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Indian SARS-CoV-2 variant shows enhanced host cell entry and immune evasion

A study conducted by researchers in Germany has found that the B.1.617 variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged in India entered certain types of lung and intestine cells with slightly increased efficiency compared with the original wild-type strain.

6 May 2021

Large-scale study focuses on COVID-19 antibodies in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers added to the understanding of the protective immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a study published in April in iScience.

6 May 2021

Study: Novavax Covid-19 vaccine is efficacious against the B.1.351 South African variant

The published data provide additional detail of an initial analysis conducted in January, while more robust data from a complete analysis of the study was subsequently shared in March 2021.

6 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 is activated for fusion by a broad range of proteases, finds study

A team of researchers from the University of Virginia, USA, used single-virus fusion experiments with exogenously controlled proteases to investigate the mechanism of activation directly. They found that the subcellular location of entry depends on the protease activity of the various components, and parallel pathways are possible.

6 May 2021

Transplant recipients with COVID-19 may show lower cellular and antibody immune responses

Transplant patients are typically on chronic immunosuppression, making them automatically more vulnerable to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the agent responsible for the loss of over three million lives in the current COVID-19 pandemic. A new study discusses evidence for subnormal immune responses following COVID-19 in this population.

6 May 2021

About 84% of antibodies in plasma target non-RBD epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, finds study

In a new study recently published in the journal Science, a team of researchers in the U.S. found that most of the antibodies circulating in the blood target areas of the viral spike protein outside the receptor-binding domain (RBD), the part of the spike that binds directly to human cell receptors.

6 May 2021

Researchers develop a multivalent vaccine for COVID-19 and influenza

Researchers at Duke University, USA, are looking into the possibility of a combined influenza and COVID-19 vaccine that could be used to simultaneously protect against annual flu strains and the SARS-CoV-2. Preclinical results showed the vaccine protected mice from both SARS-CoV-2 and the flu.

6 May 2021

Monocytes promote viral control during SARS-COV-2 infection

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Vanderheiden et al. (May 4th, 2021) the contribution of monocytes in promoting protective immunity from SARS-CoV-2 is investigated in a murine model, suggesting that CCR2 plays the role of an inflammation modulator in early infection.

6 May 2021

Researchers identify potent small molecule TMPRSS2 inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the USA and Canada has recently identified and characterized a novel small-molecule compound inhibitor of cellular serine protease TMPRSS2, which shows significant antiviral potency against emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

5 May 2021

Novel pipeline identifies millions of molecular targets in SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have developed a novel pipeline for high-throughput, automated annotation of the genes, proteins and functional domains in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

5 May 2021

Prior MMR or Tdap vaccination may reduce risk of severe COVID-19

Researchers in the United States have shown that prior Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) or Tetanus-Diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) vaccination may reduce the risk of severe outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

5 May 2021

Nanoparticle (SpFN) vaccine candidate elicits multifactorial cellular immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

Researchers have developed a promising new anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)vaccine candidate that utilizes nanotechnology and shows robust, long-lived immunity in mouse models.

5 May 2021

Stem cell therapy for COVID-19 and ARDS

In a review paper recently uploaded to the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy by Mahendiratta et al. (May 2021) the applicability of stem cells in treating severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is investigated, with regard to ARDS therapy.

5 May 2021

Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines induce T-cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have shown that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are effective at generating T-cell immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

5 May 2021

Pan-COVID-19 vaccine protects mice against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have identified short peptide sequences in the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that are immunogenic in a mouse model and may provide protection against viral variants.

5 May 2021

Can SARS-CoV-2’s impairment of endothelium cause vascular disease?

The study, published in the journal Circulation Research, suggests that COVID-19 is not only a respiratory disease but also a vascular disease. It highlights how the virus attacks the vascular system, causing endothelial impairment.

4 May 2021

Could in vitro glycoengineering help produce better SARS-CoV-2 spike candidates for vaccine research?

A vexing problem in the development of vaccines has been the need to achieve the right glycosylation profile for the viral antigens. A new study, recently released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, shows how a sequential cell-free approach produced complex N-glycans from simpler types, in a one-pot reaction.

4 May 2021

Rapid and sensitive SARS-CoV-2 detection from saliva using CRISPR

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv by Edward Málaga Trillo et al. (April 29th, 2021), these methods are tested in combination with CRISPR-Cas detection in the field, demonstrating a sensitivity and specificity of 93.8% and 99%, respectively.

4 May 2021

Study shows a protective association between anticoagulants and COVID-19

In a new study, researchers investigated the association between the use of oral anticoagulants and warfarin in COVID-19 disease outcomes. They published their results in a paper on the medRxiv* preprint server.

3 May 2021

Monoclonal antibody neutralizes all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Researchers in Canada and the United States have identified a monoclonal antibody that potently neutralizes variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVIdD-19) pandemic.

3 May 2021