Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Vaccination after prior infection elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

A new medrxiv* preprint reports on the current landscape of vaccine-induced antibodies in the United Kingdom.

8 Jun 2021

How SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 adapted to evade innate immunity

Researchers in the United States and the UK have conducted a study showing how the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) lineage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) adapted to suppress host innate immune responses in lung epithelial cells.

8 Jun 2021

Researchers identify a novel host-directed therapeutic approach to COVID-19

Researchers in the UK have demonstrated the potential of modulating the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a novel host-directed therapeutic approach to protecting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

8 Jun 2021

Cell-to-cell contact helps in spreading SARS-CoV-2, finds study

People aren’t the only ones who should be social distancing — new research shows our cells need to as well. Researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, USA, used in-culture techniques to confirm SARS-CoV-2 transmission via cell-to-cell contact.

8 Jun 2021

What lessons have we learned over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic?

One of the pressing questions scientists are currently trying to answer is whether the current vaccines will remain effective against the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. A new piece of research has been published in the journal Biomedicines, which discusses the knowledge we have gained thus far and the questions that researchers should address in future work.

8 Jun 2021

Treating critically ill COVID-19 patients with non-altered umbilical cord stem cells increases survival

Critically ill COVID-19 patients treated with non-altered stem cells from umbilical cord connective tissue were more than twice as likely to survive as those who did not have the treatment, according to a study published today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.

8 Jun 2021

What is the role of monoclonal antibody therapy in treating COVID-19?

A new study has been published in the journal Vaccines that deals with the present state of research on using mAbs for the treatment of the COVID-19 disease. Many clinical trials are being conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of several newly designed mAbs. Some of the mAbs are directed towards immune system responses, i.e., non-SARS-CoV-2 specific mAbs, while others are devised to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 protein structure, i.e., SARS-CoV-2 specific mAbs.

8 Jun 2021

Boeing tested air purifiers like those widely used in schools. It decided not to use them in planes.

Aerospace giant Boeing tested two kinds of ionization technologies — like those widely adopted in schools hoping to combat covid — to determine how well each killed germs on surfaces and decided that neither was effective enough to install on its commercial planes.

8 Jun 2021

Could the intranasal route be an alternate avenue of COVID-19 vaccination?

A new study has been published in the journal Vaccines that summarizes the history of vaccines, reviews the current progress in COVID-19 vaccine technology, and discusses the status of intranasal COVID-19 vaccines as a potential pathway to immunization.

8 Jun 2021

Researchers review environmental risk assessments for recombinant COVID-19 viral vector vaccines

In a recent review, published in the journal Vaccines, researchers in Belgium look at the recombinant viral vector-vaccine candidates that are primarily against SARS-CoV-2 still in development and discuss their features from an environmental risk point of view.

8 Jun 2021

Mass vaccination the only way to tackle emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers from Poland recently analyzed key information concerning SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as their infectivity, mutations, severity, and immune susceptibility. Their work is published in the open-access journal Pathogens.

8 Jun 2021

Nanozymes to the rescue - potential role in fighting COVID-19

Over the last few decades, researchers have developed artificial enzymes for many applications. Recently, they deployed nanomaterial-based enzyme mimetics or nanozymes in diagnosis and therapeutics. Nanozymes find applications in various biomedical applications, including antiviral agents and cancer therapy.

8 Jun 2021

NIH researchers identify novel small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, has recently identified six novel small molecule inhibitors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

8 Jun 2021

Novel COVID-19 vaccine is safe, generates immune response in healthy adults

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt and end lives around the world, and public health officials worldwide have recognized vaccines as the critical tools required for controlling the COVID-19 death toll and achieving a return to normal life.

8 Jun 2021

ACE2 functions as a gateway for COVID-19 virus

Normally, the ACE2 enzyme helps regulate our blood pressure. The enzyme sits on the surface of cells, including cells in the lungs, but in connection with COVID-19 it has been found that ACE2 also functions as a gateway for the virus.

8 Jun 2021

Fluorescence-based assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

Researchers have developed a rapid assay to rapidly detect neutralizing antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using an imaging technique they developed for the Ebola virus.

8 Jun 2021

Study examines how SARS CoV-2 aerosols travel through the lower lungs

When we inhale isolated coronavirus particles, more than 65% reach the deepest region of our lungs where damage to cells can lead to low blood oxygen levels, new research has discovered, and more of these aerosols reach the right lung than the left.

8 Jun 2021

Scientists explain why space travel weakens the human immune system

Microgravity in space perturbs human physiology and is detrimental for astronaut health, a fact first realized during early Apollo missions when astronauts experienced inner ear disturbances, heart arrhythmia, low blood pressure, dehydration, and loss of calcium from their bones after their mission.

8 Jun 2021

Link between SARS-CoV-2 organotropism and kidney injury

It was clear at a relatively early stage of the pandemic that SARS-CoV-2 causes a wide range of symptoms; in addition to typical respiratory symptoms, patients also had neurological symptoms (starting with anosmia), gastrointestinal symptoms, elevated liver values, and renal, urinary or hematological changes, for example.

8 Jun 2021

Study shows how cowpea mosaic plant virus stimulates the immune system against cancer

Previous work by a team of researchers led by Steven N. Fiering, PhD, Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy researcher at Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Nicole Steinmetz, PhD, Jacobs School of Engineering and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, showed that a plant virus that does not infect mammals, cowpea mosaic plant virus (CPMV), when injected into cancerous tumors, strongly stimulated the immune system to attack and often eliminate the tumor.

8 Jun 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Vaccination after prior infection elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

How SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 adapted to evade innate immunity

Researchers identify a novel host-directed therapeutic approach to COVID-19

Cell-to-cell contact helps in spreading SARS-CoV-2, finds study

What lessons have we learned over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic?

Treating critically ill COVID-19 patients with non-altered umbilical cord stem cells increases survival

What is the role of monoclonal antibody therapy in treating COVID-19?

Boeing tested air purifiers like those widely used in schools. It decided not to use them in planes.

Could the intranasal route be an alternate avenue of COVID-19 vaccination?

Researchers review environmental risk assessments for recombinant COVID-19 viral vector vaccines

Mass vaccination the only way to tackle emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

Nanozymes to the rescue - potential role in fighting COVID-19

NIH researchers identify novel small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Novel COVID-19 vaccine is safe, generates immune response in healthy adults

ACE2 functions as a gateway for COVID-19 virus

Fluorescence-based assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

Study examines how SARS CoV-2 aerosols travel through the lower lungs

Scientists explain why space travel weakens the human immune system

Link between SARS-CoV-2 organotropism and kidney injury

Study shows how cowpea mosaic plant virus stimulates the immune system against cancer

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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