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A global genetic surveillance gap for SARS-CoV-2

Now a new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server provides a perspective on the global disparities surrounding SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, their causes and consequences, and possible solutions to maximize the impact of pathogen genome sequencing for efforts on public health.

1 Sep 2021

Development of SARS-CoV-2 antibody escape variants in an immunocompromised individual

A new study published in mBio discusses the microevolution of SARS-CoV-2.

31 Aug 2021

Durability of cellular immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after mRNA vaccination

A recent study, available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, investigated the durability of cellular immune memory after mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 and whether booster jabs affect the durability of different immune response components. The study included testing for antibodies and cellular immune responses in covid patients and recovered individuals.

31 Aug 2021

Role of glycans on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human receptor interaction

A team of investigators, led by Dr. Benjamin F. Mann, from Merck, USA have published a new study on the preprint server bioRxiv*. They have used a biochemical approach to control the glycosylation profile of the S protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and to analyze the effect of different glycosylation patterns on receptor binding.

30 Aug 2021

Computational study identifies human proteins structurally similar to SARS-CoV-2 proteins

A new study published in Scientific Reports identifies the human proteins that share structural similarities with the SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

30 Aug 2021

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern modulate receptor and antibody binding

In a trailblazing engineering effort, Canadian and US researchers indicate that the emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 stems from the mutations of spike glycoprotein that confer either increased affinity for the host cell receptor or increased antibody evasion.

30 Aug 2021

New study maps the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 delta and delta plus variants

The SARS-CoV-2 delta variant bears the D164G mutation, which is known to enhance viral fitness. However, a number of additional mutations are known to be common to the delta and delta plus lineages, at least 25 as identified in a study recently published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, mainly located on the spike protein of the virus.

30 Aug 2021

Have SARS-CoV-2 symptoms changed in the UK population over time?

A new paper compares changes in the symptoms due to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic.

29 Aug 2021

Study reveals measures to tackle musical COVID-19 transmission

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe in 2020, musicians around the world were desperate for the answers to two pressing questions: Can playing musical instruments transmit COVID-19? And if so, what can be done?

28 Aug 2021

Potential variant of interest in South Africa assigned to the PANGO lineage C.1.2

Continual genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 strains in South Africa has revealed an increase in the number of sequences belonging to C.1 lineage during the third wave (May 2021) of SARS-CoV-2 infections. This observation was unexpected because C.1 was last reported in January 2021.

26 Aug 2021

Analysis of antibody titer decay following vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study focused on the decrease in antibody titers following two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine or SARS-CoV-2 natural infection in Israel.

25 Aug 2021

Penn study shows how certain proteins have evolved to suppress cheating chromosomes

Eggs and sperm are special cells for many reasons, but one of the characteristics that sets them apart is that, unlike other human cells, which have two copies of 23 chromosomes, one from the mother and one from the father, these sex cells, or gametes, have only one.

25 Aug 2021

Dotmatics Appoints Michael Swartz as Senior Vice President Enterprise Product to Support Continued Rapid Growth

Dotmatics Ltd today announced it has appointed Michael Swartz to lead its Enterprise Product Strategy and Management functions.

From Dotmatics 24 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant associated with more breakthrough infections

The study highlights that compared to the previously circulating alpha variant, the delta variant is associated with higher infectious virus load and a lower level of humoral immunity in the upper respiratory tract. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server prior to peer review.

24 Aug 2021

Synthetic SARS-CoV-2 vs. SARS-CoV-2

Though vaccination efforts are underway in most countries, there are still limited options for treating COVID-19. Now, researchers at Penn State designed a new COVID-19 therapy that uses a defective synthetic version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to interfere with the actual virus's replication.

23 Aug 2021

Study suggests algorithm may help optimize future COVID-19 vaccine design

Scientists predict the COVID-19 pandemic is on its way to becoming endemic. The rising spread of COVID-19 variants such as Delta has helped infect unvaccinated and some vaccinated individuals. COVID-19 vaccines continue to be the best way to protect against severe illness and death, but there may be a need for vaccines to protect against a specific variant.

23 Aug 2021

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

A new study details the genomic characteristics and descent of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest.

23 Aug 2021

Improving widely-adopted thermal vulnerability indices to mitigate the effects of climate change

It is not easy to predict how animals – from insects to fish – are going to respond to climate change and especially extremes of temperature. This lack of understanding hinders our ability to predict the vulnerability of these animals to climate change.

23 Aug 2021

DeepSARS simultaneously detects and conducts genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

A new study discusses the development of DeepSARS, a high-throughput platform for diagnostic detection and genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.

23 Aug 2021

Analysis of seadragon genome offers new insights into its phenotype and sex-determination locus

A study by Prof. LIN Qiang from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and his collaborators from Singapore and Germany lifts the veil on seadragons' mysterious looks, and sheds light on a sex-determination locus shared by seadragons and alligator pipefish, both members of the Syngnathidae family.

22 Aug 2021

Evolution News and Research

A global genetic surveillance gap for SARS-CoV-2

Development of SARS-CoV-2 antibody escape variants in an immunocompromised individual

Durability of cellular immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after mRNA vaccination

Role of glycans on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human receptor interaction

Computational study identifies human proteins structurally similar to SARS-CoV-2 proteins

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern modulate receptor and antibody binding

New study maps the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 delta and delta plus variants

Have SARS-CoV-2 symptoms changed in the UK population over time?

Study reveals measures to tackle musical COVID-19 transmission

Potential variant of interest in South Africa assigned to the PANGO lineage C.1.2

Analysis of antibody titer decay following vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection

Penn study shows how certain proteins have evolved to suppress cheating chromosomes

Dotmatics Appoints Michael Swartz as Senior Vice President Enterprise Product to Support Continued Rapid Growth

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant associated with more breakthrough infections

Synthetic SARS-CoV-2 vs. SARS-CoV-2

Study suggests algorithm may help optimize future COVID-19 vaccine design

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

Improving widely-adopted thermal vulnerability indices to mitigate the effects of climate change

DeepSARS simultaneously detects and conducts genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

Analysis of seadragon genome offers new insights into its phenotype and sex-determination locus

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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