Pathogen News and Research

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Researchers shed light on T-cell receptor activation in response to infection

Immune cells specialize to ensure the most efficient defense against viruses and other pathogens. Researchers at the University of Basel have shed light on this specialization of T cells and shown that it occurs differently in the context of an acute and a chronic infection.

10 Mar 2021

NTU scientists design new compound that could help reduce overactive immune response

When the body detects a pathogen, such as bacteria or viruses, it mounts an immune system response to fight this invader. In some people, the immune system overreacts, resulting in an overactive immune response that causes the body to injure itself, which may prove fatal in some cases.

10 Mar 2021

How likely is SARS-CoV-2 reinfection?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has already caused over 117.6 million confirmed cases the world over. Yet, researchers debate the exact incidence of reinfection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19’s causative pathogen.

10 Mar 2021

New compound can reduce overactivation without impairing the body's immunity response

10 Mar 2021

2% of individuals carry 90% of SARS-CoV-2 virions: Study of 72,500 tests

In a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers analyzed viral loads from pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in an extensive university surveillance program.

9 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly arise in non-human hosts, potential risk for human reinfection

The study, published on the preprint server bioRxiv*, highlights the need to study viral evolution and pathogenesis in human and animal hosts. This could help prevent future outbreaks that may mimic the magnitude of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Mar 2021

Study describes the infection of human cells by intestinal pathogen during spaceflight

Astronauts face many challenges to their health, due to the exceptional conditions of spaceflight. Among these are a variety of infectious microbes that can attack their suppressed immune systems.

9 Mar 2021

Optimized SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate could be less reactogenic, say researchers

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, reports an optimized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine candidate, which, claim the researchers, may be less likely to produce reactions like fevers. It may also have increased protective potential against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen that causes COVID-19.

9 Mar 2021

Study rethinks the role of ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2 viral entry

Researchers in the US recently infected a series of human lung and head/neck cancer cell lines with SARS-CoV-2 that expressed varying levels of ACE2 and the TMPRSS2 protease to reassess their role in viral entrance.

8 Mar 2021

Researchers present fragment-based computational design of antibodies that target structured epitopes

A new study describes a novel fragment-based method to design antibody complementarity determining region (CDR) loops.

8 Mar 2021

Apoptosis is an important mediator of pathogenesis in animal coronavirus infection

A new paper in the journal Life presents an early review of the viral factors involved in initiating and effecting apoptosis within infected cells.

8 Mar 2021

Novel bioinformatics tool could help improve COVID-19 diagnosis

An interesting new study by researchers at the University of Liverpool, University of Bristol and Public Health England in the UK describes a novel bioinformatics tool used to detect subgenomic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sequences from the virus. This may help develop new diagnostic tools and model the transmission of the virus.

8 Mar 2021

Children may transmit SARS-CoV-2 at same level as adults, suggests study

Researchers studied SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in over a thousand individuals, including both adults and children. They found the loads to be comparable, suggesting they may play an equal role in COVID-19 transmission.

5 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 escapes host immune responses by modulating dendritic cell maturation

A team of scientists from Italy and the USA has recently explored the maturation pattern of conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

5 Mar 2021

A SARS-CoV-2 spike protein adjuvant vaccine candidate produces durable rapid protection in vivo

A recent study reports the safety and high efficacy of an adjuvanted vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 and the complications of COVID-19.

5 Mar 2021

A small sensor can be used for rapid detection of RNA and DNA

In less than a second, a small sensor used in brain chemistry research can detect the key molecules that provide the genetic instructions for life, RNA, and DNA, a new study from American University shows

5 Mar 2021

Researchers decipher how interspecies interactions arise, evolve and are maintained

Interspecies interactions are the foundation of ecosystems, from soil to ocean to the human gut. Among the many different types of interactions, syntrophy is a particularly important and mutually beneficial interspecies interaction where one partner provides a chemical or nutrient that is consumed by the other in exchange for a reward.

5 Mar 2021

Innovative cancer treatment effective in combating fungal infection in vitro and in mice

An innovative cell-based treatment for cancer has been found promising for the control of infections caused by fungi.

4 Mar 2021

Delayed detection of oral fluid anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies increases the time to viral clearance

A prospective observational study has revealed that the late appearance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in oral fluid, absence of fever as an early symptom, and elevated BMI are associated with delayed clearance of viral RNA in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.

4 Mar 2021

Coronavirus deranges the immune system in complex and deadly ways

There's a reason soldiers go through basic training before heading into combat: Without careful instruction, green recruits armed with powerful weapons could be as dangerous to one another as to the enemy.

4 Mar 2021

Pathogen News and Research

Researchers shed light on T-cell receptor activation in response to infection

NTU scientists design new compound that could help reduce overactive immune response

How likely is SARS-CoV-2 reinfection?

New compound can reduce overactivation without impairing the body's immunity response

2% of individuals carry 90% of SARS-CoV-2 virions: Study of 72,500 tests

SARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly arise in non-human hosts, potential risk for human reinfection

Study describes the infection of human cells by intestinal pathogen during spaceflight

Optimized SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate could be less reactogenic, say researchers

Study rethinks the role of ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2 viral entry

Researchers present fragment-based computational design of antibodies that target structured epitopes

Apoptosis is an important mediator of pathogenesis in animal coronavirus infection

Novel bioinformatics tool could help improve COVID-19 diagnosis

Children may transmit SARS-CoV-2 at same level as adults, suggests study

SARS-CoV-2 escapes host immune responses by modulating dendritic cell maturation

A SARS-CoV-2 spike protein adjuvant vaccine candidate produces durable rapid protection in vivo

A small sensor can be used for rapid detection of RNA and DNA

Researchers decipher how interspecies interactions arise, evolve and are maintained

Innovative cancer treatment effective in combating fungal infection in vitro and in mice

Delayed detection of oral fluid anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies increases the time to viral clearance

Coronavirus deranges the immune system in complex and deadly ways

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