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.

Colombian corona hounds: SAR-CoV-2 detection by dogs

A new Colombian study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 describes the use of trained dogs to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected humans by scent alone. This would allow uninfected people to work together safely, rescuing the economy without driving up medical costs.

23 Jun 2020

Widespread testing could help stop the spread of COVID-19

The world is now in the grips of a historic pandemic. The death toll from the novel coronavirus has climbed to more than 117,000 in the United States and 448,000 around the world.

18 Jun 2020

Antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) suppresses replication of SARS-CoV-2

A study conducted by researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg has shown that the antidepressant agent fluoxetine may be an effective drug for the early treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among at-risk groups.

16 Jun 2020

Identifying early routes of SARS-CoV-2 introduction to Los Angeles

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, have described for the first time, the likely sources of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) introduction to the Los Angeles community.

15 Jun 2020

Nasal swab tests miss low viral SARS-CoV-2

A recent study by researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, currently available on the preprint server medRxiv, demonstrates how nasal swab samples reliably detect patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that present with high viral loads, but may miss many patients with lower viral loads – questioning their role as a sole specimen for diagnostic purposes.

15 Jun 2020

Developing a new rapid test for COVID-19

News-Medical speaks to Professor Matt Gibson about his groundbreaking research where his team has developed a new rapid test for COVID-19 detection.

15 Jun 2020

Early respiratory distress syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2 in a newborn

A recent case report from the researchers at the University of São Paulo, published in the journal CLINICS, shows how newborns can also be infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and develop serious symptoms, even though the most likely route of infection in such cases is still not completely clear.

14 Jun 2020

Cannabis plant may harbor SARS-CoV-2 for at least a week

Researchers at the Medicinal Genomics Corporation have warned that cannabis flowers exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may harbor the virus for at least seven days.

14 Jun 2020

JRC creates a database of COVID-19 diagnostic devices and test methods

As part of EU efforts to provide guidance on the use of coronavirus tests, the JRC has created a database of COVID-19 in vitro diagnostic devices and test methods that gathers information on available tests in one place.

12 Jun 2020

Rising SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels detected in sewage from several Dutch cities

Scientists have detected RNA from the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in the feces of people with COVID-19. So it stands to reason that the viral RNA could end up in city sewage, where it could be used to monitor prevalence of the disease.

10 Jun 2020

Mitigating "second wave" COVID-19 risk to health frontliners and patients

Researchers at University College London have made important discoveries about the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among frontline healthcare workers that could help to inform new policies for protecting staff and patients in the future.

10 Jun 2020

56 percent of pregnant women in UK hospitals with COVID-19 are BAME

According to a new national surveillance study released this week, over half of the pregnant women admitted to a hospital in the United Kingdom with COVID-19 are either black or belong to other ethnic minority groups.

8 Jun 2020

Improving detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection among severely ill children

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study showing that children with a severe inflammatory syndrome had high levels of antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), despite having tested negative for the virus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

8 Jun 2020

Irradiation with UV light kills SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in Italy have found that it is possible to completely inactivate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using short-wavelength UV (UV-C) irradiation.

8 Jun 2020

Zinc-finger antiviral protein makes SARS-CoV-2 highly susceptible to interferons

By looking into zinc-finger antiviral proteins (ZAP), a new study from Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) and available on the preprint server bioRxiv suggests that zoonotic transmission of a coronavirus with a specific genetic make-up facilitated the pandemic spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but also its sensitivity to interferons.

7 Jun 2020

New ECL-based mechanism enables development of increasingly efficient serological tests

A research group led by the University of Bologna identified a new mechanism that allows to obtain serological tests that are quicker, more cost-effective and more reliable than those currently in use.

5 Jun 2020

Universal preoperative screening of pediatric patients for COVID-19 improves safety

Universally screening pediatric patients for COVID-19 before they undergo surgical procedures has allowed hospitals to improve safety by identifying all patients who test positive for the virus, half of whom have no symptoms, according to new research led by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

4 Jun 2020

Pre-clinical data for Celltrion’s antiviral antibody treatment shows 100-fold reduction in viral load of SARS-CoV-2

Celltrion Group today announced positive pre-clinical results for its COVID-19 antiviral antibody treatment, with data demonstrating a 100-fold reduction in the viral load of SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19.

4 Jun 2020

Showers, toilets and washbasins may act as SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs despite low environmental transmission

In their new research paper currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany demonstrated that indirect environmental transmission most likely plays only a minor role in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, certain potentially neglected viral reservoirs have to be taken into account when introducing epidemiological measures.

3 Jun 2020