Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Live attenuated nasal vaccine elicits superior immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants in hamsters

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been working on mucosal vaccines that can be administered through the nose.

4 Apr 2023

Mount Sinai to expand research training program in skin biology with support from $1.3 million T32 grant

The Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will expand its research training program in skin biology with support from a five-year, $1.3 million T32 grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

3 Apr 2023

Researchers report surprising first steps that promote resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is a global health threat. In 2019 alone, an estimated 1.3 million deaths were attributed to antibiotic resistant bacterial infections worldwide.

31 Mar 2023

Zoonotic agent Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae caused mass mortality of harbor porpoises

In a recent article published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, researchers in the Netherlands described a mortality event that killed hundreds of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), a small cetacean, along the Netherlands coastline, in August 2021.

22 Mar 2023

Texas A&M scientist explores how HVAC and building designs could mitigate pathogens' spread

Air flow in a room can impact the transmission of viruses like COVID-19.

22 Mar 2023

Co-infection with MRSA ‘superbug’ could make COVID-19 outcomes even more deadly

Global data shows nearly 10 per cent of severe COVID-19 cases involve a secondary bacterial co-infection – with Staphylococcus aureus, also known as Staph A., being the most common organism responsible for co-existing infections with SARS-CoV-2.

21 Mar 2023

New SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB.1.5 variant has high transmissibility and infectivity, study finds

COVID-19 has caused significant global panic after its rapid emergence more than 3 years ago. Although we now have highly effective vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, scientists continue to study emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in order to safeguard public health and devise global preventive strategies against emerging variants.

20 Mar 2023

Usefulness of dried blood spot samples for monitoring HCV infection in people who inject drugs

A study with people who inject drugs evaluated a minimally invasive test based on dried blood spots (DBS) for the monitoring of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

17 Mar 2023

Computational analysis of large genetic datasets reveals rare disease etiologies

Using a new computational approach they developed to analyze large genetic datasets from rare disease cohorts, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues have discovered previously unknown genetic causes of three rare conditions: primary lymphedema (characterized by tissue swelling), thoracic aortic aneurysm disease, and congenital deafness.

17 Mar 2023

Examining SARS-CoV-2 origin theories

A recent study published in the Journal of Virology summarized the evidence on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) origin hypotheses.

16 Mar 2023

Schizophrenia risk conferred by rare damaging genetic variants is conserved across ethnicities

Researchers have identified two previously unknown genes linked to schizophrenia and newly implicated a third gene as carrying risk for both schizophrenia and autism.

13 Mar 2023

C-reactive protein has a beneficial function in systemic lupus erythematosus

The biological function of the C-reactive protein, CRP, has long been unknown. Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden now show that this protein has a beneficial function in systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE, an inflammatory disease.

9 Mar 2023

Roadmap outlines a framework for moving COVID-19 vaccines forward

Researchers presented the coronavirus vaccines research and development roadmap to promote the development of broadly protective COVID-19 vaccines.

24 Feb 2023

Skipping meals can trigger a negative effect on immune cells

Fasting may be detrimental to fighting off infection, and could lead to an increased risk of heart disease, according to a new study by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

23 Feb 2023

Scientists identify mechanisms underlying autoimmunity in Down syndrome

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have identified which parts of the immune system go awry and contribute to autoimmune diseases in individuals with Down syndrome.

22 Feb 2023

Mount Sinai study sheds new light on the role of DNA methylation in Alzheimer's disease

Mount Sinai researchers have published a study in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association that sheds new light on the role of DNA methylation in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

22 Feb 2023

First induced bat iPSCs offer insights into the close relationship between bats and SARS-CoV-2 viruses

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have generated the first induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from bats, gaining valuable insights into the close relationship between bats and viruses.

21 Feb 2023

COVID-19 vaccination associated with fewer heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular issues

Analyzing the most extensive datasets in the United States, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have revealed that vaccination against COVID-19 is associated with fewer heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular issues among people who were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

20 Feb 2023

HIV prevention model in Zambian prisons may be extended to other criminal justice facilities

A recent study performed in Zambia by University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute of Human Virology researchers found that high uptake of HIV preventative medicine, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is possible in prison populations with adequate resources and support from the criminal justice health system.

16 Feb 2023

Aerosol experts provide an account of the rejection of aerosol science by the WHO

In a recent viewpoint article published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers underscored the need for prompt adoption of scientific evidence, using the delayed acceptance of the airborne mode of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission as an example.

15 Feb 2023