Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Prioritizing older adults for COVID-19 vaccination will save more lives

Vaccinating older adults for COVID-19 first will save substantially more U.S. lives than prioritizing other age groups, and the slower the vaccine rollout and more widespread the virus, the more critical it is to bring them to the front of the line.

21 Jan 2021

New model shows key role of innate immunity in controlling COVID-19 viral load

Since SARS-CoV-2 was identified in December 2019, researchers have worked feverishly to study the novel coronavirus. Although much knowledge has been gained, scientists still have a lot to learn about how SARS-CoV-2 interacts with the human body, and how the immune system fights it.

21 Jan 2021

New data on impact of spike mutations and B117 UK variant on neutralization by mAbs and sera

A recent paper by British and Dutch scientists, currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, shows that the neutralizing activity of monoclonal antibodies can be dramatically reduced by mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein – unlike polyclonal antibodies generated after natural infection that remain active regardless of any introduced amino acid changes.

21 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants appear to arise independently of local transmission

Researchers at the University of Michigan in the United States have cautioned against only using within-host minor genetic variations to resolve the genomic epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21 Jan 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows reduced neutralization potential against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 spike variant

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study assessing the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 against the new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21 Jan 2021

Positive messages could potentially increase mask usage during the pandemic

Many organizations are looking at effective ways to communicate the importance of wearing a mask, especially as highly transmissible new strains of coronavirus threaten to cause a surge in infections.

21 Jan 2021

Randomized trials could help clarify uncertainties around reopening schools safely

Schools are closing again in response to surging levels of COVID-19 infection, but staging randomised trials when students eventually return could help to clarify uncertainties around when we should send children back to the classroom, according to a new study.

21 Jan 2021

Older age may offer a buffer against negative feelings brought on by the pandemic

Older adults are managing the stress of the coronavirus pandemic better than younger adults, reporting less depression and anxiety despite also experiencing greater general concern about COVID-19, according to a study recently published by researchers at the UConn School of Nursing.

21 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses host innate immunity

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, blocks the processes of innate immune activation that normally direct the production and/or signaling of type I interferon (IFN-I) by the infected cell and tissues.

21 Jan 2021

FDA approves first injectable, complete regimen for HIV-1 infection in adults

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine, injectable formulation) as a complete regimen for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in adults to replace a current antiretroviral regimen in those who are virologically suppressed on a stable antiretroviral regimen with no history of treatment failure and with no known or suspected resistance to either cabotegravir or rilpivirine.

21 Jan 2021

Scientists identify a molecular mechanism that protects the fetus from maternal infection

Researchers at Duke and Mt. Sinai have identified a molecular mechanism that prevents a viral infection during a mother's pregnancy from harming her unborn baby.

21 Jan 2021

SU2C announces $3.25 million in grants to find new treatments for head and neck cancers

Stand Up To Cancer today announced $3.25 million in grants from four national nonprofits to fund research to find new treatments for head and neck cancers, which are newly diagnosed in about 65,000 Americans every year.

21 Jan 2021

Researchers use SARS-CoV-2 to bioengineer universal vaccine platform

Using SARS-CoV-2, a team of scientists from the United States has recently developed a bioengineered bacteriophage T4 nanoparticle structure using CRISPR technology that can be used as a universal platform to produce vaccines.

21 Jan 2021

Using gene therapy to mimic the effects of physical exercise

It sounds too good to be true - and it is. But Jose Bianco Moreira and the CERG research group at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology are convinced that some of the positive health effects of physical exercise can be achieved using gene therapy and medication.

21 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in Southern California, USA

By analyzing throat and nose swabs from patients in Southern California, researchers detected a new SARS-CoV-2 strain with mutations in the spike protein. This major finding may explain a surge in the number of cases in the region.

21 Jan 2021

Vitamin D deficiency associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

A new study published shows that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization.

21 Jan 2021

High factor V levels linked to lymphopenia and weakened immunity in severe COVID-19

A new study suggests that factor V, a coagulation factor, is upregulated in a range of white blood cells in severe COVID-19. This increase is linked to the observed coagulopathy, lymphopenia and suppression of adaptive immunity in such patients.

21 Jan 2021

ACE2 and furin levels linked to inflammation in smokers with COVID-19

A new study reports the level of ACE2 and furin, two enzymes that are intimately linked to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19.

21 Jan 2021

Can cancer patients receive urgent care without risk of COVID-19?

A new study describes how a successful application of mitigation techniques to prevent COVID-19 transmission to cancer patients admitted to or attending a healthcare facility might look.

21 Jan 2021

Yurts, igloos and pop-up domes: How safe is ‘outside’ restaurant dining this winter?

With the arrival of winter and the U.S. coronavirus outbreak in full swing, the restaurant industry — looking at losses of $235 billion in 2020 — is clinging to techniques for sustaining outdoor dining even through the cold and vagaries of a U.S. winter.

21 Jan 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Prioritizing older adults for COVID-19 vaccination will save more lives

New model shows key role of innate immunity in controlling COVID-19 viral load

New data on impact of spike mutations and B117 UK variant on neutralization by mAbs and sera

SARS-CoV-2 variants appear to arise independently of local transmission

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shows reduced neutralization potential against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 spike variant

Positive messages could potentially increase mask usage during the pandemic

Randomized trials could help clarify uncertainties around reopening schools safely

Older age may offer a buffer against negative feelings brought on by the pandemic

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses host innate immunity

FDA approves first injectable, complete regimen for HIV-1 infection in adults

Scientists identify a molecular mechanism that protects the fetus from maternal infection

SU2C announces $3.25 million in grants to find new treatments for head and neck cancers

Researchers use SARS-CoV-2 to bioengineer universal vaccine platform

Using gene therapy to mimic the effects of physical exercise

New SARS-CoV-2 strain detected in Southern California, USA

Vitamin D deficiency associated with higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization

High factor V levels linked to lymphopenia and weakened immunity in severe COVID-19

ACE2 and furin levels linked to inflammation in smokers with COVID-19

Can cancer patients receive urgent care without risk of COVID-19?

Yurts, igloos and pop-up domes: How safe is ‘outside’ restaurant dining this winter?

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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