Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Single dose of J&J's Ad26.COV2.S vaccine effective against SARS-CoV-2 including in South Africa variant

One of these vaccines, the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine by Johnson & Johnson and Janssen, is a recombinant, replication-incompetent human adenovirus type 26 vector that encodes full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a prefusion-stabilized conformation.

26 Apr 2021

Real-world study in India finds COVISHIELD vaccine safe and effective

New research led by Naresh Trehan of Medanta-The Medicity in India found the COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Corona Virus Vaccine) vaccine produced an immune response from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) two weeks after vaccination with limited side effects.

26 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 limits type I and type III IFN protein biogenesis

New research led by Roy Parker of the University of Colorado Boulder finds that SARS-CoV-2 prevents the IFN response despite an increased presence of IFN-encoding mRNAs by suppressing transcriptional processes. Inhibition of IFN mRNAs triggers degradation from the activation of RNase L and the SARS-CoV-2 protein Nsp1.

26 Apr 2021

Recombinant protein vaccine fails expectations for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization

New interim results of a phase 1-2 clinical trial published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases tested the safety and effectiveness of an adjuvanted recombinant protein vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) called CoV2 preS dTM.

26 Apr 2021

Potential new COVID vaccine from Australia

Phase 1 trial results published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found a new subunit vaccine —an MF59-adjuvanted subunit vaccine using recombinant spike glycoprotein stabilized in a prefusion conformation by a novel molecular clamp — targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was safe and effective in producing an antigen-specific response in healthy adults.

26 Apr 2021

Study to evaluate how people with immune system deficiencies respond to COVID-19 vaccination

A study assessing how people with immune system deficiencies or dysregulations respond to COVID-19 vaccination has begun enrolling participants at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

26 Apr 2021

The potential of CRISPR-based diagnostic assays and treatment approaches against COVID-19

In their review paper recently published in the Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, a group of authors discusses currently available and forthcoming CRISPR-based diagnostic assays, as well as the possibility of using the CRISPR/Cas system as a salient treatment or prevention strategy in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

25 Apr 2021

A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

In a recent brief report published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Rockefeller University in New York described a case of two fully vaccinated individuals in whom they found subsequent breakthrough infections with variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), carrying a number of substitutions of interest.

25 Apr 2021

Study focuses on SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in Wuhan and COVID-19 controls

Since the emergence in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide via transmission among close human contacts. Early on, several public health interventions were implemented in Wuhan city and Hubei Province, including lockdowns, social distancing, traffic restrictions, stay-at-home policies, face mask requirements, building temporary hospitals, and centralized quarantine. There were 50,355 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan as of 28 January 2021.

25 Apr 2021

Single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces immunity in CML patients

Researchers in the UK have shown that a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced antibody and cellular responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who were taking tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

25 Apr 2021

Researchers create a cell library to study how various sugars bind to and interact with receptors

Most infectious bacteria and viruses bind to sugars on the surface of our cells. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have created a library of tens of thousands of natural cells containing all the sugars found on the surface of our cells.

23 Apr 2021

FDA, CDC lift recommended pause on the use of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.

Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume.

23 Apr 2021

Only one vaccine is OK for older teens. It’s also the hardest to manage in rural America.

As states expand covid-19 vaccine eligibility to allow shots for 16- and 17-year-olds, teens in rural America may have trouble getting them.

23 Apr 2021

Michigan’s outbreak worries scientists. Will conservative outposts keep pandemic rolling?

When Kathryn Watkins goes shopping these days, she doesn't bring her three young children. There are just too many people not wearing masks in her southern Michigan town of Hillsdale.

23 Apr 2021

NIH to conduct large trial for COVID-19 polyclonal antibody therapies

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA are to conduct a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate a new fully-human polyclonal antibody therapy targeted at severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Apr 2021

Ongoing testing of immunized individuals will be key to mitigate future COVID-19 outbreaks

In rare cases, people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID and are immune to the virus can nevertheless develop the disease.

23 Apr 2021

Researchers identify natural molecule that blocks the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have found that a natural molecule can effectively block the binding of a subset of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The discovery may help explain why some COVID-19 patients can become severely ill despite having high levels of antibodies against the virus.

23 Apr 2021

DNA vaccine candidate induces potent immunity, offers protective efficacy in non-human primate models

A synthetic DNA vaccine candidate for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) developed at The Wistar Institute induced potent immune responses and afforded protective efficacy in non-human primate (NHP) models when given intradermally in abbreviated, low-dose immunization regimen.

23 Apr 2021

COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of death for at least six months

As the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed, it has become clear that many survivors - even those who had mild cases - continue to manage a variety of health problems long after the initial infection should have resolved.

23 Apr 2021

Celastrol shows potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server focuses on the in-silico predictions to repurpose existing drug compounds, that may have the ability to reverse the SARS-CoV-2 gene expression induced in host cells.

23 Apr 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Single dose of J&J's Ad26.COV2.S vaccine effective against SARS-CoV-2 including in South Africa variant

Real-world study in India finds COVISHIELD vaccine safe and effective

SARS-CoV-2 limits type I and type III IFN protein biogenesis

Recombinant protein vaccine fails expectations for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization

Potential new COVID vaccine from Australia

Study to evaluate how people with immune system deficiencies respond to COVID-19 vaccination

The potential of CRISPR-based diagnostic assays and treatment approaches against COVID-19

A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

Study focuses on SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in Wuhan and COVID-19 controls

Single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces immunity in CML patients

Researchers create a cell library to study how various sugars bind to and interact with receptors

FDA, CDC lift recommended pause on the use of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.

Only one vaccine is OK for older teens. It’s also the hardest to manage in rural America.

Michigan’s outbreak worries scientists. Will conservative outposts keep pandemic rolling?

NIH to conduct large trial for COVID-19 polyclonal antibody therapies

Ongoing testing of immunized individuals will be key to mitigate future COVID-19 outbreaks

Researchers identify natural molecule that blocks the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

DNA vaccine candidate induces potent immunity, offers protective efficacy in non-human primate models

COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of death for at least six months

Celastrol shows potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

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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