RNA News and Research

RSS

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

Novel nanospectroscopy measures biomolecular changes induced by drugs in human cells

Synchrotron InfraRed Nanospectroscopy has been used for the first time to measure biomolecular changes induced by a drug (amiodarone) within human cells (macrophages) and localized at 100 nanometre scale, i.e. two orders of magnitude smaller than the IR wavelength used as probe.

17 Jul 2020

Rapid genomic surveillance of healthcare-associated SARS-CoV-2

The researchers from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge United Kingdom have published their findings in a study titled, “Rapid implementation of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing to investigate cases of healthcare-associated COVID-19: a prospective genomic surveillance study,” in the latest issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

16 Jul 2020

New insight into the SARS-CoV-2 infection process

Canadian researchers from the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be using a unique method to gain entry into the cells.

16 Jul 2020

Study shows fused lung cells are pervasive in severe COVID-19

In a recent bioRxiv paper, scientists from Institut Pasteur and other research centers in France demonstrated how pathological effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are modulated by cellular proteins that can either inhibit or facilitate cell fusion and subsequent syncytia formation.

16 Jul 2020

Disseminated cancer cells hijack crucial iron micronutrients from native macrophages

In order to survive within the remote and harsh anatomical microenvironments of the central nervous system, the disseminated cancer cells that cause rare yet deadly leptomeningeal metastases (LM) hijack crucial iron micronutrients from native macrophages, researchers report.

16 Jul 2020

Discovery hints at novel therapeutic target for Ewing sarcoma

New insights into Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, were published July 15 in the prestigious journal Nature. Researchers from the Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio contributed to the study.

16 Jul 2020

CBD may help reduce cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation in COVID-19

Cannabidiol, or CBD, may help reduce the cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation that is killing many patients with COVID-19, researchers say.

16 Jul 2020

A coronavirus vaccine: Where does it stand?

More than four months into the coronavirus pandemic, how close are the U.S. and the world to a safe and effective vaccine? Scientists say they see steady progress and are expressing cautious optimism that a vaccine could be ready by spring.

16 Jul 2020

Children with MIS-C have different antibody responses than adults with COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint medRxiv in July 2020 reveals that children with the condition Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have a distinctly different pattern of antibody generation compared to adults with COVID-19 disease.

16 Jul 2020

Study finds significant variability in the accuracy of currently available COVID-19 antibody tests

A new peer-reviewed study by researchers at NSF International and Novateur Ventures finds significant variability in the accuracy of currently available COVID-19 antibody tests.

15 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

Georgia State professor receives federal funding to study unique features of Ebola, Marburg viruses

Dr. Christopher Basler, professor and director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a five-year, $2.94 million federal grant to study unique features of Ebola and Marburg viruses that control how the virus family expresses its genes and escapes immune responses.

15 Jul 2020

RNA editing may repair the underlying cause of Rett Syndrome in mouse model

A genomic error that causes Rett Syndrome, a serious lifelong neurological disorder, can be corrected in the brains of mice by rewriting the genetic instructions carried by the RNA.

15 Jul 2020

Nanotechnology plays major role in COVID-19 vaccine development

From mRNA vaccines entering clinical trials, to peptide-based vaccines and using molecular farming to scale vaccine production, the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing new and emerging nanotechnologies into the frontlines and the headlines.

15 Jul 2020

Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 disappear within three months

The question is, does this infection confer lasting immunity? A new study published in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection in July 2020 appears to show that it does not, with antibodies to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disappearing within three months of infection.

15 Jul 2020

Transmission of coronavirus from dogs to humans is scientifically flawed

A study published earlier this year claiming the coronavirus may have jumped from dogs to humans is scientifically flawed, offering no direct evidence to support its conclusions, according to a collaborative group of international researchers, including scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

15 Jul 2020

Certain antibodies may cause the dangerous part of COVID-19 disease

A new study out of the Netherlands and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in July 2020 discusses the commonly observed phenomenon of COVID-19 progression at 1-2 weeks from the onset of the earliest symptoms. This is ascribed to the overactivation of the inflammatory signaling cascade triggered by a hyperactive adaptive immune reaction, commonly called the cytokine storm.

15 Jul 2020

Strong evidence several FDA approved drugs block SARS-CoV-2 in relevant cell-lines and human organoids

Now, a new study describes how compounds that restore the normal transcriptional conditions following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be used to reduce viral load without neutralizing the virus entry into the host cell.

15 Jul 2020

Ashion's GEM ExTra assay receives Medicare coverage

Ashion Analytics LLC announced today that Palmetto GBA, a Medicare administrative contractor for the Molecular Diagnostic Services Program (MolDX), has awarded coverage to its proprietary cancer profiling test, GEM ExTra®, one of the nation's most comprehensive genomic cancer analysis tests.

15 Jul 2020

Genome comparisons between SARS-CoV-2 and other betacoronaviruses yield applicable insights

Researchers from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research and the Australian National University untangle the mutational and recombinational history of the SARS-2 lineage of betacoronaviruses and their metagenomes with the use of published genomic sequences. Their findings are currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

14 Jul 2020