Polymerase Chain Reaction News and Research

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Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a revolutionary laboratory technique that enables the replication of a specific DNA sequence. Using PCR, millions of copies of a target DNA can be easily synthesized within a short period of time.

New porous biomaterial could help in bone repair

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new biomaterial made entirely from discarded bullfrog skin and fish scales that could help in bone repair.

27 May 2021

New plasmofluidic chip could speed up diagnosis during current and future pandemics

Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been the gold standard for diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

27 May 2021

Disproportionate number of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections are caused by variants of concern

A study conducted by researchers in the United States has shown that among twenty patients with breakthrough infection following vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – all of the infections were caused by variants of concerns.

26 May 2021

Researchers develop a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants simultaneously

Researchers demonstrate a method of detecting the presence and mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus using the smaller and cheaper Oxford Nanopore sequencer, a method they believe could make pandemic surveillance faster and cheaper.

26 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant may induce more inflammation, study suggests

Since COVID-19 was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, many different variants of its causative virus – SARS-CoV-2 – have emerged. Through increased viral fitness, some of these have risen to predominance over earlier variants in a remarkably short period of time. New research, by a team of scientists at major institutions in France, examines the reasons behind this phenomenon in one such variant of concern (VOC), the so-called UK variant.

25 May 2021

New testing protocol for SARS-CoV-2 can process thousands of samples within 48 hours

Researchers at the Vienna BioCenter designed a testing protocol for SARS-CoV-2 that can process tens of thousands of samples in less than 48 hours. The method, called SARSeq, is published in the journal Nature Communications and could be adapted to many more pathogens.

25 May 2021

Study shows that telomeres shorten most rapidly during early childhood

Telomeres are protective caps on DNA that shorten as we grow older. Now, one of the first studies to examine telomere length (TL) in childhood finds that the initial setting of TL during prenatal development and in the first years of life may determine one's TL throughout childhood and potentially even into adulthood or older age.

25 May 2021

Research looks at viral presence around hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Researchers in Canada aimed to determine the burden of SARS-CoV-2 in the air and on surfaces in the rooms of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

25 May 2021

Risk factors for rare COVID-19 complications in children (MIS-C)

While the earlier waves of COVID-19 relatively spared children, some of the affected children have developed a systemic inflammatory condition, with occasionally fatal outcomes. Called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), its pathogenesis and risk factors are the subject of a new study on the medRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Study shows distinctive mutation in rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 sublineage

In a new study currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, US researchers report the detection of a specific sub-lineage of B.1.1.7 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant harboring a novel S:D178H mutation and elucidate its transmission and evolutionary patterns.

21 May 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines boost SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses

Researchers in the United States and Chile have provided preliminary evidence that individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – mount a robust neutralizing antibody response against the virus that can be significantly boosted by two doses of Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac vaccine or one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s BNT162b2 vaccine.

21 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variant spread study in France shows B.1.351/V2 variant outgrowing B.1.1.7/V1 variant

A recent study by researchers in France has compared the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern. The team found a significant transmission advantage of V2 (from lineage B.1.351) over V1 (from lineage B.1.1.7). A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server.

20 May 2021

Tokyo sees rapid rise of SARS-CoV-2 R.1 lineage

A new research paper posted to the preprint server medRxiv* reports the rise of a new lineage in Tokyo, Japan, bearing a combination of two biologically important mutations.

20 May 2021

Early treatment may prevent clotting in COVID-19 vaccine-related thrombocytopenia

Now, a new report in the Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis reveals that timely diagnosis and treatment of this condition may prevent further morbidity and mortality, and enable the vaccine to be used widely with confidence.

20 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca reduce mortality among the elderly

Researchers in the UK have demonstrated the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines against severe acute respiratory virus coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at preventing death among older individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 May 2021

Latest round of REACT-1 finds SARS-CoV-2 prevalence has halved since previous round

Researchers in the UK say the latest round of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study has found that the prevalence of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – has fallen by 50%, compared with the previous round conducted in March of this year (2021).

19 May 2021

New imaging technique helps reveal the best antibodies for COVID-19 detection

Vaccines are turning the tide of the pandemic, but the risk of infection is still present in some situations. If you want to visit a friend, get on a plane, or go see a movie, there is no highly accurate, instant test that can tell you right then and there whether or not you have a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

18 May 2021

A possible human-to-canine transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Now, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified a case of human to animal transmission when SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a healthy poodle dog living with four family members who had COVID-19.

18 May 2021

Nanotechnology and COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment

The development of nano-biosensors and nanoparticle-based vaccines and medicines has opened a new path toward better management of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In a recently published article in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, scientists have reviewed recent advancements in nanotechnology-based diagnostic and therapeutic interventions against human coronaviruses.

17 May 2021

New way to detect a diverse range of bacteria that cause diarrheal disease in informal settlements

Monash University researchers have validated a way to successfully detect a diverse range of bacteria (pathogens) that cause diarrheal disease in informal settlements.

17 May 2021

Polymerase Chain Reaction News and Research

Further Reading

New porous biomaterial could help in bone repair

New plasmofluidic chip could speed up diagnosis during current and future pandemics

Disproportionate number of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections are caused by variants of concern

Researchers develop a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants simultaneously

SARS-CoV-2 UK variant may induce more inflammation, study suggests

New testing protocol for SARS-CoV-2 can process thousands of samples within 48 hours

Study shows that telomeres shorten most rapidly during early childhood

Research looks at viral presence around hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Risk factors for rare COVID-19 complications in children (MIS-C)

Study shows distinctive mutation in rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 sublineage

Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines boost SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses

SARS-CoV-2 variant spread study in France shows B.1.351/V2 variant outgrowing B.1.1.7/V1 variant

Tokyo sees rapid rise of SARS-CoV-2 R.1 lineage

Early treatment may prevent clotting in COVID-19 vaccine-related thrombocytopenia

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca reduce mortality among the elderly

Latest round of REACT-1 finds SARS-CoV-2 prevalence has halved since previous round

New imaging technique helps reveal the best antibodies for COVID-19 detection

A possible human-to-canine transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Nanotechnology and COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment

New way to detect a diverse range of bacteria that cause diarrheal disease in informal settlements

Latest eBooks

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (3rd edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Microbiome (1st edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition)

Advancing degrader and proximity-based drug development

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo