Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Study: Novavax Covid-19 vaccine is efficacious against the B.1.351 South African variant

The published data provide additional detail of an initial analysis conducted in January, while more robust data from a complete analysis of the study was subsequently shared in March 2021.

6 May 2021

This small Canadian drugmaker wants to make J&J vaccines for poor nations. It needs more than a patent waiver.

Biolyse Pharma Corp., which makes a cancer medication, was gearing up to start making generic biologic drugs, made from living organisms. Then the pandemic hit.

6 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 is activated for fusion by a broad range of proteases, finds study

A team of researchers from the University of Virginia, USA, used single-virus fusion experiments with exogenously controlled proteases to investigate the mechanism of activation directly. They found that the subcellular location of entry depends on the protease activity of the various components, and parallel pathways are possible.

6 May 2021

Transplant recipients with COVID-19 may show lower cellular and antibody immune responses

Transplant patients are typically on chronic immunosuppression, making them automatically more vulnerable to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the agent responsible for the loss of over three million lives in the current COVID-19 pandemic. A new study discusses evidence for subnormal immune responses following COVID-19 in this population.

6 May 2021

Aberrant immune features in healthy elderly and male subjects with severe COVID-19 may predate infection

A new study shows that the immunological features of severe COVID-19 are already present in healthy older adults and in men, before they are infected, indicating a possible explanation for this differential susceptibility towards the virus.

6 May 2021

Could stem cells improve the outcome of ARDS in severe COVID-19?

A recent study, published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine, explores the safety and efficacy of stem cells, which have been touted as the panacea for a wide range of illnesses, ranging from chronic degenerative conditions to cancer.

6 May 2021

About 84% of antibodies in plasma target non-RBD epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, finds study

In a new study recently published in the journal Science, a team of researchers in the U.S. found that most of the antibodies circulating in the blood target areas of the viral spike protein outside the receptor-binding domain (RBD), the part of the spike that binds directly to human cell receptors.

6 May 2021

For Kurdish Americans in Nashville, a beloved leader’s death prompts vaccine push

On a sloppy spring day in mid-March, hundreds of Kurdish Americans gathered in a field outside Nashville, Tennessee, under a sea of black umbrellas. Some of the men carried a stretcher to an open grave, where a yellow backhoe waited.

6 May 2021

Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How big tech undermines California’s public health system.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has embraced Silicon Valley tech companies and health care industry titans in response to the covid-19 pandemic like no other governor in America — routinely outsourcing life-or-death public health duties to his allies in the private sector.

6 May 2021

Researchers develop a multivalent vaccine for COVID-19 and influenza

Researchers at Duke University, USA, are looking into the possibility of a combined influenza and COVID-19 vaccine that could be used to simultaneously protect against annual flu strains and the SARS-CoV-2. Preclinical results showed the vaccine protected mice from both SARS-CoV-2 and the flu.

6 May 2021

Black swan DNA could offer insight into how humans respond to bird flu

In a world-first, scientists from The University of Western Australia have assembled the entire DNA of the black swan, which could offer insight into how the bird, and even humans, respond to bird flu and other pandemics in the same family of viruses.

6 May 2021

People with Covid-19 anxiety syndrome may find it harder to return to normal living after pandemic

‘Covid-19 anxiety syndrome’ may cause a significant number of people to struggle with reintegrating back into daily life as UK society returns to normal after the pandemic, says new research by London South Bank University (LSBU), in partnership with Kingston University.

6 May 2021

Study: Millions of COVID-19 cases can be prevented by reaching higher vaccination coverage levels

With around 30 percent of the U.S. population now fully vaccinated, the rate of daily vaccinations has started to slow, raising concerns that greater efforts and investments may be needed to reach higher coverage levels.

6 May 2021

Monocytes promote viral control during SARS-COV-2 infection

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Vanderheiden et al. (May 4th, 2021) the contribution of monocytes in promoting protective immunity from SARS-CoV-2 is investigated in a murine model, suggesting that CCR2 plays the role of an inflammation modulator in early infection.

6 May 2021

Experts and the public have underestimated the true extent of COVID-19 pandemic

Who made more accurate predictions about the course of the COVID-19 pandemic - experts or the public? A study from the University of Cambridge has found that experts such as epidemiologists and statisticians made far more accurate predictions than the public, but both groups substantially underestimated the true extent of the pandemic.

6 May 2021

Study: Second vaccine dose still makes organ transplant recipients vulnerable to COVID-19

In a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers show that although two doses of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID 19 - confers some protection for people who have received solid organ transplants, it's still not enough to enable them to dispense with masks, physical distancing and other safety measures.

6 May 2021

Novel pipeline identifies millions of molecular targets in SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have developed a novel pipeline for high-throughput, automated annotation of the genes, proteins and functional domains in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

5 May 2021

Robust passive and active immunity found in infants born to COVID-19 positive mothers

A new study provides evidence that babies born to mothers who were COVID-19 positive two or more months before delivery are protected by maternal antibodies, besides mounting a robust immune response in case they contract the infection in the perinatal period.

5 May 2021

Pregnancy may increase the risk of COVID-19 severity

Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy has been a subject of much controversy. In order to help answer the question as to whether this infection causes significant harm in pregnancy, a new study, released as a medRxiv* preprint, reports on the disease outcomes of this infection in pregnant women.

5 May 2021

Women’s views on COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy: A UK-based study

A new study, recently released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, describes COVID-19 vaccine willingness among pregnant women in the UK.

5 May 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Study: Novavax Covid-19 vaccine is efficacious against the B.1.351 South African variant

This small Canadian drugmaker wants to make J&J vaccines for poor nations. It needs more than a patent waiver.

SARS-CoV-2 is activated for fusion by a broad range of proteases, finds study

Transplant recipients with COVID-19 may show lower cellular and antibody immune responses

Aberrant immune features in healthy elderly and male subjects with severe COVID-19 may predate infection

Could stem cells improve the outcome of ARDS in severe COVID-19?

About 84% of antibodies in plasma target non-RBD epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, finds study

For Kurdish Americans in Nashville, a beloved leader’s death prompts vaccine push

Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How big tech undermines California’s public health system.

Researchers develop a multivalent vaccine for COVID-19 and influenza

Black swan DNA could offer insight into how humans respond to bird flu

People with Covid-19 anxiety syndrome may find it harder to return to normal living after pandemic

Study: Millions of COVID-19 cases can be prevented by reaching higher vaccination coverage levels

Monocytes promote viral control during SARS-COV-2 infection

Experts and the public have underestimated the true extent of COVID-19 pandemic

Study: Second vaccine dose still makes organ transplant recipients vulnerable to COVID-19

Novel pipeline identifies millions of molecular targets in SARS-CoV-2

Robust passive and active immunity found in infants born to COVID-19 positive mothers

Pregnancy may increase the risk of COVID-19 severity

Women’s views on COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy: A UK-based study

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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