Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows reduced neutralization potential against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 spike variant

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study assessing the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 against the new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21 Jan 2021

Researchers use SARS-CoV-2 to bioengineer universal vaccine platform

Using SARS-CoV-2, a team of scientists from the United States has recently developed a bioengineered bacteriophage T4 nanoparticle structure using CRISPR technology that can be used as a universal platform to produce vaccines.

21 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in Southern California, USA

By analyzing throat and nose swabs from patients in Southern California, researchers detected a new SARS-CoV-2 strain with mutations in the spike protein. This major finding may explain a surge in the number of cases in the region.

21 Jan 2021

Vitamin D deficiency associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

A new study published shows that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization.

21 Jan 2021

High factor V levels linked to lymphopenia and weakened immunity in severe COVID-19

A new study suggests that factor V, a coagulation factor, is upregulated in a range of white blood cells in severe COVID-19. This increase is linked to the observed coagulopathy, lymphopenia and suppression of adaptive immunity in such patients.

21 Jan 2021

ACE2 and furin levels linked to inflammation in smokers with COVID-19

A new study reports the level of ACE2 and furin, two enzymes that are intimately linked to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19.

21 Jan 2021

Can cancer patients receive urgent care without risk of COVID-19?

A new study describes how a successful application of mitigation techniques to prevent COVID-19 transmission to cancer patients admitted to or attending a healthcare facility might look.

21 Jan 2021

Busting myths on airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

The rapid spread of COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to significant research on the mechanisms of how the virus spreads, which is usually by airborne transmission.

20 Jan 2021

Nearly one third of UK's hospitalized COVID-19 patients readmitted

In a recent medRxiv preprint paper, researchers from the UK discussed how they determined organ impairment rates post recovery from COVID-19-related hospitalization and compared the results with that in a control group.

20 Jan 2021

COVID-19 has transformed the world of vaccines

Researchers at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Italy and Belgium say the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is transforming the world of vaccinology by accelerating vaccine development and the availability of powerful technologies.

20 Jan 2021

South African SARS-CoV-2 variant escapes antibody neutralization

Researchers in South Africa have conducted a study showing that the novel 501Y.V2 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in the country is able to escape the neutralizing antibodies that are elicited by previously circulating strains of the virus.

20 Jan 2021

Mask-wearing together with social distancing has maximum impact on COVID-19, study finds

A recent study published in the journal The Lancet has revealed that self-reported use of face masks together with social distancing has a considerable impact on controlling the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the United States.

20 Jan 2021

Ethacrynic acid, a diuretic drug with potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

A study published recently in the journal Viruses has identified a potent diuretic ethacrynic acid as an efficient inhibitor of the main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This drug can be potentially repurposed to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 Jan 2021

How does SARS-CoV-2 infect brain cells?

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco, Gladstone Institutes in the USA, and The Aga Khan University in Pakistan investigated if human neural cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2.

20 Jan 2021

Can metabolic biomarkers help clinicians stratify adverse outcome risk in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study describes the alterations in lipids and other parameters that define the state of dysfunctional metabolism in acute COVID-19 illness.

20 Jan 2021

Researchers develop new method for charting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycosylation

Researchers develop a novel, simple and affordable method for N-glycan fingerprinting based on enzymatic fluorescent glycan labeling and electrophoresis. This new method may help us understand important changes in glycosylation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein – something which could inform future therapeutic research.

20 Jan 2021

Immune systems of COVID-19 patients may rely on antibodies from earlier coronaviruses

The results of a study led by Northern Arizona University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggest the immune systems of people infected with COVID-19 may rely on antibodies created during infections from earlier coronaviruses to help fight the disease.

20 Jan 2021

Over 100 million in India may have been infected by SARS-CoV-2

A large new study posted on the preprint server medRxiv describes the seropositivity rate to this virus, as well as the persistence of antibodies over time, both neutralizing and others.

19 Jan 2021

Essential coaching for mothers during COVID-19

Pregnancy and childbirth are especially high-risk periods for mental ill-health. The mobile health program called Essential Coaching for Every Mother (ECEM) was designed to meet the needs of mothers during this critical time, but its introduction was delayed because of the onset of the pandemic.

19 Jan 2021

The structure dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 genome in cells, cell lysates and virions

Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server describes the structures observed during the lifecycle of the RNA virus in terms of both canonical and alternative structures, RNA-RNA interactions, and replication regulation.

19 Jan 2021