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SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum associated with poor prognosis and high mortality

A new preprint indicates the direct correlation between the presence of detectable viral RNA loads in serum, and clinical severity and death.

21 Dec 2020

Cross-reactive coronavirus antibodies shape COVID-19 convalescent plasma functionality

The onset of the current COVID-19 pandemic revealed the seventh known pathogenic human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

21 Dec 2020

South Korean city shows SARS-CoV-2 clade shift from V to GH over time

A new paper from South Korea describes the evolving SARS-CoV-2 genome in a single city, that of Gwangju, in the southwestern region of this country.

21 Dec 2020

Study finds how macrophages may contribute to a therapeutic weak spot in breast cancer

Breast cancer, the second most common cancer in the United States, can result from a number of cellular misregulations, such as deficiencies in the DNA-repairing breast cancer gene, BRCA.

18 Dec 2020

AOAC INTERNATIONAL issues Certificates of Validation for three test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2

AOAC INTERNATIONAL announced today that it has issued Certificates of Validation for three proprietary test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 illness, on environmental surfaces.

18 Dec 2020

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

Researchers at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Bogotá, Colombia, provided evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 deaths in terms of age, sex, ethnicity, type of health insurance regime, and socioeconomic status.

18 Dec 2020

Remdesivir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication by preventing RdRp-mediated RNA translocation

A new study describes the in vitro mechanism by which remdesivir kinetically inhibits the replication of the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2.

18 Dec 2020

Rapid no-frills detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva with LAMP-Cas13

A new paper that appeared as a preprint on the medRxiv* server in December 2020 describes a nucleic acid test validated on saliva samples.

18 Dec 2020

Rapid point-of-care lateral flow assay to assess the neutralizing activity of plasma against SARS-CoV-2

A new paper describes the development and validation of a rapid test to measure the neutralizing activity of serum against COVID-19 using a drop of blood.

18 Dec 2020

Continued vigilance is required in England following exit from second lockdown

Researchers in the UK have presented data from the latest in a series of community surveys assessing the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in England.

17 Dec 2020

High presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in PCR test can predict future symptomatic disease

A new study by researchers at the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden shows that testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid can help in containing the virus spread. Detecting the presence of high amounts of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid predicts future symptomatic disease, they found.

17 Dec 2020

Hepatitis C virus drugs synergize with remdesivir against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 71.5 million people and claimed over 1.6 million lives globally since December 2019.

17 Dec 2020

$3.7 million NIH grant supports development of biosensor technology for diagnosing viral diseases

For over ten years, Ali Yanik has been working to develop novel biosensor technology to provide rapid, low-cost testing for disease diagnostics and precision medicine.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed to be part of chimeric viral-human genome

A new study reveals that the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is inserted into the human genome, accounting for the detection of viral RNAs.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

While participating in the SPHERES Consortium project, US researchers sequenced 2,726 clinical patient specimens gathered in March 2020 and identified eight unique ORF7a deletion variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Their results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

15 Dec 2020

Could wastewater surveillance help track SARS-COV-2 community outbreaks?

A team of US-based researchers recently conducted an illuminating study that explores this method and its potential uses. In doing so, they have underscored the potential utility of wastewater surveillance in managing SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.

15 Dec 2020

World Health Organization issues notice for in vitro diagnostics users

Nucleic acid testing (NAT) technologies that use real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2.

14 Dec 2020

Less sensitive rapid tests may miss asymptomatic/presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

The rapid transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 has posed a significant challenge to COVID-19 containment measures.

14 Dec 2020

Prior T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 unlikely to be the result of seasonal coronavirus infection

Scientists have suggested that a proportion of the population have pre-existing immunity to COVID-19 because of T cells primed against SARS-CoV-2 antigens.

14 Dec 2020

WVU, DHHR team up to create new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Morgantown

To address the challenges of COVID-19 testing shortages and lagging turnaround times, West Virginia University and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources have teamed up to create a new testing laboratory at the Health Sciences Center thanks to funding made possible by Gov. Jim Justice.

11 Dec 2020

Polymerase News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in serum associated with poor prognosis and high mortality

Cross-reactive coronavirus antibodies shape COVID-19 convalescent plasma functionality

South Korean city shows SARS-CoV-2 clade shift from V to GH over time

Study finds how macrophages may contribute to a therapeutic weak spot in breast cancer

AOAC INTERNATIONAL issues Certificates of Validation for three test kits that detect SARS-CoV-2

Higher COVID-19 mortality among certain groups in Colombia linked to structural inequalities

Remdesivir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication by preventing RdRp-mediated RNA translocation

Rapid no-frills detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva with LAMP-Cas13

Rapid point-of-care lateral flow assay to assess the neutralizing activity of plasma against SARS-CoV-2

Continued vigilance is required in England following exit from second lockdown

High presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid in PCR test can predict future symptomatic disease

Hepatitis C virus drugs synergize with remdesivir against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

$3.7 million NIH grant supports development of biosensor technology for diagnosing viral diseases

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed to be part of chimeric viral-human genome

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

Could wastewater surveillance help track SARS-COV-2 community outbreaks?

World Health Organization issues notice for in vitro diagnostics users

Less sensitive rapid tests may miss asymptomatic/presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

Prior T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 unlikely to be the result of seasonal coronavirus infection

WVU, DHHR team up to create new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Morgantown

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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