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Researchers repurpose pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV antibody to develop potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the United States has recently engineered a pre-existing anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) neutralizing antibody to increase its binding affinity for the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The engineered antibody demonstrates high potency in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 and preventing infection in animals.

31 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations display convergent evolution indicating strong adaptive advantages

A recent report by a team of researchers focused on the extent of convergent evolution in the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. The report confirms that top SARS-CoV-2 lineages of concern have the most convergent spike protein mutations. This indicates their fundamental adaptive advantage.

31 May 2021

Intra-host SARS-CoV-2 composition varies over time, hinting at viral evolution during infection

Researchers at the Southern University of Science and Technology in China revealed rapid and dramatic changes in quasispecies diversity upon evaluating the SARS-CoV-2 populations present in the upper and lower respiratory tracts of patients with varying COVID-19 severity.

31 May 2021

Novel protein interactions with ACE2 disrupted by SARS-CoV-2, contributes to COVID-19 pathologies

A severe and often fatal immune response called a “cytokine storm” can occur following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some patients suffer from a range of complications several months after testing negative for SARS-CoV-2, and this is called ‘Long Haul’ or ‘Long’ COVID-19. The causes behind this phenomenon are not well understood.

31 May 2021

Study provides new insights into the origins of genetic disorders

New insights into the ability of DNA to overcome harmful genetic changes have been discovered by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Lausanne and their collaborators.

29 May 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 lineages continue to threaten pandemic control in England, suggests genomic study

A new study shows the pattern of the rise of various strains in the UK, as shown by the data collected by the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium. This allows the rise and fall of 62 different viral lineages to be traced through over 300 local authorities from September 2020 to April 2021.

28 May 2021

Glycosylation a significant element in SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine design, says study

A new study by researchers from Taiwan and the US suggests that the removal of unnecessary glycans from spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposes highly conserved sequences and opens the door for the development of broadly protective vaccines against the virus and its variants.

28 May 2021

Researchers develop chemical probe to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

In the perpetual arms races between bacteria and human-made antibiotics, there is a new tool to give human medicine the edge, in part by revealing bacterial weaknesses and potentially by leading to more targeted or new treatments for bacterial infections.

28 May 2021

Will SARS-CoV-2 eventually become just another seasonal coronavirus?

Could SARS-CoV-2 become just a seasonal nuisance in the next decade, causing just coughs and sniffles like a common cold, suggests new research? Scientists at the University of Utah, USA, tried to predict the possible future of the novel coronavirus using mathematical models that use learnings from the current pandemic on changes in human immunity over time.

26 May 2021

Salmonella bacteria colonize the gut using intestinal epithelial cells

The immune system's attempt to eliminate Salmonella bacteria from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract instead facilitates colonization of the intestinal tract and fecal shedding, according to National Institutes of Health scientists.

26 May 2021

Researchers explore mechanical properties of cellular microenvironment in the body

Cells sense and respond to the mechanical properties of the cellular microenvironment in the body. Changes in these properties, which occur in a number of human pathologies, including cancer, can elicit abnormal responses from cells.

26 May 2021

Study attempts to standardize humoral immune Correlates of Protection (CoP) in COVID-19

A new study aims to identify antibody-based biomarkers associated with the humoral immune response that could be a standard CoP candidate for COVID-19. Further, standardization of research methods to measure these biomarkers has also been conducted.

25 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutations strengthen RBD-ACE2 binding, making the virus more infectious

In January 2020, the first complete severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome sequence was deposited to GenBank. Since then, the amount of new genome sequences has increased rapidly at GenBank and GISAID. This has laid the foundations for analyzing the virulence, antigenicity, pathogenicity, and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 mutations.

22 May 2021

Investigators map how drugs were used on people hospitalized with COVID-19 infection

A record of medicine utilization patterns assembled by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of California, Irvine and the UC San Diego School of Medicine reveals the thought, care and scientific rigor clinicians at UC Health medical centers applied in their treatment of patients with COVID-19 in 2020.

21 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation can independently predict viral evolution

A team of scientists from Portugal has recently estimated the rate of mutation in two circulating variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using experimental evolution methods. Their findings reveal that in a condition with no immune surveillance, SARS-CoV-2 can potentially undergo evolution during the first stages of infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Study demonstrates the negative effects of HERV activation on human brain development

Since our ancestors infected themselves with retroviruses millions of years ago, we have carried elements of these viruses in our genes - known as human endogenous retroviruses, or HERVs for short.

21 May 2021

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Recently, a team of researchers from various countries analyzed the unique variants of S proteins across six continents, including Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, South America, and North America. They wanted to characterize the unique S protein variants embedded in SARS-CoV-2 genomes infecting millions of people globally.

20 May 2021

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

Researchers from the US and Denmark recently described a novel therapeutic option that targets the SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) using locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (LNA ASOs). They identified an LNA ASO that binds to the 5’ leader sequence of SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a/b. This disrupts a highly conserved stem-loop structure with nanomolar efficacy and inhibits viral replication in host cells.

20 May 2021

Cancer occurs through multiple steps that resurrect ancient cellular functions, suggests new model

In spite of decades of research, cancer remains an enigma. Conventional wisdom holds that cancer is driven by random mutations that create aberrant cells that run amok in the body.

20 May 2021

Sequentia collaborated with Nextbiomics to obtain a novel immunization model against COVID-19

Sequentia Biotech and NextBiomics announced the filing of a patent application for a bacterial vaccine against the COVID-19 syndrome.

From Sequentia Biotech 19 May 2021

Evolution News and Research

Researchers repurpose pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV antibody to develop potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 genome mutations display convergent evolution indicating strong adaptive advantages

Intra-host SARS-CoV-2 composition varies over time, hinting at viral evolution during infection

Novel protein interactions with ACE2 disrupted by SARS-CoV-2, contributes to COVID-19 pathologies

Study provides new insights into the origins of genetic disorders

New SARS-CoV-2 lineages continue to threaten pandemic control in England, suggests genomic study

Glycosylation a significant element in SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine design, says study

Researchers develop chemical probe to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Will SARS-CoV-2 eventually become just another seasonal coronavirus?

Salmonella bacteria colonize the gut using intestinal epithelial cells

Researchers explore mechanical properties of cellular microenvironment in the body

Study attempts to standardize humoral immune Correlates of Protection (CoP) in COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 mutations strengthen RBD-ACE2 binding, making the virus more infectious

Investigators map how drugs were used on people hospitalized with COVID-19 infection

SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation can independently predict viral evolution

Study demonstrates the negative effects of HERV activation on human brain development

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

Cancer occurs through multiple steps that resurrect ancient cellular functions, suggests new model

Sequentia collaborated with Nextbiomics to obtain a novel immunization model against COVID-19

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (2nd Edition) eBook

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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