Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

WHO-recommended hand rub formulations effective against novel coronavirus

When used correctly, both alcohol-based hand disinfectants recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) are effective against the novel coronavirus Sars-Cov-2, as confirmed by an international research team headed by Professor Stephanie Pfänder from the Department of Molecular and Medical Virology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

16 Apr 2020

Adult brain cells revert back to embryonic state after injury, study finds

When adult brain cells are injured, they revert to an embryonic state, according to new findings published in the April 15, 2020 issue of Nature by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere.

16 Apr 2020

Coronavirus misinformation and disinformation rife among Americans

A new poll carried out by the Pew Research Center from March 10 to March 16, 2020, shows that almost 1 in 3 Americans think the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that causes the current COVID-19 pandemic is the product of biological research. Despite the utter lack of evidence, the claim has found fertile breeding grounds on the Internet. It serves as an apt example of the spread of dubious or patently false information about the pandemic.

14 Apr 2020

Avoid COVID-19, stay away from busy indoor places, say modeling scientists

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, health departments all over the world have been highlighting social distancing, especially avoiding crowded spaces like supermarkets, movie theatres, and offices.

12 Apr 2020

Study: One-third of younger people in São José do Rio Preto lack antibodies against measles

In São José do Rio Preto, state of São Paulo (Brazil), almost a third of the population aged 10-40 are estimated to have no antibodies against measles, according to a new study that tested 981 people in various age groups.

7 Apr 2020

Scientists show how normal speech may produce aerosolized particles to transmit coronavirus

Normal speech by individuals who are asymptomatic but infected with coronavirus may produce enough aerosolized particles to transmit the infection, according to aerosol scientists at the University of California, Davis.

5 Apr 2020

Wearing surgical masks in public may help limit the spread of COVID-19

Surgical masks may help prevent infected people from making others sick with seasonal viruses, including coronaviruses, according to new research that could help settle a fierce debate spanning clinical and cultural norms.

5 Apr 2020

Virological findings from Germany's first group of COVID-19 patients

In early February, research teams from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, München Klinik Schwabing and the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology published initial findings describing the efficient transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

3 Apr 2020

First genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 viruses in Austria openly available

The first 21 SARS-CoV-2 genomes in Austria have now been completed and published within the scope of the “Mutational Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2” project recently launched by CeMM, the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, in close collaboration with the Medical University of Vienna.

3 Apr 2020

Francis Crick Institute and UCLH play vital role in national COVID-19 testing effort

NHS staff testing for COVID-19 has been boosted by repurposing the Francis Crick Institute’s laboratory facilities as a testing facility, to help combat the spread of infection and allow key workers to perform lifesaving duties and remain safe.

3 Apr 2020

Tulane University adds second avenue for COVID-19 testing

Tulane University has added a second avenue for COVID-19 testing, this one taking place at a Tulane School of Medicine repurposed research lab where results can be processed within a day.

2 Apr 2020

Putting an end to the pandemic

From the plagues of medieval Europe to the influenza pandemic of 1918, the specter of the next public health disaster has gripped the minds of scientists, captivated the imaginations of writers and vexed conspiracy theorists.

1 Apr 2020

'Pool testing' for COVID-19 may help increase testing capacities across the globe

Now, a team of researchers at the German Red Cross Blood Donor Service and the Institute for Medical Virology at the University Hospital Frankfurt at Goethe University have developed a pool testing procedure that will make it possible to rapidly increase worldwide testing capacities for SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2020

Origins of SARS-CoV-2 – natural or man-made?

With over 780,000 individuals across the world infected and over 37,000 dead, the world is gripped by the pandemic caused by the novel strain of coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

30 Mar 2020

UAB will collaborate with Altimmune to test a COVID-19 vaccine candidate

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is launching a collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company Altimmune, Inc. for preclinical testing of a potential vaccine to prevent COVID-19 disease.

30 Mar 2020

Mologic and partners begin validation process for COVID-19 point-of-need diagnostic test

Mologic Ltd today announced that it has initiated early validation of COVID-19 point-of-need diagnostic tests with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

26 Mar 2020

Trump’s boast about U.S., South Korea coronavirus testing misses the mark

Boasting about his administration's response to the coronavirus crisis — and arguing the outbreak would soon be under control — President Donald Trump claimed that recent American efforts to test widely for COVID-19 surpass those of other countries.

25 Mar 2020

Finnish researchers come together to study airborne transmission of coronavirus

Aalto University, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Helsinki have brought together a multidisciplinary group of researchers to model how the extremely small droplets that leave the respiratory tract when coughing, sneezing or talking are transported in air currents.

25 Mar 2020

Russian researchers explain why new pathogenic viruses are so hard to detect

In a recently published fundamental review dedicated to the diagnostics of viral infections, a Russian research team featuring MIPT researchers was the first to systematically describe and summarize the cutting-edge technologies in the rapidly developing field of genetics.

25 Mar 2020

Huge WHO trial of COVID-19 therapies begins

As the world reels from the devastating impact and the looming threat of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, researchers around the globe are racing to find a cure that will reduce symptom severity and reverse the course of the disease, freeing up more hospital space and making it possible to treat more of the severely affected cases.

24 Mar 2020