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A snake venom enzyme shows anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

A new study reports the virucidal and fusion-inhibiting attributes of snake venom against the COVID-19 agent SARS-CoV-2.

14 Jan 2021

Study identifies features of potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

Researchers at Columbia University have provided important insights into features of viral binding and recognition within a class of potent neutralizing antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Jan 2021

Researchers map genetic changes that may have facilitated SARS-CoV-2’s jump from bats to humans

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Pirbright Institute in the UK have identified key genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 that may be responsible for the virus’s jump from bats to humans. The team also determined which animals contain cellular receptors that allow the virus to enter cells more effectively, zoning in on potential animals that acted as an intermediary host in facilitating SARS-CoV-2’s zoonosis.

13 Jan 2021

New N501 SARS-CoV-2 mutation may have been circulating in Italy since August 2020

A recent study shows that mutated SARS-CoV-2 strains with a substitution at position 501 might have circulated unnoticed even before the end of September 2020, when the rapid emergence of B.1.1.7 lineage (carrying the N501Y mutation) was initially reported.

13 Jan 2021

New UK-derived SARS-CoV-2 variant does not affect neutralizing antibodies efficiency, study says

A team of scientists conducted structural analysis of a newly emerged UK variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They present evidence that suggests that while the new variant has increased infectivity it is not resistant to neutralizing antibodies.

13 Jan 2021

Could fenofibrate be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

The resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has led to renewed efforts to find effective antivirals, both newly developed or repurposed drugs. A study reports the efficacy of the cholesterol-reducing drug fenofibrate in reducing infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 in cultured cells.

13 Jan 2021

Study shows how neurons can become a target of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Using both mouse and human brain tissue, researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect the central nervous system and have begun to unravel some of the virus's effects on brain cells.

13 Jan 2021

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 cytoplasmic tail uncovered

The virus's cytosolic tail also interacts with the host cell to promote its entry into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). A new study appearing on the bioRxiv preprint server elucidates the conformation of this region of the virus, which will help understand how its form is related to its function in viral entry.

12 Jan 2021

Effect of mutations in the South African SARS-CoV-2 variant on transmission and neutralization

One such strain is the South African 501.V2 and UK B1.1.7 strains, which have been isolated from many countries and seem to spread faster than the ancestral strain. A preprint that recently appeared on the bioRxiv server reports the computational structure of this strain and the possible effect of the mutations on infectivity and neutralization.

12 Jan 2021

Antigenic "supersite" could improve design of COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have defined an antigenic “supersite” within the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have important implications for the design of vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

Hypoxia signaling pathway could lead to COVID-19 treatments

Researchers in Spain have demonstrated that studying the hypoxia signaling pathway could provide opportunities for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

12 Jan 2021

Poor gut health may adversely affect COVID-19 prognosis

People infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms and severities, the most commonly reported including high fevers and respiratory problems.

12 Jan 2021

Nanobodies have potential to be developed into a treatment for COVID-19

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed, in collaboration with researchers in Germany and the U.S., new small antibodies, also known as nanobodies, which prevent the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from entering human cells.

12 Jan 2021

Will the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine be effective against the new N501Y SARS-CoV-2 variant?

Researchers from Pfizer and the University of Texas, USA, have presented evidence showing that people in a previously reported trial of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2 – commonly known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – had equivalent neutralizing titers to the N501 and Y501 viruses.

12 Jan 2021

Researchers identify shorter form of ACE2 that lacks SARS-CoV-2 binding site

A shadow over the promising inhaled interferon beta COVID-19 therapy has been cleared with the discovery that although it appears to increase levels of ACE2 protein - coronavirus' key entry point into nose and lung cells - it predominantly increases levels of a short version of that protein, which the virus cannot bind to.

12 Jan 2021

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a naïve human Ab library

Now, a new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server shows how closely the antibodies formed in exposed humans resemble the germline antibody molecules. This could lead to the development of novel therapeutics to counter the pandemic.

12 Jan 2021

Patient with hypertension or cardiovascular diseases experienced critical disease progression with COVID-19

COVID-19 patients who also suffer from high blood pressure are more likely to fall severely ill with the disease, which also leaves them at greater risk of death.

11 Jan 2021

Vimentin could be a major co-factor that aids SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study has found that extracellular vimentin can bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro, and antibodies against vimentin can decrease virus infectivity by up to 80%. This suggests vimentin could aid the virus’s binding to host cells and help in infection.

11 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2-induced innate immune responses may vary with disease severity, finds study

Scientists from Germany and China recently conducted a large meta-analysis using transcriptome data of SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate the routes of viral entry and the characteristics of innate immune responses induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

11 Jan 2021

Tetherin downregulation by SARS-CoV-2 enhances viral spread

A new preprint research paper published on the bioRxiv server describes the role of a host protein called tetherin in the spread of the novel coronavirus.

10 Jan 2021