Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

COVID-19, mass testing and the utility of wastewater epidemiology

In a recent study, researchers developed a methodology to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with the potential for finding an association between the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) SARS-CoV-2 influent viral RNA load and COVID-19 cases in the community. This study indicates that a national scale wastewater-based epidemiology can play a role in COVID-19 surveillance.

31 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations display convergent evolution indicating strong adaptive advantages

A recent report by a team of researchers focused on the extent of convergent evolution in the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. The report confirms that top SARS-CoV-2 lineages of concern have the most convergent spike protein mutations. This indicates their fundamental adaptive advantage.

31 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants partially escape humoral immunity, but not T cells responses, study finds

Researchers at the Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Amsterdam UMC, and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University studied humoral and cellular immune responses to the wild type SARS-CoV-2, the B.1.1.7 variant (U.K. variant) and the B.1.351 variant (South African variant) in health care workers vaccinated with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA vaccine.

31 May 2021

Intra-host SARS-CoV-2 composition varies over time, hinting at viral evolution during infection

Researchers at the Southern University of Science and Technology in China revealed rapid and dramatic changes in quasispecies diversity upon evaluating the SARS-CoV-2 populations present in the upper and lower respiratory tracts of patients with varying COVID-19 severity.

31 May 2021

Corilagin: could a plant compound used in Chinese herbal medicine help prevent COVID-19?

The study, published in the journal Phytomedicine, characterized an active compound, corilagin (a derivative from Phyllanthus urinaria), as potential SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors for its preventive application in daily antiviral hygiene products.

31 May 2021

Novel protein interactions with ACE2 disrupted by SARS-CoV-2, contributes to COVID-19 pathologies

A severe and often fatal immune response called a “cytokine storm” can occur following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some patients suffer from a range of complications several months after testing negative for SARS-CoV-2, and this is called ‘Long Haul’ or ‘Long’ COVID-19. The causes behind this phenomenon are not well understood.

31 May 2021

Neuropathology of COVID-19 patients caused by infection of brain pericytes

Recently, researchers from the UK and Sweden used highly sensitive multiplexed immunohistochemistry to study the brain tissue of COVID-19 patients and controls to analyze ACE2 expression in brain pericytes of patients with neurological symptoms. They also used spatial immunophenotyping to assess inflammation in brain tissue of COVID-19 patients.

31 May 2021

A novel multi-epitope COVID-19 vaccine developed using reverse vaccinology

A new study has been published in the Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics which focuses on the evaluation of E, M, N, ORF10, ORF8, ORF3a, and M proteins using bioinformatics tools to develop a multi-epitope COVID-19 vaccine. The researchers utilized in-silico methods to incite humoral and cellular immune responses.

31 May 2021

Researchers identify defensins as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

A recent study conducted at the Ohio State University, USA, and the Fudan University, China, has revealed that alpha-defensin human neutrophil peptide 1 (HNP1), a cationic antimicrobial peptide, can prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from infecting cells by destabilizing the viral spike protein and disrupting spike-mediated viral envelop – host cell membrane fusion.

31 May 2021

B.1.617.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is partially resistant to antibody-mediated neutralization

A team of scientists from France has recently conducted a study to evaluate the sensitivity of the B.1.617 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to antibody-mediated neutralization.

31 May 2021

Reusing old vaccines to boost innate immunity against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccine is currently the best form of protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants. But a new perspective article published in the journal PNAS suggests it’s not the panacea to stopping SARS-CoV-2.

31 May 2021

New LNP-based mRNA vaccine candidate protects against lethal SARS-CoV-2 in preclinical trials

A new study, published in Nano Letters, describes an effective new COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) platform.

28 May 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 lineages continue to threaten pandemic control in England, suggests genomic study

A new study shows the pattern of the rise of various strains in the UK, as shown by the data collected by the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium. This allows the rise and fall of 62 different viral lineages to be traced through over 300 local authorities from September 2020 to April 2021.

28 May 2021

Loss of gut epithelial barrier responsible for COVID-19-related MIS-C in children, suggests study

A new paper in the Journal of Clinical Investigation reports that this condition is due to damage to the gut, mediated by a decrease in the protein called zonulin, which is responsible for the integrity of the gut epithelial barrier. Reduced zonulin levels are found in several inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.

28 May 2021

Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant (with the V1230L mutation) in West Bengal, India

Researchers analyzed 2,000 viral genomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – sequences obtained from India and found a new variant that could be more infectious and transmissible.

28 May 2021

Glycosylation a significant element in SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine design, says study

A new study by researchers from Taiwan and the US suggests that the removal of unnecessary glycans from spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposes highly conserved sequences and opens the door for the development of broadly protective vaccines against the virus and its variants.

28 May 2021

Study supports single-dose COVID-19 vaccine strategy for previously infected individuals

Researchers in the Netherlands have provided evidence that a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is sufficient to protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among people who have already been infected with the virus.

28 May 2021

Identifying SARS-CoV-2 epitopes targeted by current vaccination could help improve future vaccines

Researchers in the United States have identified antibody-inducing epitopes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that could be used for future diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccine design.

28 May 2021

Study links barotrauma to COVID-19 in younger patients

To better understand the possible relationship between severe infection and poor in-hospital outcomes, researchers from the Internal Medicine, and the Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine, Rutgers University, Newark, USA, presented a case series linking barotrauma to COVID-19 in younger patients.

28 May 2021

Researchers discover cross-reactive coronavirus antibody triggered during COVID-19 infection

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, most people in the United States already had been sick with a coronavirus, albeit a far less dangerous one.

28 May 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

COVID-19, mass testing and the utility of wastewater epidemiology

SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations display convergent evolution indicating strong adaptive advantages

SARS-CoV-2 variants partially escape humoral immunity, but not T cells responses, study finds

Intra-host SARS-CoV-2 composition varies over time, hinting at viral evolution during infection

Corilagin: could a plant compound used in Chinese herbal medicine help prevent COVID-19?

Novel protein interactions with ACE2 disrupted by SARS-CoV-2, contributes to COVID-19 pathologies

Neuropathology of COVID-19 patients caused by infection of brain pericytes

A novel multi-epitope COVID-19 vaccine developed using reverse vaccinology

Researchers identify defensins as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

B.1.617.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is partially resistant to antibody-mediated neutralization

Reusing old vaccines to boost innate immunity against COVID-19

New LNP-based mRNA vaccine candidate protects against lethal SARS-CoV-2 in preclinical trials

New SARS-CoV-2 lineages continue to threaten pandemic control in England, suggests genomic study

Loss of gut epithelial barrier responsible for COVID-19-related MIS-C in children, suggests study

Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant (with the V1230L mutation) in West Bengal, India

Glycosylation a significant element in SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine design, says study

Study supports single-dose COVID-19 vaccine strategy for previously infected individuals

Identifying SARS-CoV-2 epitopes targeted by current vaccination could help improve future vaccines

Study links barotrauma to COVID-19 in younger patients

Researchers discover cross-reactive coronavirus antibody triggered during COVID-19 infection

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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