Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Researchers develop 20 new recombinant rabies viral vectors for brain circuit mapping

A research team led by the University of California, Irvine has created 20 new recombinant rabies viral vectors for neural circuit mapping that offer a range of significant advantages over existing tools, including the ability to detect microstructural changes in models of aging and Alzheimer's disease brain neurons.

14 Feb 2024

Study attributes West Nile virus expansion in Europe to climate change

West Nile virus is an emerging pathogen in Europe and represents a public health threat in previously non-affected European countries. Occurring in a cycle involving transmission between bird and mosquito species, this virus can be transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and induce West Nile fever.

14 Feb 2024

Study reveals the long-term effects of smoking on immunity

Like other factors such as age, sex and genetics, smoking has a major impact on immune responses. This is the finding recently made by a team of scientists at the Institut Pasteur using the Milieu Intérieur cohort of 1,000 healthy volunteers, established to understand variability in immune responses.

14 Feb 2024

Fluid-filled lung sac found to be the hub for virus-eating cells

Scientists have long thought of the fluid-filled sac around our lungs merely as a cushion from external damage. Turns out, it also houses potent virus-eating cells that rush into the lungs during flu infections.

14 Feb 2024

Home-administered COVID-19 rapid antigen tests show comparable accuracy to clinician-performed tests

In a study involving nearly 1,000 patients seen at the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (BCCFH) during a five-month period in 2022 -; researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland School of Medicine and five other collaborators report that a rapid antigen test (RAT) for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be used at home with accuracy comparable to the same test being administered by a health care professional.

13 Feb 2024

Study shows ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir remains effective against new omicron variants in the U.S

The effectiveness of ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir (NMV-r) against Omicron variants.

13 Feb 2024

Cytokine interferon-gamma can be a disease-modifying therapeutic target in multiple system atrophy

Multiple system atrophy is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease, where insoluble inclusions of the protein alpha-synuclein appear in oligodendrocyte cells of the brain.

12 Feb 2024

Promising new CMV vaccine shows stronger immune response

An experimental mRNA vaccine against human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus that can infect babies during pregnancy, elicited some of the most promising immune responses to date of any CMV vaccine candidate, according to a study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

12 Feb 2024

PulmoBioMed raises £1.4m for innovative lung test commercialization

PulmoBioMed - a Northumbria University spin-out which has developed a new lung test that could lead to earlier diagnosis of asthma and other conditions - has raised £1.4m to help commercialize its technology.

12 Feb 2024

CRISPR could be used for faster monkeypox testing

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare viral disease that is spread through physical contact between people.

12 Feb 2024

Drug repurposing study finds lonafarnib effective against RSV

A study in Nature Communications identifies lonafarnib from the ReFRAME drug-repurposing library as a potent inhibitor of the RSV fusion protein, showing promise in reducing RSV infection in vitro and in vivo.

11 Feb 2024

New study finds 4’-fluorouridine effective against avian influenza in vitro and in vivo

A PLOS Pathogens study reveals 4’-fluorouridine effectively combats avian influenza in vitro and in animal models, showing promise as a treatment that overcomes resistance and reduces disease severity without significant adverse effects.

11 Feb 2024

Understanding the virological properties of SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1

Since December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a worldwide threat.

9 Feb 2024

MHRA authorizes COVID-19 vaccines: Comirnaty and Nuvaxovid gain approvals

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a change to the license of the Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 30 micrograms/dose (single-dose vials) after it was found to meet the UK regulator's standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

9 Feb 2024

Do we simply not care about old people?

The covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn't doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults.

9 Feb 2024

Vaccines safe for pregnant women with HIV but show reduced immune response

A meta-analysis in eClinicalMedicine finds vaccines are safe for pregnant women living with HIV, showing reduced immunogenicity compared to those without HIV but no increase in adverse events, highlighting the need for their inclusion in vaccine trials.

9 Feb 2024