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Testing placental hormone levels can help identify candidates for pregnancy complications

Women who will develop potentially life-threatening disorders during pregnancy can be identified early when hormone levels in the placenta are tested, a new study has shown.

8 Jun 2021

Researchers identify a novel host-directed therapeutic approach to COVID-19

Researchers in the UK have demonstrated the potential of modulating the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a novel host-directed therapeutic approach to protecting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

8 Jun 2021

MIT researchers develop a molecular assay to detect sub-picomolar levels of the SARS-CoV-2's receptor-binding domain

A team of researchers at MIT has developed a molecular assay to detect sub-picomolar levels of the SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) using computationally validated peptide beacons in a single-step detection through the production of a fluorescence signal.

8 Jun 2021

New chip mimicking bovine endometrium could play key role in cattle’s pregnancy success

To investigate factors that can jeopardize pregnancy success in cattle, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil used a kind of chip to mimic the environment of the endometrium, the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus.

8 Jun 2021

Novel method allows rapid, absolute quantification of viral nucleic acids

Researchers from Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine, an Interdisciplinary Research Group at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have developed a new method for rapid and accurate detection of viral nucleic acids - a breakthrough that can be easily adapted to detect different DNA/RNA targets in viruses like the coronavirus.

7 Jun 2021

Genome-scale CRISPR screens pinpoint promising antiviral compounds against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent research paper currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, scientists in the US used genome-scale CRISPR knockout screens to identify factors that promote infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), revealing the potential for broad-spectrum activity across the coronavirus family.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers identify a bacterium with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro: Dolosigranulum pigrum

As intensive efforts are on to counter the virus, a new study by an international team of researchers reports the unexpected success of a bacterium in modulating the immune response in the airway and protecting the cells against infection with this virus.

7 Jun 2021

New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines at preventing infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jun 2021

New bioengineered reporter system allows to follow protein isoform expression over time in live cells

Our proteome is much bigger than our genome because one gene produces several variants of proteins called protein isoforms, whose disbalance is implicated in many diseases. c

5 Jun 2021

Mast cell activation may underlie inflammation in severe COVID-19

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server points to mast cells as major culprits in the etiology of severe and critical COVID-19. This could suggest suitable therapeutic and preventive interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this viral illness.

3 Jun 2021

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

Now a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server dismisses the possibility, raised by that study, that the virus inserts its genetic material into the host cell’s genome.

2 Jun 2021

E484K mutation may confer immune evasion capability on UK variant of SARS-CoV-2

A new medRxiv* preprint reports the immunomodulatory effect of the E484K mutation newly acquired by the United Kingdom (U.K.) variant.

2 Jun 2021

Study shows how scar tissue cells in the injured heart can be converted to heart muscle cells

It is estimated that during a heart attack, one billion cells in the heart are lost. In the wake of the heart attack, the lost tissue is replaced by scar tissue, which can lead to heart failure, arrhythmia and death. In a new study, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have shown how cells in the scar tissue can be converted to heart muscle cells, effectively regenerating the injured heart.

2 Jun 2021

Direct action of SARS-CoV-2 on organs may lead to exacerbated inflammatory response in pediatric patients

Besides common symptoms such as fever, cough and respiratory distress, some children have an atypical form of COVID-19 known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), characterized by persistent fever and inflammation of several organs, such as the heart and intestines, as well as the lungs to a lesser extent.

1 Jun 2021

Researchers develop proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders like sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia that could raise hemoglobin levels by activating production of both fetal and adult hemoglobin.

1 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants have higher transmissibility and a longer infectious period

Researchers analyzed data on three variants of concern and found that viral loads were higher and infection lasted longer for the B.1.1.7 variant. They all were more infectious than the original strain, and transmissibility also depended on population demographics.

31 May 2021

A novel multiplexed diagnostic approach for COVID-19

Researchers developed a platform for detecting the virus directly from a patient's sample as well as the immune response through antibodies such as IgG and IgM.

31 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 NSP14 induces potent inflammation via NF-κB pathways, finds study

SARS-CoV-2 has a single-stranded RNA genome encoding both structural and non-structural proteins. Of these, the latter is known to play a variety of roles in viral replication and the assembly of new viral particles, as well as in suppressing cellular immune responses. A new study reports the activity of one such protein, the non-structural protein 14 (NSP14), which activates the inflammatory mediator NF-κB to trigger intense inflammation.

31 May 2021

COVID-19, mass testing and the utility of wastewater epidemiology

In a recent study, researchers developed a methodology to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with the potential for finding an association between the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) SARS-CoV-2 influent viral RNA load and COVID-19 cases in the community. This study indicates that a national scale wastewater-based epidemiology can play a role in COVID-19 surveillance.

31 May 2021

A novel multi-epitope COVID-19 vaccine developed using reverse vaccinology

A new study has been published in the Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics which focuses on the evaluation of E, M, N, ORF10, ORF8, ORF3a, and M proteins using bioinformatics tools to develop a multi-epitope COVID-19 vaccine. The researchers utilized in-silico methods to incite humoral and cellular immune responses.

31 May 2021

Transcription News and Research

Testing placental hormone levels can help identify candidates for pregnancy complications

Researchers identify a novel host-directed therapeutic approach to COVID-19

MIT researchers develop a molecular assay to detect sub-picomolar levels of the SARS-CoV-2's receptor-binding domain

New chip mimicking bovine endometrium could play key role in cattle’s pregnancy success

Novel method allows rapid, absolute quantification of viral nucleic acids

Genome-scale CRISPR screens pinpoint promising antiviral compounds against SARS-CoV-2

Researchers identify a bacterium with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro: Dolosigranulum pigrum

New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

New bioengineered reporter system allows to follow protein isoform expression over time in live cells

Mast cell activation may underlie inflammation in severe COVID-19

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

E484K mutation may confer immune evasion capability on UK variant of SARS-CoV-2

Study shows how scar tissue cells in the injured heart can be converted to heart muscle cells

Direct action of SARS-CoV-2 on organs may lead to exacerbated inflammatory response in pediatric patients

Researchers develop proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders

SARS-CoV-2 variants have higher transmissibility and a longer infectious period

A novel multiplexed diagnostic approach for COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 NSP14 induces potent inflammation via NF-κB pathways, finds study

COVID-19, mass testing and the utility of wastewater epidemiology

A novel multi-epitope COVID-19 vaccine developed using reverse vaccinology

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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