Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

A face mask has been developed that can detect COVID-19. News-Medical spoke to the researchers behind this idea to find out more about how it works.

6 Jul 2021

COVID-19 recovered vaccinated individuals more protected from Delta variant

The B.1.617 lineage of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first detected in October 2020, has led to new outbreaks of the infection and new waves of the pandemic. This infectious lineage has resulted in the generation of sub-lineages such as B.1.617.1 (Kappa), B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.617.3.

6 Jul 2021

CRISPRa identifies potassium channels as neuronal entry factors and druggable targets for SARS-CoV-2

New research led by Le Cong of Stanford University School of Medicine in California indicates that the KCNA6 potassium channel may help with viral entry and promote infection. In addition, KCNA6 is highly expressed in OLIG2+ neuronal cells, which has been shown to be suspectable to SARS-CoV-2 in the olfactory neuroepithelium. This area appears to contribute to loss of smell commonly observed during infection.

6 Jul 2021

Study explores how human ACE2 variants can modify SARS-CoV-2 binding

A recent tour-de-force study by researchers from the United Kingdom reveals variants of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that can improve or decrease binding of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – including two variants with distinct population distributions showing an enhanced affinity for viral spike glycoprotein.

5 Jul 2021

Antibiotic clofoctol shows potential against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study, a group of French researchers aimed to reduce the regulatory preclinical development steps that potential candidates are normally subjected to.

5 Jul 2021

COVID-19's long-term effects on chemosensory functions

A group of Canadian researchers has recently conducted a comprehensive study investigating the long-term effects of COVID-19.

5 Jul 2021

Study says mRNA COVID vaccines are effective against Lambda variant

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study suggesting that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines that are currently being rolled out in many countries should be effective against the C.37 lineage (lambda variant) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

5 Jul 2021

Thiol-based mucolytics show potent allosteric inhibition of SARS-CoV-2-ACE2 binding via disulfide reduction

A compelling report, recently released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes unexpectedly powerful inhibition of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by thiol-based mucolytic compounds P2119 and P2165, by preventing the virus spike from binding to its host cell receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

5 Jul 2021

Dimeric IgA antibodies help identify recent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A fascinating new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, adds a highly appealing tool to the armory of detection techniques for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Its validation could allow the early and accurate detection of recent or active infection, which is valuable in tracing contacts and preventing forward transmission of the virus.

5 Jul 2021

Varenicline blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells and animal models

A new paper released on the bioRxiv* preprint server suggests that the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nACHR) agonist, varenicline tartrate, has antiviral activity against the virus.

5 Jul 2021

Individual variation in viral dynamics could underlie inconsistencies in COVID-19 antiviral treatments

Due to variation in viral dynamics between people, improving the experimental design could help develop effective antiviral treatments for COVID-19.

5 Jul 2021

Scientists identify natural SARS-CoV-2 super immunity against 23 variants

The antibodies are capable of neutralizing a wide range of SARS-CoV-2 variants even at sub-nanomolar concentrations. In addition, the combinations of these antibodies reduce the risk of generating escape mutants in vitro. The study is published in the journal Science.

5 Jul 2021

Rapid quantification of SARS-CoV-2 Spike-specific T cells by direct peptide stimulation of whole peripheral blood

To understand both the correlates of protection induced by vaccinations and the necessary immune responses to manage the COVID-19, researchers from Singapore used an alternative method to closely evaluate the kinetics and magnitude of specific T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Their work was posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

5 Jul 2021

Phylogenetic network analysis reveals recombinant origin of the SARS-CoV-2 alpha (B.1.1.7) variant

Researchers from the U.S. recently used the phylogenetic network approach to analyze the origin of the VOC202012/01 (alpha) or the PANGO Lineage B.1.1.7 variant, which was first reported in U.K. in 2020 and soon spread to other countries. This study is published on the bioRxiv preprint server while the paper undergoes peer review.

5 Jul 2021

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

Researchers from the UK recently compared the performance of 4 different random priming amplification methods to recover SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In method 1 (H-P), the reverse transcriptase (RT) step included random hexamers, whereas, in methods 2-4, RT incorporated an octamer primer with a known tag. This study is published on the bioRxiv preprint server.

5 Jul 2021

Janssens’ COVID-19 vaccine effective against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant

Researchers in the Netherlands have conducted a study showing that Janssen’s Ad26.COV2.S coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine was effective against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among eight individuals.

4 Jul 2021

COVID-19 vaccination induces highly variable immunity among the immunocompromised

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that the humoral (antibody) immunity induced by vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – varies significantly among immunocompromised individuals.

4 Jul 2021

Structure-guided T cell vaccine design could offer broad protection SARS-CoV-2 variants

Gaurav Gaiha, MD, DPhil, a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, studies HIV, one of the fastest-mutating viruses known to humankind.

2 Jul 2021

Ohio's lottery-based incentive system not associated with increase in COVD-19 vaccination rates

Would you be more willing to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus if you could participate in a lottery for cash and prizes? The answer was surprisingly no, according to Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers who found that Ohio's "Vax-a-Million" lottery-based incentive system, intended to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, was not associated with an increase in COVD-19 vaccinations.

2 Jul 2021

Research pinpoints a molecular component responsible for modulating flu damage

New experimental data pinpoints a molecular component responsible for modulating the damage the flu can wreck on the lungs.

2 Jul 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

COVID-19 recovered vaccinated individuals more protected from Delta variant

CRISPRa identifies potassium channels as neuronal entry factors and druggable targets for SARS-CoV-2

Study explores how human ACE2 variants can modify SARS-CoV-2 binding

Antibiotic clofoctol shows potential against SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19's long-term effects on chemosensory functions

Study says mRNA COVID vaccines are effective against Lambda variant

Thiol-based mucolytics show potent allosteric inhibition of SARS-CoV-2-ACE2 binding via disulfide reduction

Dimeric IgA antibodies help identify recent SARS-CoV-2 infection

Varenicline blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells and animal models

Individual variation in viral dynamics could underlie inconsistencies in COVID-19 antiviral treatments

Scientists identify natural SARS-CoV-2 super immunity against 23 variants

Rapid quantification of SARS-CoV-2 Spike-specific T cells by direct peptide stimulation of whole peripheral blood

Phylogenetic network analysis reveals recombinant origin of the SARS-CoV-2 alpha (B.1.1.7) variant

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

Janssens’ COVID-19 vaccine effective against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant

COVID-19 vaccination induces highly variable immunity among the immunocompromised

Structure-guided T cell vaccine design could offer broad protection SARS-CoV-2 variants

Ohio's lottery-based incentive system not associated with increase in COVD-19 vaccination rates

Research pinpoints a molecular component responsible for modulating flu damage

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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