Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Repeated mRNA vaccinations enhance mucosal antibody production

During the COVID pandemic, many of us have received multiple mRNA vaccines. New work by researchers at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent University, and University Hospital Ghent, among others, has found that such repeated vaccinations lead to the presence of mucosal antibodies, for example, inside the nose. Their work appears in Science Translational Medicine.

23 Oct 2024

New antibody platform targets evolving viruses

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with colleagues in the field, have developed an innovative antibody platform aimed at tackling one of the greatest challenges in treating rapidly evolving viruses like SARS-CoV-2: their ability to mutate and evade existing vaccines and therapies.

23 Oct 2024

Vaccination of young children could dramatically reduce mpox deaths in DRC

Vaccinating children under five-years-old in endemic mpox regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) would significantly reduce the number of deaths in the country, according to a new analysis by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health.

22 Oct 2024

Floor swabbing offers new insights for COVID-19 monitoring

COVID-19 is here to stay. As restrictions and human testing have waned, new research is tackling the challenge of how we can monitor, predict, and prevent cases and outbreaks of COVID-19, especially among vulnerable groups like hospitalized patients.

22 Oct 2024

New research uncovers how coronavirus evades immune defense

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can counteract a cell's innate defense mechanism against viruses, explaining why it is more infectious than the previous SARS and MERS-causing viruses.

22 Oct 2024

New single-chain mRNA vaccines offer enhanced immunity and protection against mpox

Study reveals single-chain mRNA vaccines confer 100% protection against lethal mpox challenge in mice, marking a significant advancement in vaccine technology.

22 Oct 2024

Sweden exceeds UNAIDS HIV goals but faces new challenges

Sweden has surpassed the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, with reduced HIV incidence and a steady increase in diagnosed and treated cases. However, challenges remain, especially among migrant populations and recent arrivals.

20 Oct 2024

Long-term low-dose antiviral treatment reduces eye disease risk from shingles

Long-term, low-dose antiviral treatment reduces the risk for potentially vision-damaging bouts of inflammation and infection, as well as pain, which occur when shingles affects the eye, according to new research presented October 19 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) in Chicago.

20 Oct 2024

Real world data highlights effectiveness of RSV vaccine

A multi-state study, published in The Lancet, is one of the first real world data analyses of the effectiveness of the RSV -- short for respiratory syncytial virus -- vaccine.

18 Oct 2024

Sweden becomes first country to meet global HIV targets

Sweden has reached the UNAIDS and WHO targets for the HIV epidemic, according to a study in Eurosurveillance by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and others.

18 Oct 2024

Exclusion of indigenous voices hinders HIV progress in Latin America

Indigenous communities in Latin America say they are being excluded from the global HIV/AIDS response, leaving them without access to life-saving medicines and prevention tools.

18 Oct 2024

New consortium launched to combat Mpox outbreak in Africa

University College Dublin (UCD) is leading MpoxVax AFRIVAC, a new €1.3 million international consortium that aims to rapidly deploy technology and develop new knowledge to end the current Mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and surrounding countries.

17 Oct 2024

Trial evaluates monoclonal antibodies for long COVID prevention

The first randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the impact of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies on the risk of developing long COVID was led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine.

17 Oct 2024

New grant aims to develop rapid biosensors for detecting African swine fever

Foreign animal diseases are a global threat to swine production with the potential for detrimental economic implications.

17 Oct 2024

Georgetown University receives $27.5 million grant to combat HIV/AIDS in Haiti

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), have awarded $27.5 million to the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact (CGHPI) at Georgetown University Medical Center to expand its ongoing work in Haiti to address HIV/AIDS.

17 Oct 2024

A review of clinical features, diagnosis, and management of Mpox

A comprehensive review in JAMA outlines monkeypox's clinical presentation and management, stressing the need for increased surveillance and vaccination efforts.

17 Oct 2024

A deeper look at COVID-19 transmission and fetal health

A new Cleveland Clinic-led study published in The EMBO Journal shows that mild and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections can trigger immune responses in a pregnant individual that may cause serious inflammatory responses in the developing fetus.

17 Oct 2024

New protein shows potential for treating systolic heart failure

The heart is a muscle like no other, beating 60 to 100 times per minute on average, around the clock. But when it grows weak, it can lead to serious problems: from debilitating shortness of breath and swelling in the legs and feet, to fluid in the lungs and even death.

16 Oct 2024

Study shows safety of kidney transplants among those with HIV infections

It is just as safe and effective for people with HIV in need of kidney transplantation to get their organ from donors who are also HIV positive as it is from donors who are not infected with the virus, a new study shows.

16 Oct 2024

New handheld device promises rapid blood diagnostics

Patients who go to the doctor to provide a blood sample are typically faced with a needle and syringe and hours or days of waiting to get results back from a lab.

16 Oct 2024