Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Zinc inhibits SARS-CoV-2’s main protease in vitro

Zinc has antiviral properties. However, the detailed kinetics and the mechanism of zinc in the inhibition of viruses, particularly SARS-CoV-2 – the causative virus of COVID-19 – is unclear. To probe the role of zinc as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent at the structural and molecular level, researchers in India studied the binding kinetics and the inhibition mechanism of zinc with SARS-CoV-2’s viral proteins.

21 Jun 2021

Age ascending COVID-19 vaccination could be a better option

A paper has been uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv*, allowing a comparison between demographics concerning the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2.

21 Jun 2021

Study shows that COVID-19 was present in five U.S. states in December 2019, even before the first reported case in China

In a recent study, a group of researchers aimed to identify exactly how early SARS-CoV-2 was circulating throughout the United States.

21 Jun 2021

Anti-coronavirus molecules from microbes could be key to new treatments

Microbes in the gut that produce beneficial compounds could hold the key to treating coronavirus symptoms.

21 Jun 2021

Effects of COVID-19 infection persist in patients even post-treatment

Patients infected by COVID-19 suffer cognitive and behavioral problems lasting even 2 months post-hospital release.

21 Jun 2021

Can convalescent plasma therapy improve COVID-19 outcomes in patients with hematologic cancers?

A recent study discusses the findings of a study on patients with hematologic cancers who received convalescent plasma therapy following their diagnosis of COVID-19.

21 Jun 2021

New research uncovers substantial differences in rates of childhood cancers

New research uncovers substantial differences in rates of childhood cancers when considering single year of age rather than grouping several years together.

21 Jun 2021

New test is cheaper, easier, and can reliably diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection

New lateral flow test Vigilant is cheaper, easier to use and as reliable as the current gold standard PCR test for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection.

21 Jun 2021

New program reveals high burden of undiagnosed or poorly controlled diseases in rural South Africa

A comprehensive health-screening program in rural northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has found a high burden of undiagnosed or poorly controlled non-communicable diseases, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health.

21 Jun 2021

COVID-19 patients suffer from cognitive, behavioral problems after discharge, study finds

COVID-19 patients suffer from cognitive and behavioral problems two months after being discharged from hospital, a new study presented at the 7th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) has found.

21 Jun 2021

Study: Patients with two SARS-CoV-2 variants are less likely to be asymptomatic compared to control group

Although two SARS-CoV-2 variants are associated with higher transmission, patients with these variants show no evidence of higher viral loads in their upper respiratory tracts compared to the control group, a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine study found.

21 Jun 2021

Commensal bacteria in the human intestine produce compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from Yonsei University in South Korea have found that certain commensal bacteria that reside in the human intestine produce compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2.

21 Jun 2021

RIG-1 agonist shows potent antiviral efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of scientists from the United States has recently revealed the antiviral efficacy of stem-loop RNA 14, a RIG-1 agonist, in controlling severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in mice. The compound reduces the risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by inhibiting viral replication in the lower respiratory tract. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

18 Jun 2021

Scientists develop low-cost lab-on-paper device for rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the University of Connecticut, USA, has developed a low-cost lab-on-paper technology to rapidly and easily detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The work has recently been published in a Royal Society of Chemistry’s Lab on a Chip journal.

18 Jun 2021

Combination of interferon-α and nafamostat inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

A new study, released as a preprint on bioRxiv* server, shows that a combination of the biological interferon-α and the small molecule nafamostat are effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, as well as in vivo.

18 Jun 2021

COVID-19 outbreak in Mauritius dominated by new SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.318

Underlining the key role of genomic surveillance in keeping tabs on the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a new medRxiv* preprint shows how a new variant called B.1.1.318 rose to dominance in the small island country of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

18 Jun 2021

Could horse-derived antibody therapy be effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern?

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, reveals the high neutralizing efficacy of hyperimmune horse serum against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This could prove, if validated, to be a more affordable yet potent therapeutic in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by this virus.

18 Jun 2021

Texas Biomed scientists receive $1 million NIH funding for Ebola research

Scientists have a general idea of how viruses invade and spread in the body, but the precise mechanisms are actually not well understood, especially when it comes to Ebola virus.

18 Jun 2021

COVID-19 virus can infect the testes, hamster study shows

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have observed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can infect the testes of infected hamsters.

18 Jun 2021

Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccines provide protection against gamma variant, study finds

In early January 2021, travelers returning to Tokyo, Japan, from Amazonas, Brazil, were screened for COVID-19 at the airport. A few days later, the National Institute of Infectious Disease of Japan announced that the travelers had returned with a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

18 Jun 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Zinc inhibits SARS-CoV-2’s main protease in vitro

Age ascending COVID-19 vaccination could be a better option

Study shows that COVID-19 was present in five U.S. states in December 2019, even before the first reported case in China

Anti-coronavirus molecules from microbes could be key to new treatments

Effects of COVID-19 infection persist in patients even post-treatment

Can convalescent plasma therapy improve COVID-19 outcomes in patients with hematologic cancers?

New research uncovers substantial differences in rates of childhood cancers

New test is cheaper, easier, and can reliably diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection

New program reveals high burden of undiagnosed or poorly controlled diseases in rural South Africa

COVID-19 patients suffer from cognitive, behavioral problems after discharge, study finds

Study: Patients with two SARS-CoV-2 variants are less likely to be asymptomatic compared to control group

Commensal bacteria in the human intestine produce compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2

RIG-1 agonist shows potent antiviral efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection

Scientists develop low-cost lab-on-paper device for rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2

Combination of interferon-α and nafamostat inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

COVID-19 outbreak in Mauritius dominated by new SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.318

Could horse-derived antibody therapy be effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern?

Texas Biomed scientists receive $1 million NIH funding for Ebola research

COVID-19 virus can infect the testes, hamster study shows

Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccines provide protection against gamma variant, study finds

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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