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Comparing death tolls from covid to past wars is fraught

Exploring the role of confocal-based high-content imaging in advancing core facilities

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Exploring the role of confocal-based high-content imaging in advancing core facilities

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Newsletters you may be interested in