Zika Virus News and Research

Latest Zika Virus News and Research

DNA nanoswitches may provide an inexpensive platform to rapidly detect emerging viruses

Programmable DNA nanoswitches that bind to viral RNA in human body fluids may provide an inexpensive platform to rapidly detect a wide variety of emerging viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study.

21 Aug 2020

Researchers outline how Zika virus suppresses the host immune system

A research team led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has outlined how the Zika virus, which constituted an epidemic threat in 2016, suppresses the immune system of its host.

12 Aug 2020

C-type lectin receptors play a role in SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 confirms and extends earlier findings showing that a type of sugar-based receptor on innate immune cells promotes the entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into other cells that carry the viral receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

12 Aug 2020

New system monitors, forecasts outbreak risk of dengue, Zika and other Aedes-borne diseases

Researchers led by Columbia University's International Research Institute for Climate and Society and the Pan-American Health Organization have developed a system to monitor and forecast the environmental suitability of transmission of Zika, dengue fever, chikungunya and other diseases carried by species of Aedes mosquitos in the U.S. and neighboring regions.

4 Aug 2020

Zika virus mutation responsible for quick spread, birth defects uncovered

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered a Zika virus mutation that may be responsible for the explosive viral transmission in 2015/2016 and for the cause of microcephaly (babies with small heads) born to infected pregnant women.

3 Aug 2020

Experimental therapy slows zika replication and prevents microcephaly in mice

An international group of researchers have discovered that inhibiting AHR (aryl hydrocarbon receptor), a protein with roles in regulating immunity, stem cell maintenance and cellular differentiation, enables the immune system to combat replication of zika virus in the organism far more effectively.

20 Jul 2020

Study reveals antiviral effects of curcumin

Curcumin, a natural compound found in the spice turmeric, could help eliminate certain viruses, research has found.

17 Jul 2020

Study explains why fetuses and newborns are mostly spared by COVID-19

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, it has been previously suggested that the most vulnerable individuals to developing severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) include the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and those who have weakened immune systems.

15 Jul 2020

Study shows how the brain's auditory system is affected by HIV

Even with effective antiretroviral therapy, patients infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) sustain central nervous system damage.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers develop unique saliva-based test for COVID-19 detection

University of Saskatchewan researchers are part of two COVID-19-related projects awarded major federal funding today--one to develop a unique saliva-based test for COVID-19 detection and the other to track COVID-19 incidence rates among Canadian dentists.

25 Jun 2020

Zika virus during pregnancy can hamper vital collagen development in babies’ brains

Zika virus can hamper vital collagen development in the brains of babies whose mothers were infected with the disease while pregnant, new research reveals, as the search for a vaccine continues.

25 Jun 2020

Does COVID-19 injure the placenta of pregnant women?

News-Medical speaks to Dr. Jeffery Goldstein about whether COVID-19 is damaging the placentas of pregnant women and what women can do to protect themselves.

12 Jun 2020

Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection not harmful in first trimester pregnancies

A new Danish study published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 shows that infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early pregnancy does not carry an increased risk of fetal harm.

10 Jun 2020

A new strategy to combat influenza A and Zika virus

Leuven researchers have deployed synthetic amyloids to trigger protein misfolding as a strategy to combat the influenza A and Zika virus.

9 Jun 2020

T cells can counteract dangerous phenomenon of mosquito-borne viruses

Every year, more than 68,000 people end up with a clinical case of Japanese encephalitis. One in four of these patients will die. The mosquito-borne virus, which is most common in Southeast Asia, also causes severe neurological damage and psychiatric disorders.

5 Jun 2020

Researchers analyze data on RNA structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus

Researchers from Sechenov University together with colleagues from several Russian institutes analyzed data on the RNA structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus.

22 May 2020

COVID-19 may damage the central nervous system

Researchers at University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany, have provided important insights into the potential impact that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could have on the central nervous system.

21 May 2020

Researchers highlight the need to revise the protocol for detecting ZIKV infection in placenta

Shortly after the explosion in microcephaly cases caused by Zika virus in Brazil in 2015-16, several scientific studies were published with evidence that the pathogen is capable of crossing the human placenta, the organ that keeps the fetus connected to the mother's body during pregnancy.

20 May 2020

Main receptors used by SARS-CoV-2 for cell entry are absent in the human placenta

Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unlikely to infect human placenta through the canonical cell entry mediators, Wayne State University researchers showed that other interacting proteins may still play an important role during the viral infection. The study is currently available on the preprint server bioRxiv.

20 May 2020

Prellis Externalized Human Immune System produces human antibodies against SARS-Cov2

Prellis Biologics, Inc. today announced that it has generated 300 human IgG antibodies that bind to either the S1 or S2 spike protein of the SARS-CoV2-Wuhan strain of the novel coronavirus.

20 May 2020