Pathogen News and Research

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$15.7 million NIMH grant to renew UC Davis Conte Center studying the origins of mental illness

Discovering how infections during pregnancy, such as COVID-19 and influenza, can lead to psychiatric illness and developmental disorders in offspring years later, and how to detect, prevent or treat these disorders, is the subject of a $15.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to the Conte Center at the University of California, Davis.

7 Apr 2021

Novel polyclonal antibody XAV-19 efficiently neutralizes UK and South African SARS-CoV-2 variants

A promising new study reports on the high neutralizing efficacy of a polyclonal swine antibody against SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen responsible for the novel COVID-19. By demonstrating the ability of this antibody to neutralize all currently circulating viral variants, the study suggests that it is ideal for development as a new and very effective therapy for COVID-19.

7 Apr 2021

Enhanced neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 South African variant with heterologous adjuvant vaccine candidate

A new study describes the use of a single dose of vaccine based on the viral protein called the receptor-binding domain (RBD) to elicit powerful neutralizing activity against both the Wuhan strain and the most concerning VOC called the South African (SA) strain.

7 Apr 2021

Dramatic cuts to UK foreign aid budgets undermine global research partnerships

Dramatic cuts to UK foreign aid budgets have left the future of hundreds of research projects in developing countries hanging in the balance and trusted partnerships severely undermined, say leading scientists.

7 Apr 2021

South African and Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 variants can evade antibodies from therapies, vaccines, and infection

Researchers at the Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, and the Georg-August-University Göttingen in Germany have found that the B.1.351 and P.1 SARS-CoV-2 variants have the potential to evade therapeutic antibodies or antibodies induced by natural infection or vaccination.

7 Apr 2021

Study: Multidrug-resistant fungus that infests hospitals may have emerged from the wild

C. auris, a drug-resistant fungus that infests hospitals, may have emerged from the wild, says study. Researchers confirmed the presence in the wild of Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungus commonly found infesting hospitals.

7 Apr 2021

Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant (A.VOI.V2) in southern Africa

Scientists recently explored the transmission dynamics of currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 in a southern African country. By analyzing the genomic sequences of these variants, they have identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant with multiple spike mutations. They have temporarily designated the variant A.VOI.V2.

6 Apr 2021

Discovering DNA methylation from bacteria and microbiome using nanopore technology

Bacterial DNA methylation occurs at diverse sequence contexts and plays important functional roles in cellular defense and gene regulation. An increasing number of studies have reported that bacterial DNA methylation has important roles affecting clinically relevant phenotypes such as virulence, host colonization, sporulation, biofilm formation, among others.

5 Apr 2021

Can universal vaccines and treatments against future SARS-CoV-2 variants be developed?

A team of researchers from Saudi Arabia and Spain recently quantified the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 by tracking the mutations of the virus globally, focusing on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the virus’s spike protein, which determines its infectivity.

5 Apr 2021

Researchers Identify potent small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the USA and Sweden has recently screened 8 million small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2.

5 Apr 2021

Research surveys hygiene practices in food supply chains during COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers survey hygiene procedures in food supply chains implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 Apr 2021

Long-COVID-19 is a significant risk in recovered patients post-hospitalization

A new study, which appeared in the British Medical Journal, reports on a retrospective study to examine the incidence and risk factors for ‘long COVID-19’, the term used to describe the long-term effects of COVID-19 on affected individuals.

2 Apr 2021

Researchers offer large-scale screening of potential broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 antivirals

A new study describes the identification of new compounds from a library, with inhibitory activity against several coronaviruses. This study shows the utility of this method, besides identifying compounds that not only inhibit viral shedding in SARS-CoV-2 cultures, but have an immunomodulatory effect that may be useful in mitigating the damaging cytokine storm typical of severe or critical COVID-19.

2 Apr 2021

COVID-19 surges are driven by appearance of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, genome sequencing shows

Genome sequencing of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples shows that surges of COVID-19 cases are driven by the appearance of new coronavirus variants, according to new research from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis published April 1 in Scientific Reports.

1 Apr 2021

Researchers develop a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain trimer vaccine candidate

New research deals with the development of RBD trimer as a potent target for SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccines. This study revealed the development of a trimeric RBD subunit vaccine candidate that could induce strong humoral and cellular immune responses in nonhuman primates (NHPs), namely, rhesus macaques.

1 Apr 2021

Discovery of cryptic pocket in SARS-CoV-2 may lead to pan-coronavirus therapies

A new research paper published in the Biophysical Journal describes a novel binding pocket used by a viral non-structural protein (nsp) to form an activated complex with its partner nsp. In so doing, it may have revealed a common target that may be useful in the development of a broad-spectrum antiviral drug against all coronaviruses.

1 Apr 2021

Pathogen News and Research

$15.7 million NIMH grant to renew UC Davis Conte Center studying the origins of mental illness

Novel polyclonal antibody XAV-19 efficiently neutralizes UK and South African SARS-CoV-2 variants

Enhanced neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 South African variant with heterologous adjuvant vaccine candidate

Dramatic cuts to UK foreign aid budgets undermine global research partnerships

South African and Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 variants can evade antibodies from therapies, vaccines, and infection

Study: Multidrug-resistant fungus that infests hospitals may have emerged from the wild

Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant (A.VOI.V2) in southern Africa

Discovering DNA methylation from bacteria and microbiome using nanopore technology

Can universal vaccines and treatments against future SARS-CoV-2 variants be developed?

Researchers Identify potent small molecule inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2

Research surveys hygiene practices in food supply chains during COVID-19 pandemic

Long-COVID-19 is a significant risk in recovered patients post-hospitalization

Researchers offer large-scale screening of potential broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 antivirals

COVID-19 surges are driven by appearance of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, genome sequencing shows

Researchers develop a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain trimer vaccine candidate

Discovery of cryptic pocket in SARS-CoV-2 may lead to pan-coronavirus therapies

Antibodies produced from infection with SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 protect against other variants

New portable viral screening test can diagnose COVID-19 in minutes and track variants

Scientists discover how Streptococcus pyogenes can obtain nutrition from the skin surface

Protein could be key to blocking the most common bacterial cause of food poisoning

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