Capsid News and Research

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Researchers develop chemically modified phage capsid that “stifles” influenza viruses

A new approach brings the hope of new therapeutic options for suppressing seasonal influenza and avian flu: On the basis of an empty - and therefore non-infectious - shell of a phage virus, researchers from Berlin have developed a chemically modified phage capsid that "stifles" influenza viruses.

31 Mar 2020

High-throughput screening of AAV vector capsid libraries reveals unexpected insights

Researchers have used high-throughput screening of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector capsid libraries to maximize the likelihood of obtaining AAV variants with desired properties.

18 Mar 2020

How a virus forms a protective shell to evade the immune system

A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.

10 Mar 2020

Scientists may have found a way to prevent coronavirus spread

Just like any other virus, the coronavirus needs a host to survive. Viruses enter the cells of the human body to cause disease by attaching to a specific receptor site on the host cell membrane. To do this, they attach to proteins in the capsid through glycoproteins found in the envelope of the virus.

8 Mar 2020

Study tests hypothesis that empty SV40 capsids would improve sepsis outcomes

Numerous previous attempts to develop therapeutic treatments, directed at discreet targets of the sepsis cascade, could not cope with the complex pathophysiology of sepsis and failed.

13 Feb 2020

Mysterious virus found in Brazil puzzles scientists with its unique genetic makeup

A team of Brazilian scientists discovered a puzzling new virus made of genetic material never seen before. But the virus won’t pose a serious health threat to humanity since it seems to only hunt amoebas.

12 Feb 2020

Study uncovers large, giant viruses that belong to NCLDV supergroup

While the microbes in a single drop of water could outnumber a small city's population, the number of viruses in the same drop-;the vast majority not harmful to humans could be even larger.

24 Jan 2020

New structure for HIV-1 viral shell proposed

The matrix shell of the HIV-1 virus may have a different shape than previously thought, and a newly proposed model has significant implications for understanding how the virus functions, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists.

14 Dec 2019

Host cell calpain proteases can process enterovirus polyprotein in vitro, study shows

It has long been suggested that a cell protease could take part in enterovirus infection. However, the identity of such proteases have remained unknown.

4 Dec 2019

Research findings can be used in antiviral development against enterovirus infections

Despite their prevalence, there are no antivirals on the market against enteroviruses, and vaccines have been developed only against couple of serotypes. The production of vaccines against all enterovirus serotypes is not feasible, and so antiviral drugs may be the solution for most of the enterovirus infections.

19 Nov 2019

Video images offer real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly

For the first time, researchers have captured images of the formation of individual viruses, offering a real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly. The research provides new insights into how to fight viruses and engineer self-assembling particles.

4 Oct 2019

Research reveals why viruses will need to be reclassified and its biotech impact

New research reveals that the way viruses were perceived in terms of their architecture will need to be retooled, because they are actually structured in many more patterns than previously understood.

27 Sep 2019

Scientists reveal the structure of a key protein in Epstein-Barr virus infection

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona have published a study in the journal Nature Communications revealing the structure of a key protein, known as a portal, in Epstein-Barr virus infection.

29 Aug 2019

Molecular mechanism of enterovirus infection uncovered

Researchers from the Nanoscience Center at the University of Jyväskylä in collaboration with those at the University of Helsinki have found that body proteins called albumin and certain ions within the attacked host cells can affect the genetic workings of enteroviruses and enhance their infection.

19 Aug 2019

Scientists point to enterovirus infection as cause for acute flaccid myelitis

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the University of California San Diego report antibody evidence in cerebrospinal fluid that points to enterovirus infection as a cause for acute flaccid myelitis, a disease responsible for partially paralyzing more than 560 children in the United States since 2014. Results of the study appear in the journal mBio.

13 Aug 2019

Study reveals the complexities of viral evolution

Comparing a living cell to a virus is a bit like comparing the Sistine Chapel to a backyard dog house. Lacking the intricate machinery of living cells, viruses represent biology stripped down to an extreme level. They are the true minimalists of the biological world.

31 Jul 2019

Using NMR to Study Protein Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms

Fábio Almeida describes how NMR can be used to elucidate protein structure and how this data can be applied to human disease.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 4 Jul 2019

Norovirus structures could help develop therapeutics to fight food-borne illness

Noroviruses are a leading cause of food-borne illness outbreaks, accounting for 58% of all outbreaks and cause 685 million cases worldwide each year. There is no effective therapeutic against them. Having knowledge of the intricate structure of the outer layer of noroviruses, the capsid, which allows the virus to attach to its human host, could help in vaccine development.

13 Jun 2019

Scientists discover weakness in common cold virus

Scientists have discovered a weakness on the surface of the viruses that cause a multitude of illnesses.

12 Jun 2019

Megaphages detected in the intestinal tract of humans who eat high-fiber, low-fat diet

Viruses plague bacteria just as viruses like influenza plague humans. Some of the largest of these so-called bacteriophages have now been found in the human gut, where they periodically devastate bacteria just as seasonal outbreaks of flu lay humans low, according to a new study led by University of California, Berkeley, scientists.

29 Jan 2019