Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Genomics reveals distinct patterns of emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike variants in Columbus, Ohio

Recently researchers from the United States reported the results of a SARS‐CoV‐2 genomic surveillance conducted between April 2020 and January 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. Their work is released as a preprint on the bioRxiv server.

18 Jan 2021

Understanding the Philippines' relative success with COVID-19

Many high-income countries have reported rising numbers of cases, while a few low-income countries such as the Philippines report a less severe COVID-19 outbreak. To date, the archipelagic country in Southeast Asia has reported 502,000 cases and 9,900 deaths among its population of around 108 million.

18 Jan 2021

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Now, researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom, reveal that engineered closed S constructs may be valuable immunogens that can induce neutralizing antibodies against a different pattern of epitopes. This allows for the flexibility of vaccines at both the individual and population levels.

18 Jan 2021

Essential oils from Greek herbs may protect against COVID-19

Researchers in Greece have demonstrated the antiviral effects of Cretan aromatic plant oils on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in China have conducted a study showing that a carbohydrate found in the seaweed Ecklonia kurome blocks the activity of an enzyme that is essential for the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Australian scientists develop a new method for rapid synthesis of safe vaccines

With COVID-19 dominating medical science and human concern, our chemists have developed a method to quickly and safely synthesize protein vaccines for respiratory diseases for pre-clinical tests.

18 Jan 2021

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new study suggests that modified natural killer cells, which express a chimeric antigen receptor using S309 antibody, can bind to and inactivate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro.

18 Jan 2021

Can transgenic mice studies illuminate neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 in humans?

The potentially deadly COVID-19 has not affected animals with corresponding severity. To understand the mechanism of severe disease, animal models have been used. This includes a mouse model that expresses human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) under the cytokeratin 18 promoter (K18-hACE2). A new study indicates that this may not be a faithful model of human lethal infection with SARS-CoV-2.

18 Jan 2021

Treating post-infectious smell loss in COVID-19 patients

News-Medical catches up with Professor Carl Philpott about the latest findings regarding COVID-19 and smell loss.

18 Jan 2021

What are the key factors and impact of interventions in England’s COVID-19 epidemic?

Researchers from Imperial College London provide a mathematical model to help understand how SARS-CoV-2, the causative pathogen of (COVID-19), spread across England in the first two waves of the epidemic, and the effect of various interventions by the government.

18 Jan 2021

Surface temperature scanner is an unreliable way to detect fever associated with Covid-19

Making people stand in front of a scanner to have their body temperature read can result in a large number of false negatives, allowing people with Covid-19 to pass through airports and hospitals undetected.

18 Jan 2021

Engineers come together to help tackle healthcare challenges posed by Covid-19

A not-for-profit group of engineers led by Keele University’s Professor Peter Ogrodnik have appealed for support to help them tackle challenges facing the NHS posed by Covid-19.

18 Jan 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

Even as the rollout of vaccines all over the world brings a glimmer of hope that the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may end in the near future, new variants continue to emerge, some with the potential to escape vaccine-induced or therapeutic antibodies. Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes a new American variant that may have become the dominant strain in the USA.

18 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 anti-N rigid monoclonal antibodies provide accurate early diagnosis

An interesting new preprint research paper that was posted on the bioRxiv* server recently describes the use of rigid monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in contrast to flexible mAbs, and how this affects the binding of multiple mAbs to the same antigen.

17 Jan 2021

COVID-19 model predicts that home-bound infected students may have caused secondary infections

A student infected with COVID-19 returning home from university for Christmas would, on average, have infected just less than one other household member with the virus, according to a new model devised by mathematicians at Cardiff University and published in Health Systems.

17 Jan 2021

A high-temperature tolerant SARS-CoV-2 derived immunogen as a potential vaccine candidate

There have been significant efforts worldwide to combat COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One prominent strategy has been to develop vaccines against the virus. Numerous vaccine candidates are under development, and a handful have now been approved for use by several countries.

17 Jan 2021

Research suggests St. John's Wort and Echinacea could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have conducted a study demonstrating the antiviral effects of two medicinal herbs against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

17 Jan 2021

Analysis supports phase 3 trials of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

Researchers in the Netherlands, the United States, and Belgium have presented early-stage clinical trial results demonstrating the safety and efficacy of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine candidate for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

17 Jan 2021

Study reveals possible SARS-CoV-2 escape mutant that may re-infect immune individuals

A recent study by US researchers shows how the 501Y.V2 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), characterized by several mutations, is able to escape neutralization by present first-wave anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and potentially re-infect COVID-19 convalescent individuals.

17 Jan 2021

Combination therapy reduces recovery time in COVID-19 patients, clinical trial finds

A clinical trial involving COVID-19 patients hospitalized at UT Health San Antonio and University Health, among roughly 100 sites globally, found that a combination of the drugs baricitinib and remdesivir reduced time to recovery, according to results published Dec. 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

16 Jan 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Genomics reveals distinct patterns of emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike variants in Columbus, Ohio

Understanding the Philippines' relative success with COVID-19

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Essential oils from Greek herbs may protect against COVID-19

Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Australian scientists develop a new method for rapid synthesis of safe vaccines

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Can transgenic mice studies illuminate neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 in humans?

Treating post-infectious smell loss in COVID-19 patients

What are the key factors and impact of interventions in England’s COVID-19 epidemic?

Surface temperature scanner is an unreliable way to detect fever associated with Covid-19

Engineers come together to help tackle healthcare challenges posed by Covid-19

New SARS-CoV-2 variant emerges in the U.S.

SARS-CoV-2 anti-N rigid monoclonal antibodies provide accurate early diagnosis

COVID-19 model predicts that home-bound infected students may have caused secondary infections

A high-temperature tolerant SARS-CoV-2 derived immunogen as a potential vaccine candidate

Research suggests St. John's Wort and Echinacea could protect against COVID-19

Analysis supports phase 3 trials of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

Study reveals possible SARS-CoV-2 escape mutant that may re-infect immune individuals

Combination therapy reduces recovery time in COVID-19 patients, clinical trial finds

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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