Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Cannabis compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that a cannabis plant compound inhibited infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human lung cells.

14 Mar 2021

Researchers investigate digital contact tracing's ability to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Informing how COVID-19 response plans may incorporate digital contact tracing, a model of COVID-19 spread within a simulated French population found that if about 20% of the population adopted a contact tracing app on their smartphones, an outbreak could be reduced by about 35%. If more than 30% of the population adopted the app, the epidemic could be suppressed to manageable levels.

13 Mar 2021

New vaccination method aims at comprehensive protection against all known influenza mutations

One shot, protected forever: This would be a dream come true regarding influenza vaccinations. So far, vaccination against influenza did not provide a lasting protection.

13 Mar 2021

Neutralizing antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines less effective against new variants

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has mutated throughout the pandemic. New variants of the virus have arisen throughout the world, including variants that might possess increased ability to spread or evade the immune system.

13 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 did not change much when it jumped from bats to human hosts

How much did SARS-CoV-2 need to change in order to adapt to its new human host? In a research article published in the open access journal PLOS Biology Oscar MacLean, Spyros Lytras at the University of Glasgow, and colleagues, show that since December 2019 and for the first 11 months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic there has been very little 'important' genetic change observed in the hundreds of thousands of sequenced virus genomes.

13 Mar 2021

Could horse-derived antibodies promote immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Researchers based in India have demonstrated that horses inoculated with an inactivated dosage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are able to produce large amounts of strong antibodies that can neutralize multiple variants

12 Mar 2021

An overview of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech

In a study published in the journal Drugs, a researcher tackled the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has now been used in many countries.

12 Mar 2021

Study identifies three novel binding receptors for SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom recently conducted a large-scale screening of several membrane-bound and soluble host cell receptors to identify novel binding partners for SARS-CoV-2. They have identified three novel receptors expressed on the human cell membrane; of which, one binds to SARS-CoV-2 spike with similar affinity as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

12 Mar 2021

How common are post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection?

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on human lives, with over two million casualties so far. Equally devastating has been its economic toll. Now, a new study describes the features and frequency of long-haul symptoms in COVID-19.

12 Mar 2021

Natural virus-induced immunity protective against UK and South African SARS-CoV-2 variants in hamster study

As new variants of SARS-CoV-2 continue to emerge, fueling the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study offers encouragement.

12 Mar 2021

Impact of type I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies in critical COVID-19

A new preprint discusses the pathogenesis of this critical COVID-19 with reference to autoimmune phenomena involving the key antiviral type I interferon pathway.

12 Mar 2021

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD detected in saliva of mRNA-vaccine recipients

A team of researchers from the US and the Netherlands recently reported that antibodies to the spike protein and the RBD are detected in saliva samples from healthcare workers vaccinated with mRNA vaccines.

12 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment, study finds

Researchers have found that SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment. Therefore, strategies such as focusing on limiting the production of IFN, rather than its function, could restrict the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 that increases its viral load with delayed or absent symptoms.

12 Mar 2021

Pooling COVID-19 tests to detect future outbreaks

How could pooling SARS-CoV-2 tests help to detect future viral outbreaks? News-Medical spoke to Dr. Jean-François Rupprecht to find out more.

12 Mar 2021

New book provides general introduction about COVID-19, history, and diagnosis

Recently, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) emerged in China and rapidly spread worldwide. It is declared an ongoing outbreak as a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).

12 Mar 2021

Public schools can adopt lower physical distancing policies with masking mandates

As COVID-19 infection rates continue to fall, Massachusetts officials are signaling it's almost time to end remote learning and send all school-aged children back to the classroom.

12 Mar 2021

Scientists increase potency of HIV-1 antibody, identify new ways to develop vaccines

Much like coronavirus, circulating HIV-1 viruses mutate into diverse variants that pose challenges for scientists developing vaccines to protect people from HIV/AIDS.

12 Mar 2021

Exposure to COVID-19 can cause rare but life-threatening pediatric condition

Exposure to SARS-Co-V2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can put otherwise healthy children and adolescents at risk for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare but possibly life-threatening pediatric condition that can cause severe inflammation in organs like the heart, brain, lungs, kidneys and gastrointestinal system.

12 Mar 2021

Spike protein mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants help resist antibody neutralization

Researchers based in Beijing and Shenzhen, China, report that they have identified mutations in the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that may allow variant strains to avoid neutralization by monoclonal antibodies and convalescent blood plasma.

11 Mar 2021

N501Y mutation in SARS-CoV-2 responsible for increased viral transmission

Researchers at the University of Texas, USA, have confirmed the specific mutation in the B.1.1.7 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has allowed for it to be more transmissible than the ancestral strain. The N501Y substitution is one of 8 spike protein substitutions present in the UK variant and has also appeared convergently in the Brazil (P.1) and South Africa (B.1.351) variants.

11 Mar 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Cannabis compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells

Researchers investigate digital contact tracing's ability to reduce the spread of COVID-19

New vaccination method aims at comprehensive protection against all known influenza mutations

Neutralizing antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines less effective against new variants

SARS-CoV-2 did not change much when it jumped from bats to human hosts

Could horse-derived antibodies promote immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection?

An overview of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech

Study identifies three novel binding receptors for SARS-CoV-2

How common are post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection?

Natural virus-induced immunity protective against UK and South African SARS-CoV-2 variants in hamster study

Impact of type I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies in critical COVID-19

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD detected in saliva of mRNA-vaccine recipients

SARS-CoV-2 is extremely sensitive to type I IFN pre-treatment, study finds

Pooling COVID-19 tests to detect future outbreaks

New book provides general introduction about COVID-19, history, and diagnosis

Public schools can adopt lower physical distancing policies with masking mandates

Scientists increase potency of HIV-1 antibody, identify new ways to develop vaccines

Exposure to COVID-19 can cause rare but life-threatening pediatric condition

Spike protein mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants help resist antibody neutralization

N501Y mutation in SARS-CoV-2 responsible for increased viral transmission

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

The CAR T Veteran: A Journey of Resilience, Remission, and Advocacy

Innovating for impact: Jordi Labs on aligning methodologies with FDA expectation

Exploring the role of confocal-based high-content imaging in advancing core facilities

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

The CAR T Veteran: A Journey of Resilience, Remission, and Advocacy

Innovating for impact: Jordi Labs on aligning methodologies with FDA expectation

Exploring the role of confocal-based high-content imaging in advancing core facilities

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