SARS News and Research

RSS

Updated COVID-19 vaccines found effective against severe illness

A new multi-state study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) VISION Network – including Regenstrief Institute – has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the effectiveness of 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines among adults in the U.S. during the XBB and JN.1 Omicron subvariant waves.

25 Jun 2025

Gut microbe emerges as a promising tool in the fight against COVID-19

Researchers found that Akkermansia muciniphila boosts lung-specific antiviral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mice by modulating the gut–lung axis. This commensal gut bacterium shows promise as a potential biomarker and biotherapeutic candidate for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

25 Jun 2025

Monitoring wastewater proves effective in forecasting COVID trends

Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a University of Minnesota research team demonstrated that measuring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater continues to accurately predict COVID-19 infections in a community.

24 Jun 2025

Aspirin lowers diabetes risk during COVID-19, but not without side effects

A large real-world Italian cohort study found that daily low-dose aspirin use significantly lowered the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protective effect appears linked to aspirin’s anti-inflammatory properties, though bleeding risks require caution.

19 Jun 2025

New data show COVID-19 triggers spike in new diabetes cases

A large cohort study in California state prisons found that COVID-19 infection modestly but significantly increases the risk of developing new-onset diabetes. The elevated risk persists for months after infection, even when accounting for confounding factors and diagnostic intensity.

18 Jun 2025

COVID-19 triggers metabolic signatures in kids that mirror adult heart risk

Children with acute COVID-19 and MIS-C show significant disruptions in lipid metabolism, including patterns resembling adult severe COVID-19. These findings highlight potential long-term cardiovascular risks in pediatric SARS-CoV-2 cases and underscore the need for follow-up care.

16 Jun 2025

Small antibodies provide broad protection against SARS coronaviruses

Scientists have discovered a unique class of small antibodies that are strongly protective against a wide range of SARS coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 and numerous early and recent SARS-CoV-2 variants.

14 Jun 2025

Research highlights the lasting impact of geographic labels in pandemic reporting

"China virus", the Chinese virus - at the start of the 2020 pandemic, you likely often encountered this epithet in the media.

13 Jun 2025

One in five never fully recover quality of life after COVID-like illness

...

13 Jun 2025

AI and film animation tools lead to breakthrough in coronavirus drug discovery

About 30% of all respiratory tract infections are caused by coronaviruses, leading to widespread illnesses and, in some cases, to epidemic and even pandemic outbreaks, as we experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic.

13 Jun 2025

Mental recovery after COVID lags behind physical recovery

New research finds that people with COVID-like symptoms returned to optimal physical well-being an average of three months after infection, but took up to nine months to return to top mental well-being.

10 Jun 2025

Early signs of breastfeeding failures after premature birth

A study on breastfeeding after premature birth identifies key factors affecting milk composition and volume, emphasizing the need for early support for mothers.

10 Jun 2025

COVID boosters do not harm T-cell function in the vulnerable

Findings indicate that frequent COVID-19 booster shots do not weaken T-cell responses, alleviating concerns for vulnerable groups facing new variants.

9 Jun 2025

Scientists unlock potential of cytokine adjuvants in mRNA vaccines

In the quest to design vaccines that better help the body's immune system fight disease, scientists are always looking for more tools for their arsenal.

6 Jun 2025

New COVID variant NB.1.8.1 spreads across continents amid calls for vigilance

The Global Virus Network (GVN) is closely monitoring the emergence of a newly identified SARS-CoV-2 variant, NB.1.8.1, a sublineage of the Omicron family. This variant was first identified in January 2025 and has rapidly spread across Asia and into other regions, including parts of the United States.

6 Jun 2025

New technique creates multimeric aptamers for precision virus targeting

We have all heard of antibodies – proteins produced by our bodies to bind to viruses or bacteria, marking them for elimination by the immune system.

6 Jun 2025

Stanford scientists grow vascularized heart and liver organoids

For over a decade, scientists have been growing organoids - small clusters of cells that mimic a particular organ - to serve as miniature biological models.

6 Jun 2025

Compact diagnostic platform enables rapid COVID-19 antibody testing from fingertip blood

Researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with multiple collaborators, have developed a compact diagnostic platform that can evaluate antibody protection against COVID-19 using only a single microliter of fingertip blood.

5 Jun 2025

New funding boosts development of rapid test for sexually transmitted infections

Birmingham spin-out Linear Diagnostics has been awarded £1m funding to finalizse the development of a rapid test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in partnership with the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation and the North East Innovation Lab, part of Newcastle Hospitals.

5 Jun 2025

Emerging bat viruses closely related to MERS show potential to jump to humans

A group of bat viruses closely related to the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) could be one small mutation away from being capable of spilling over into human populations and potentially causing the next pandemic.

4 Jun 2025