Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

L452R mutations may have triggered the emergence of several COVID-19 variants

Most of the recently risen coronavirus variants of interest or concern -- delta, kappa, epsilon, iota and lambda -- are universally carrying a mutation in amino acid L452 of the Spike protein that helps the virus bind to host cells.

13 Aug 2021

WHO outlines the next series of studies on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has been working with the Member States and the scientific community to better understand how this pandemic began so that we can be better prepared for the next one.

13 Aug 2021

Pfizer CEO to public: Just trust us on the covid booster

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla was confident in June about the ability of his company's vaccine to protect against the highly contagious delta variant, as it marched across the globe and filled U.S. hospitals with patients.

13 Aug 2021

Discovery of highly potent neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications has reported two neutralizing antibodies, namely, nCoVmab1 and nCoVmab2, which are potent against SARS-CoV-2.

13 Aug 2021

How replication and recombination contribute to emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been caused by the rapid outbreak of a novel coronavirus, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, the virus has already claimed more than 4.3 million lives worldwide.

13 Aug 2021

Advances in plant-made vaccines revive interest in plant-produced pharmaceuticals and edible drugs

Recent progress in developing and testing plant-made vaccines has revived interest in plant-produced pharmaceuticals, including edible drugs, for human use. Advances in technology and manufacturing could boost the uptake of therapeutics made in this way, say Hugues Fausther-Bovendo and Gary Kobinger in this Perspective.

13 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants containing L452R spike mutation more resistant to antibody-mediated neutralization

A team of scientists from Frankfurt, Germany, has recently explored the efficacy of vaccine- or infection-induced antibodies and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in neutralizing kappa and delta variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

12 Aug 2021

Optical nanoscopy reveals how SARS-CoV-2 infection alters human airway cells

How do viruses reorganize host cells with spatial and molecular specificity? Researchers from the Netherlands provided new insights in a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, where they use optical nanoscopy to look at severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-triggered changes in primary human airway cells.

12 Aug 2021

CDC's mask guidance may have increased the threat of COVID-19 among vulnerable communities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may have increased the threat of COVID-19 infection in the Black community and among some other racial and ethnic minority groups when the agency updated its mask guidance last May, according to a new commentary in the Journal of General Internal Medicine by two colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital.

12 Aug 2021

Study finds four circulating miRNAs which could effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication

In a new study, Chen-Yu Zhang's group from Nanjing University presents a rather striking finding that four circulating miRNAs, which are high in healthy people and much lower in older people and diabetic patients, could effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication by directly targeting the S protein.

12 Aug 2021

Researchers map the impact of Covid-19 on the mental well-being of Israelis

During the six weeks between the end of the first COVID-19 outbreak in Israel and the beginning of the second one (late April to early June of 2020), researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science initiated a study that encompassed more than 12,000 responses from nearly 5,000 respondents to digital questionnaires, in an attempt to assess and understand the mental toll of the pandemic on the country's adult population.

12 Aug 2021

Researcher receives $8.7 million to investigate the link between viral infections and memory disorders

More than half of the survivors of West Nile virus brain infections are left with memory disorders that make everyday tasks such as remembering the route from home to work challenging.

12 Aug 2021

Over 70% of young people in England vaccinated with a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Over 70% of young people aged 18 to 29 in England have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the latest figures show, providing vital protection against infection and serious illness from the virus.

12 Aug 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Senate acts

The Senate has set the stage for a busy fall that will include debate on a broad array of health issues, such as prescription drug prices, Medicare expansion and further expansion of the Affordable Care Act.

12 Aug 2021

South Australian-developed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shows promise to prevent COVID-19 lung infection

A South Australian-developed SARS-CoV-19 vaccine is preparing to progress to the final stages of human clinical trials after early animal testing confirmed its safety and effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 lung infection.

12 Aug 2021

Reading, ’rithmetic and resisting covid: The new 3 R’s as kids head back to school

When kids head back to school this fall, for some it will be the first time they've been in a real classroom with other students since the pandemic began.

12 Aug 2021

Getting a covid vaccine during pregnancy even more urgent as ICU beds fill up

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doubling down on its recommendation that people who are pregnant get the covid-19 vaccine, in light of new data underscoring its safety and effectiveness throughout pregnancy.

12 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 detection by machine learning surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is a highly sensitive molecule characterization method, significantly more sensitive than ordinary Raman spectroscopy due to the excitation of Raman modes matching the plasmon resonance frequency of the surface metal utilized, usually gold, silver, or copper.

11 Aug 2021

VPS29 gene facilitates coronavirus cell entry

In a research paper recently uploaded to the bioRxiv* preprint server by Poston et al. (August 8th, 2021), common host factors amongst several zoonotic pathogens are explored by CRISPR-Cas9 screening in human lung cells, focusing in particular on the betacoronavirus genus.

11 Aug 2021

New study offers suggestions for keeping classrooms safe during the Covid-19 pandemic

Open windows and a good heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system are starting points for keeping classrooms safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. But they are not the last word, according to a new study from researchers at MIT.

11 Aug 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

L452R mutations may have triggered the emergence of several COVID-19 variants

WHO outlines the next series of studies on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Pfizer CEO to public: Just trust us on the covid booster

Discovery of highly potent neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

How replication and recombination contribute to emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Advances in plant-made vaccines revive interest in plant-produced pharmaceuticals and edible drugs

SARS-CoV-2 variants containing L452R spike mutation more resistant to antibody-mediated neutralization

Optical nanoscopy reveals how SARS-CoV-2 infection alters human airway cells

CDC's mask guidance may have increased the threat of COVID-19 among vulnerable communities

Study finds four circulating miRNAs which could effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication

Researchers map the impact of Covid-19 on the mental well-being of Israelis

Researcher receives $8.7 million to investigate the link between viral infections and memory disorders

Over 70% of young people in England vaccinated with a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The Senate acts

South Australian-developed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shows promise to prevent COVID-19 lung infection

Reading, ’rithmetic and resisting covid: The new 3 R’s as kids head back to school

Getting a covid vaccine during pregnancy even more urgent as ICU beds fill up

SARS-CoV-2 detection by machine learning surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

VPS29 gene facilitates coronavirus cell entry

New study offers suggestions for keeping classrooms safe during the Covid-19 pandemic

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Innovating for impact: Jordi Labs on aligning methodologies with FDA expectation

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

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Innovating for impact: Jordi Labs on aligning methodologies with FDA expectation

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

Transforming Cardiovascular Care: Insights from Mina Makar at AstraZeneca

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