Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine reduces both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infection in case study

Follow-up of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital revealed asymptomatic infection reduced by 90% and symptomatic infections reduced by up to 96% in vaccinated people compared to those not vaccinated.

7 May 2021

Immunosuppression in COVID-19 promotes emergence of multiple immune escape mutants

An interesting new study describes the emergence of several such variants from a chronically immunosuppressed COVID-19 patient, who remained infected for over 170 days before clearing the virus.

7 May 2021

The ancestor of SARS-CoV-2’s Wuhan strain was circulating in late October 2019

The SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in a case from Wuhan, China, in December 2021, and subsequently became the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging the world today. A new study in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution tracks its variants all over the world since the onset of the pandemic.

7 May 2021

Are infants at greater risk of COVID-19 than children?

The widely circulating SARS-CoV-2 has caused the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of this infection varies significantly with age, sparing young children for the most part, though not completely. However, a new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, shows that infants are not as resistant to the virus as children are. The researchers trace this to the expression of ACE2 to varying extents in different groups.

7 May 2021

Could antiviral surface designs help reduce SARS-CoV-2’s spread?

In an effort to improve surface decontamination methods, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, looked at fabricating surfaces with virucidal properties. More specifically, these scientists investigated surface properties that could prevent the survival of viruses on these surfaces, particularly SARS-CoV-2.

7 May 2021

Human organoids useful for modeling COVID-19 variants of concern, finds study

A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server found that using human organoids could help with better characterizing the phenotype of several viral variants, including B.1.1.7. Their findings show the ribonucleic acid (RNA) shedding of the SARS-CoV-2 variant correlated with viral fitness and infectiousness.

7 May 2021

COVID-19 may impact the heart health of young, healthy adults

New research published in Experimental Physiology highlight the possible long term health impacts of COVID-19 on young, relatively healthy adults who were not hospitalized and who only had minor symptoms due to the virus.

7 May 2021

Scientists investigate signal necrotic cells that cue phagocytic cells to engulf the dying cell

Just as people keep their houses clean and clutter under control, a crew of cells in the body is in charge of clearing the waste the body generates, including dying cells. The housekeeping cells remove unwanted material by a process called phagocytosis, which literally means 'eating cells.' The housekeepers engulf and ingest the dying cells and break them down to effectively eliminate them.

7 May 2021

Researchers report encouraging results from experimental antiviral targeting Marburg virus

The Marburg virus, a relative of the Ebola virus, causes a serious, often-fatal hemorrhagic fever. Transmitted by the African fruit bat and by direct human-to-human contact, Marburg virus disease currently has no approved vaccine or antivirals to prevent or treat it.

7 May 2021

Highly efficient immune response in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients

Researchers in Singapore have investigated the role of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies and T-cells in asymptomatic individuals suffering from COVID-19. They found that, contrary to some initial hypotheses, asymptomatic individuals mount an adaptive immune response on par with symptomatic individuals, demonstrating that T cell response does not appear to be correlated with symptom severity.

7 May 2021

New mathematical model predicts disease spread patterns

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials seized on contact tracing as the most effective way to anticipate the virus's migration from the initial, densely populated hot spots and try to curb its spread.

7 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection prolongs viral shedding and lymphocyte loss in patients with cancer

Patients with cancer have a more challenging time with infections while undergoing treatment — placing them as high-risk for severe COVID-19 illness and death. However, how the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interacts with cancer therapies remains poorly understood.

7 May 2021

A new method for producing faster and more efficient vaccines

Vaccines are currently a great source of hope for many people, as it is believed they will help to protect society against COVID-19 and pave the way back to a normal life. The current focus is clearly on coronavirus — but vaccines are also fundamental to combating other pathogens.

7 May 2021

Cryptic pocket on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 may be a promising treatment target

In a new study currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a multinational group of researchers modeled an entire membrane-embedded spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and highlighted the potential of a specific mapping approach for unveiling cryptic, potentially druggable pockets on the viral surface.

7 May 2021

Study reports vitamin C inhibits SARS-CoV-2 virus main protease

Based on structural analysis, researchers found that vitamin C binds to 3CLpro, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease essential in viral replication. In vitro cell inhibition studies also showed vitamin C could inhibit 3CLpro, indicating a possible new antiviral treatment method.

6 May 2021

Indian SARS-CoV-2 variant shows enhanced host cell entry and immune evasion

A study conducted by researchers in Germany has found that the B.1.617 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in India entered certain types of lung and intestine cells with slightly increased efficiency compared with the original wild-type strain.

6 May 2021

Large-scale study focuses on COVID-19 antibodies in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers added to the understanding of the protective immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a study published in April in iScience.

6 May 2021

COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces symptomatic and asymptomatic infections

Vaccination dramatically reduced COVID-19 symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital employees compared with their unvaccinated peers, according to a research letter that appears today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

6 May 2021

Study: Asthma attacks decreased among Black and Hispanic/Latinx patients during the pandemic

Asthma attacks account for almost 50 percent of the cost of asthma care which totals $80 billion each year in the United States. Asthma is more severe in Black and Hispanic/Latinx patients, with double the rates of attacks and hospitalizations as the general population.

6 May 2021

India's successful program to eliminate polio provides guidance for mass immunization initiatives

As India urgently scales up its vaccination campaign for the COVID-19 virus, a new study which examined the country's successful program to eliminate polio provides guidance on how this and future mass immunization campaigns can be successful, especially in vaccinating hard to reach groups.

6 May 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine reduces both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infection in case study

Immunosuppression in COVID-19 promotes emergence of multiple immune escape mutants

The ancestor of SARS-CoV-2’s Wuhan strain was circulating in late October 2019

Are infants at greater risk of COVID-19 than children?

Could antiviral surface designs help reduce SARS-CoV-2’s spread?

Human organoids useful for modeling COVID-19 variants of concern, finds study

COVID-19 may impact the heart health of young, healthy adults

Scientists investigate signal necrotic cells that cue phagocytic cells to engulf the dying cell

Researchers report encouraging results from experimental antiviral targeting Marburg virus

Highly efficient immune response in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients

New mathematical model predicts disease spread patterns

SARS-CoV-2 infection prolongs viral shedding and lymphocyte loss in patients with cancer

A new method for producing faster and more efficient vaccines

Cryptic pocket on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 may be a promising treatment target

Study reports vitamin C inhibits SARS-CoV-2 virus main protease

Indian SARS-CoV-2 variant shows enhanced host cell entry and immune evasion

Large-scale study focuses on COVID-19 antibodies in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients

COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces symptomatic and asymptomatic infections

Study: Asthma attacks decreased among Black and Hispanic/Latinx patients during the pandemic

India's successful program to eliminate polio provides guidance for mass immunization initiatives

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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