Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Organ transplant patient dies after receiving Covid-infected lungs

Doctors say a woman in Michigan contracted covid-19 and died last fall two months after receiving a tainted double-lung transplant from a donor who turned out to harbor the virus that causes the disease — despite showing no signs of illness and initially testing negative.

22 Feb 2021

Some SARS-CoV-2 variants evade mRNA vaccine-induced humoral immune, says study

Understanding how variants escape vaccine-boosted immune function is necessary to neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. An international team of researchers from MIT and Harvard University in the USA analyzed Pfizer and Moderna vaccines' effectiveness in neutralizing spike proteins from 10 different strains of SARS-CoV-2.

22 Feb 2021

Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

News-Medical speaks to Professor Robert Bragg about disinfectants and how they could be helping bacteria to become resistant.

22 Feb 2021

Polyphenols may provide protective effect against COVID-19 disease

In the study published in the journal Integrative Physiology, the researchers found that a high intake of polyphenols may have a protective effect on patients with COVID-19 and prevent disease progression.

22 Feb 2021

Mucosal delivery of IFNs a good strategy for COVID-19 prophylaxis post-exposure

Researchers from the UK and Germany recently reported a comprehensive characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 response of human nasal epithelial cells, revealing a response dominated by IFN-I/IIIs. Also, recombinant IFN-I/III treatment was found to efficiently block the replication of SARS-CoV-2, which suggests that mucosal delivery of IFNs may be a good strategy for prophylaxis post-exposure.

22 Feb 2021

Essential workers in Toronto shoulder disproportionate burden of COVID-19

Toronto, Canada's largest city, has reported 94,943 cases of COVID-19 and 2,614 related deaths so far during this pandemic. Toronto has a population of over 2.7 million people, of whom 51.5% self-identify as a visible minority. Shelter-in-place orders and shut down of non-essential businesses are the primary non-pharmaceutical interactions deployed as part of Toronto's COVID-19 response.

21 Feb 2021

Researchers urge European policymakers to make adequate resources available to tackle pancreatic cancer

Researchers have called on European policymakers to make adequate resources available to tackle pancreatic cancer, a disease that is almost invariably fatal and where little progress has been made over the past 40 years.

21 Feb 2021

Gold nanoparticles investigated as part of in vitro tool for SARS-CoV-2 drug screening

Scientists have measured the interaction of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein with nano-gold colloids. These nanoparticles functionalized with the S protein have different spectroscopic signals allowing for new information about the protein to be extracted.

21 Feb 2021

Novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccine utilizes recombinant spike protein with PIKA adjuvant

The primary aim of any vaccine is to stimulate immune functions and confer long-lasting protection. A paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Tong et al. (17th Feb 2021) describes a novel vaccine utilizing PIKA adjuvant and recombinant spike proteins against COVID-19 disease that promises the generation of potent neutralization antibodies, which potentially support immune responses for years.

21 Feb 2021

Proteases modulate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein activation and deactivation

A research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Platt et al. (17th Feb 2021) aimed to identify these enzymes by computational screening and molecular docking simulations, with cathepsins B, K, L, S, and V being highlighted as probable leads.

21 Feb 2021

A different strategy for wastewater detection of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers tested a variety of RNA concentration and extraction methods and assays to develop a protocol for testing SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, which may help improve COVID-19 surveillance.

21 Feb 2021

Cissampelos pareira L. extracts demonstrate anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

A team of scientists from India has recently investigated the antiviral potency of a traditional medicinal plant Cissampelos pareira L. in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The findings reveal that both whole-plant extracts and bioactive compounds can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication by modulating estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) activity.

21 Feb 2021

Evolution of the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 for human adaptation

Researchers have found a 96% similarity in nucleotide sequence between bat coronavirus (RaTG13), isolated from Rhinolophus affinis bats in China in 2013, and SARS-CoV-2 and ~97% amino acid similarity with the Spike (S) protein. This S protein performs two essential roles, i.e., mediates receptor-binding and membrane fusion. Hence, spike protein is regarded as a key coronavirus determinant of host tropism.

21 Feb 2021

Study maps SARS-CoV-2 infected brains

Researchers in the United States and Canada have mapped the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the brains of people who died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21 Feb 2021

Vaccination programs combined with physical distancing could contain COVID-19 resurgence

A combination of robust vaccination programs and strict physical distancing rules could avoid recurring peaks of COVID-19 without the need to rely on stay-at-home restrictions, according to a new study by epidemiologists and demographers from WorldPop at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

20 Feb 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Organ transplant patient dies after receiving Covid-infected lungs

Some SARS-CoV-2 variants evade mRNA vaccine-induced humoral immune, says study

Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

Polyphenols may provide protective effect against COVID-19 disease

Mucosal delivery of IFNs a good strategy for COVID-19 prophylaxis post-exposure

Essential workers in Toronto shoulder disproportionate burden of COVID-19

Researchers urge European policymakers to make adequate resources available to tackle pancreatic cancer

Gold nanoparticles investigated as part of in vitro tool for SARS-CoV-2 drug screening

Novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccine utilizes recombinant spike protein with PIKA adjuvant

Proteases modulate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein activation and deactivation

A different strategy for wastewater detection of SARS-CoV-2

Cissampelos pareira L. extracts demonstrate anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

Evolution of the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 for human adaptation

Study maps SARS-CoV-2 infected brains

Vaccination programs combined with physical distancing could contain COVID-19 resurgence

Research shows impact of seasonal temperature changes on SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate preclinically tested at UAB expected to start clinical trial

Study: Longevity gene protects brain stem cells from the harmful effects of stress

Experts advocate for increased diversity in vaccine clinical trials

Study: Asthma does not increase risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19

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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