Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp2 structure revealed by cryo-EM and AI

Researchers in the United States analyzed the non-structural protein 2 (Nsp2) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in order to better understand its function and to guide future drug discovery. The research paper is currently available on bioRxiv* preprint server.

16 May 2021

Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines induce robust T cell response against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing the efficacy of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at eliciting a robust T cell response against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 May 2021

What does approval of the Pfizer vaccine for teens and preteens mean for my child?

Extending the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to preteens and young adolescents adds nearly 17 million more Americans to the pool of those eligible to be immunized against covid-19, helping to build a vaccinated population closer to herd immunity. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are also testing the efficacy of their vaccines in teens and children.

14 May 2021

UCL scientists identify new immunotherapy to combat hepatitis B virus

Scientists at UCL have identified a new immunotherapy to combat the hepatitis B virus (HBV), the most common cause of liver cancer in the world.

14 May 2021

Unique pre-clinical model enables study of HIV infection and testing of new therapies

A team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Children's National Hospital has developed a unique pre-clinical model that enables the study of long-term HIV infection, and the testing of new therapies aimed at curing the disease.

14 May 2021

Supercarriers: Just 2% of SARS-CoV-2 positive people carry 90% of the virus

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the vast majority of the viral load in a community at any given point is present in a very small minority of the infected population, underlining the vast differences in viral loads between individuals.

14 May 2021

A look at how coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affects Parkinson's

Earlier, herpes simplex virus (HSV), influenza virus A, measles virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and mumps virus have all been associated with after-effects of the virus that includes Parkinson's disease (PD). This list may now include SARS-CoV-2.

14 May 2021

A SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits broad immunity

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint research paper, M. Gordon Joyce et al. designed engineered nanoparticle immunogens that recapitulate the structural and antigenic properties of prefusion Spike (S), S1 and receptor-binding domain (RBD). They demonstrated that these immunogens induced robust S-binding, ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme)-inhibition, and authentic and pseudovirus neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in mice.

13 May 2021

A magnetofluidic platform for SARS-CoV-2 variant and respiratory pathogen detection

Recent research published on the medRxiv* server has developed a portable, magnetofluidic cartridge platform, for automated PCR testing in <30 min, for rapid multiplexed screening of pathogens. A multidisciplinary team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine developed these cartridges for multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 with distinctive variant mutations or with Influenza A and B.

13 May 2021

Three-way strategy employed by SARS-CoV-2 during infection

The study, published in the journal Nature, reveals a multi-pronged strategy that the virus employs to ensure its quick and efficient replication while evading the immune system. The study elucidated how the virus can quickly, in a matter of hours, take over the cell's protein-making machinery and parallelly neutralize the cell's antiviral signaling, thus delaying and muddling the immune response.

13 May 2021

Antibodies generated by malaria cross-react with SARS-CoV-2

An international team of researchers has warned that individuals with acute malaria infection generate high levels of antibodies that cross-react with the viral spike protein of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 May 2021

UCLA Health wins $750,000 grant to scale COVID-19 innovations and support health equity

UCLA Health has received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to scale healthcare innovations for COVID-19 response and recovery and to support health equity through BioFutures, a new LA County workforce development program for diversity in the biosciences.

13 May 2021

Single dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine protective in previously infected recipients, suggests study

A recent report on the medRxiv* preprint server suggests that a single dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine could elicit higher titers of neutralizing antibodies, effectively acting as a booster dose, in people who have already been infected by the SARS-CoV-2.

13 May 2021

Phosphatidic acid is a key common substrate for hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2 replication

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, focuses on the lipid molecule called phosphatidic acid (PA), showing its crucial role in the replication of this virus, and thus its potential as a target for therapeutic intervention.

13 May 2021

High-density microarray patch could help vaccinate for dengue in a single click

A dengue virus vaccine candidate has passed an important milestone, with promising results in animal model testing providing hope to the 390 million people infected every year.

13 May 2021

Designer SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine produces dramatically improved antibody response in preclinical trials

The importance of computational modeling in the prediction of the course of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as evaluating multiple potential drug leads, has never been more clear. Now, a new study describes a set of designer vaccine antigens that may improve vaccine stability as well as enhance the neutralizing antibody response.

13 May 2021

South Australian immunologist receives $3 million to accelerate work on Covid-19 vaccine

A leading South Australian immunologist has been awarded $3 million from the Federal Government to accelerate work on a locally developed Covid-19 vaccine, in what's anticipated to be the second line of defence against the virus.

13 May 2021

Huge healthcare burden of post-COVID-19 symptoms likely, suggests new study

How well do patients who had COVID-19 recover after the virus is cleared from their systems? A new preprint reports on symptom profiles over the first nine months of the illness.

13 May 2021

Another pandemic ‘to do’ on the list for schools: Contact tracing

Chris Hodges, the principal of Gaylord High School in Otsego County, Michigan, never thought he'd be a contact tracer.

13 May 2021

Study reports new monoclonal antibodies with broad neutralizing capabilities against betacoronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2)

In a paper published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers report new monoclonal antibodies that target the S2 subunit and that have broad neutralization activity against several betacoronaviruses.

13 May 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp2 structure revealed by cryo-EM and AI

Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines induce robust T cell response against SARS-CoV-2 variants

What does approval of the Pfizer vaccine for teens and preteens mean for my child?

UCL scientists identify new immunotherapy to combat hepatitis B virus

Unique pre-clinical model enables study of HIV infection and testing of new therapies

Supercarriers: Just 2% of SARS-CoV-2 positive people carry 90% of the virus

A look at how coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affects Parkinson's

A SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccine elicits broad immunity

A magnetofluidic platform for SARS-CoV-2 variant and respiratory pathogen detection

Three-way strategy employed by SARS-CoV-2 during infection

Antibodies generated by malaria cross-react with SARS-CoV-2

UCLA Health wins $750,000 grant to scale COVID-19 innovations and support health equity

Single dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine protective in previously infected recipients, suggests study

Phosphatidic acid is a key common substrate for hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2 replication

High-density microarray patch could help vaccinate for dengue in a single click

Designer SARS-CoV-2 RBD vaccine produces dramatically improved antibody response in preclinical trials

South Australian immunologist receives $3 million to accelerate work on Covid-19 vaccine

Huge healthcare burden of post-COVID-19 symptoms likely, suggests new study

Another pandemic ‘to do’ on the list for schools: Contact tracing

Study reports new monoclonal antibodies with broad neutralizing capabilities against betacoronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2)

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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