Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Can memory T cell responses to seasonal coronaviruses protect against severe COVID-19?

In a recent study published in the journal Science Immunology, scientists have revealed that the presence of CD8+ T cells against conserved epitopes of seasonal coronaviruses is associated with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These immune cells exhibit a memory phenotype and provide protection against severe disease.

7 Jul 2021

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

A new meta-analysis, released on the medRxiv* preprint server, suggests that, though possible, the virus is rarely transmitted to the newborn in real life. A scientific brief from the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2021 describes three mechanisms by which the virus might be transmitted from the mother to the fetus or newborn.

7 Jul 2021

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Researchers examined cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully and partially vaccinated healthcare workers, finding that vaccination provided strong immunity to the virus even though VOCs are on the rise in the non-vaccinated community at large.

7 Jul 2021

Study explores loneliness among men in the COVID-19 pandemic

A recent study from the University of York, UK, has taken on an underexplored area regarding the prevalence, and associated factors of loneliness, among men in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

7 Jul 2021

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways uncovers groundbreaking drug repurposing strategies

A new study has been published in Science Advances that exploits proteomics datasets to develop an agnostic network for SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways, thereby unveiling novel targets and potential repurposing strategies.

7 Jul 2021

As covid vaccinations slow, parts of the US remain far behind 70% goal

July Fourth was not the celebration President Joe Biden had hoped for, as far as protecting more Americans with a coronavirus vaccine.

7 Jul 2021

Study addresses potential interrelations between AID/APOBECs and the SARS-CoV-2 virus

Together with their multifaceted action mechanisms, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) and so-called APOBEC proteins are important factors in the body's immune response and offer fast and effective protection against a large number of DNA and RNA viruses.

7 Jul 2021

Vaccinate big cats? New report shows SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infecting endangered lions

There is evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting animals such as ferrets, fruit bats, and cats. New research led by Vijendra Pal Singh from the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Disease in India suggests it might be time to vaccinate the big cats as well. Their report details SARS-CoV-2 infection in nine Asiatic lions caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2).

7 Jul 2021

Synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 could be used as a self-promoting antiviral therapy

What if the COVID-19 virus could be used against itself? Researchers at Penn State have designed a proof-of-concept therapeutic that may be able to do just that. The team designed a synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 virus that is innocuous but interferes with the real virus's growth, potentially causing the extinction of both the disease-causing virus and the synthetic virus.

7 Jul 2021

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States and India have presented the first known evidence that the rollout of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is restricting the evolutionary and immune escape pathways accessible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jul 2021

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine elicits durable T cell memory and antibody responses

Researchers in the United States have shown that Moderna’s mRNA-1273 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine induces durable antibody and T cell responses to the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that are comparable to those seen in cases of COVID-19 caused by natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.

6 Jul 2021

Plant compounds inhibit Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E in vitro

A group of researchers recently discussed their findings that a group of plant flavonols and dihydroflavonols exhibit antiviral efficacy against both SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E.

6 Jul 2021

Investigation reveals considerable added benefit of remdesivir for moderately ill COVID-19 patients

Since July 2020, remdesivir has been conditionally approved in Europe for the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older with pneumonia who require supplemental oxygen but no invasive ventilation.

6 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in the salivary glands, study finds

In Brazil, researchers at the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP) have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in the salivary glands.

6 Jul 2021

Eight new research projects to explore COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada

Eight new research projects are getting underway in Canada to investigate COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs).

6 Jul 2021

Study provides a reliable early prognostic biomarker for COVID-19 severity

In a retrospective, multi-centre cohort study conducted by researchers from Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jinling Hospital and the Second Hospital of Nanjing, a microRNA-like small RNA encoded by SARS-CoV-2 was identified in the serum of COVID-19 patients, which can be developed as a non-invasive biomarker for stratification of severe patients from mild/moderate ones and for identification of high-risk individuals before clinical manifestation of severe symptoms.

6 Jul 2021

Laboratory manufactured protein spikes mimic key features of SARS-CoV-2 virus

A new international study has found that the key properties of the spikes of SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19 are consistent with those of several laboratory-developed protein spikes, designed to mimic the infectious virus.

6 Jul 2021

Mutations in the Epsilon variant contribute to SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

Three mutations in the Epsilon coronavirus spike protein dampen the neutralizing potency of antibodies induced by current vaccines or past COVID infections.

6 Jul 2021

Study explores the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (and other betacoronaviruses) on cellular mRNA processing

A new study has been released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with a comprehensive survey on alternative splicing concerning SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study has also included two other betacoronavirurses (SARS-CoV and MERS), a control set of unrelated viruses, and a bacterium, namely, Streptococcus pneumonia. The study findings suggest that several cellular parameters are affected owing to a betacoronavirus infection, which in turn affects some genes and invariably various biological functions.

6 Jul 2021

Preliminary study shows no need to cease breastfeeding following COVID-19 vaccination

A new study of 13 breastfeeding mothers has shown that components from the COVID-19 vaccine were not found in any breastmilk.

6 Jul 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Can memory T cell responses to seasonal coronaviruses protect against severe COVID-19?

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Study explores loneliness among men in the COVID-19 pandemic

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways uncovers groundbreaking drug repurposing strategies

As covid vaccinations slow, parts of the US remain far behind 70% goal

Study addresses potential interrelations between AID/APOBECs and the SARS-CoV-2 virus

Vaccinate big cats? New report shows SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infecting endangered lions

Synthetic defective SARS-CoV-2 could be used as a self-promoting antiviral therapy

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine elicits durable T cell memory and antibody responses

Plant compounds inhibit Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E in vitro

Investigation reveals considerable added benefit of remdesivir for moderately ill COVID-19 patients

SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in the salivary glands, study finds

Eight new research projects to explore COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada

Study provides a reliable early prognostic biomarker for COVID-19 severity

Laboratory manufactured protein spikes mimic key features of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Mutations in the Epsilon variant contribute to SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

Study explores the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (and other betacoronaviruses) on cellular mRNA processing

Preliminary study shows no need to cease breastfeeding following COVID-19 vaccination

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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