Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralizing antibodies and rapidly spreads by cell fusion, finds study

In a new study by researchers in the UK, Germany and South Africa, this process is visualized using time-lapse microscopy of a human cell lung line, demonstrating that SARS-CoV-2 can induce cell-to-cell fusion within 6 hours post-infection. Further, the application of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma was unable to prevent the spread of the virus by this mechanism, suggesting that removing SARS-CoV-2 from cells permissive of cell membrane fusion could be more difficult than other types of cell.

4 Jun 2021

In Missouri and other states, flawed data makes it hard to track vaccine equity

Throughout the covid-19 vaccination effort, public health officials and politicians have insisted that providing shots equitably across racial and ethnic groups is a top priority.

4 Jun 2021

Analysis: Mounting pressure on China about Covid ‘lab leak’ could backfire

President Joe Biden has ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to determine whether the Covid virus, or a near ancestor, emerged from a cave, a live-animal market, a farm — or a secretive Chinese laboratory.

4 Jun 2021

Post-COVID-19 assessment shows long-lasting consequences for many non-hospitalized individuals

Complications following COVID-19 infection require quick identification and management to help plan policy and health system responses. Researchers in the UK recently described the 12-month experience of the first dedicated post-COVID clinical service in the UK to include both hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This study has been released on the medRxiv* the preprint server.

4 Jun 2021

Waters launches new RUO LC-MS test method to advance infectious disease research

Waters Corporation today introduced a new RUO LC-MS test method to advance critical infectious disease research.

4 Jun 2021

Researchers report how the tobacco and e-cigarette industry capitalized on COVID-19 to promote smoking

Scientific papers suggesting that smokers are less likely to fall ill with covid-19 are being discredited as links to the tobacco industry, reveals an investigation by The BMJ today.

4 Jun 2021

Novel insights can open doors to combating clotting-related problems in COVID-19

Researchers scour what is known to come up with a hypothesis of why blood clots can be a major problem in COVID-19

4 Jun 2021

Study brings to light the role of a cellular protein in COVID-19 infections

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a protein found on the surface of lung cells, facilitates the entry of the novel coronavirus into host cells.

4 Jun 2021

Clinical trial evaluating mixed COVID-19 vaccine schedules begins at NIH

Vaccination efforts against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus behind the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, are well underway in many countries. Over 2 billion vaccines have been administered to date, and campaigns continue to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

4 Jun 2021

World Health Organization simplifies names of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has assigned simple and easy-to-say labels for key variants of SARS-CoV-2 using letters of the Greek alphabet. The health agency selected these labels after a thorough review of many potential naming systems.

4 Jun 2021

New strategy for developing universal flu vaccine

A new study from the University of Chicago and Scripps Research Institute shows that during the last great pandemic--2009's H1N1 influenza pandemic--people developed strong, effective immune responses to stable, conserved parts of the virus.

4 Jun 2021

Effect of India's 2021 Assembly Election on COVID-19

In a recent study, Indian researchers from Midnapore City College, and Indian Center for Space Physics, looked at how the assembly elections conducted during the second wave of COVID-19 impacted the transmission of the infection - on the effective contact rate and the effective reproduction number of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv*.

4 Jun 2021

New research focuses on cow's milk as a possible source of COVID-19 control

Physiologically, milk contains biocomponents that are highly protective against infections. In light of this, the AGR-149-Infectious Diseases group at the University of Cordoba's Department of Animal Health is doing research that focuses on cow's milk as a possible source of Covid-19 control. The results have been published, partially, in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

4 Jun 2021

Study: Nasal therapy is more effective than commonly used IgG antibodies at neutralizing COVID-19 virus

A nasal therapy, built upon on the application of a new engineered IgM antibody therapy for COVID-19, was more effective than commonly used IgG antibodies at neutralizing the COVID-19 virus in animal models, according to research recently published by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB Health), the University of Houston, and IGM Biosciences, Inc.

4 Jun 2021

People who received Pfizer-Biontech vaccine have lower antibody levels targeting the delta variant

Levels of antibodies in the blood of vaccinated people that are able to recognise and fight the new SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant first discovered in India (B.1.617.2) are on average lower than those against previously circulating variants in the UK, according to new laboratory data from the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, published today (Thursday) as a Research letter in The Lancet.

4 Jun 2021

Plant-based oil blend shows virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses in vitro

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server offers a potential candidate for disinfecting the respiratory tract and mouth during and after exposure to the virus, in the form of proprietary herbal oil named Viruxal.

3 Jun 2021

Two repurposed drugs inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry factors in a synergistic manner

A preprint paper uploaded to the bioRxiv* server shows how combining drugs targeting different entry factors of the host cell may prevent infection by the virus.

3 Jun 2021

Mast cell activation may underlie inflammation in severe COVID-19

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server points to mast cells as major culprits in the etiology of severe and critical COVID-19. This could suggest suitable therapeutic and preventive interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this viral illness.

3 Jun 2021

New method gives an accurate real-time estimate of epidemic trajectories

A new method to monitor epidemics like COVID-19 gives an accurate real-time estimate of the growth rate of an epidemic by carefully evaluating the relationship between the amount of viruses in infected people's bodies, called the viral load, and how fast the number of cases is increasing or decreasing.

3 Jun 2021

NIH study identifies promising oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19

The experimental drug TEMPOL may be a promising oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, suggests a study of cell cultures by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

3 Jun 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralizing antibodies and rapidly spreads by cell fusion, finds study

In Missouri and other states, flawed data makes it hard to track vaccine equity

Analysis: Mounting pressure on China about Covid ‘lab leak’ could backfire

Post-COVID-19 assessment shows long-lasting consequences for many non-hospitalized individuals

Waters launches new RUO LC-MS test method to advance infectious disease research

Researchers report how the tobacco and e-cigarette industry capitalized on COVID-19 to promote smoking

Novel insights can open doors to combating clotting-related problems in COVID-19

Study brings to light the role of a cellular protein in COVID-19 infections

Clinical trial evaluating mixed COVID-19 vaccine schedules begins at NIH

World Health Organization simplifies names of SARS-CoV-2 variants

New strategy for developing universal flu vaccine

Effect of India's 2021 Assembly Election on COVID-19

New research focuses on cow's milk as a possible source of COVID-19 control

Study: Nasal therapy is more effective than commonly used IgG antibodies at neutralizing COVID-19 virus

People who received Pfizer-Biontech vaccine have lower antibody levels targeting the delta variant

Plant-based oil blend shows virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses in vitro

Two repurposed drugs inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry factors in a synergistic manner

Mast cell activation may underlie inflammation in severe COVID-19

New method gives an accurate real-time estimate of epidemic trajectories

NIH study identifies promising oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19

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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