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Researchers detect positive COVID-19 cases in 20 minutes using blood samples

World-first research by Monash University in Australia has been able to detect positive COVID-19 cases using blood samples in about 20 minutes, and identify whether someone has contracted the virus.

17 Jul 2020

Game-Changer: A SARS-CoV-2 serological test for 50-cents per sample!

A recent study published in the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that this is indeed possible. The development of this inexpensive but reliable and sensitive test could change the face of preventive measures for COVID-19 in low-resource settings.

17 Jul 2020

New insight into the SARS-CoV-2 infection process

Canadian researchers from the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be using a unique method to gain entry into the cells.

16 Jul 2020

Study shows fused lung cells are pervasive in severe COVID-19

In a recent bioRxiv paper, scientists from Institut Pasteur and other research centers in France demonstrated how pathological effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are modulated by cellular proteins that can either inhibit or facilitate cell fusion and subsequent syncytia formation.

16 Jul 2020

Compelling study shows heparin may protect against COVID-19

A compelling new study conducted by an international team of researchers has demonstrated that the widely used blood-thinning medication - heparin - can block infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 Jul 2020

British Columbia’s successful response to COVID-19 - policy anchored by science

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the BC Center for Disease Control in Vancouver have reported the first estimates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence for Canada before and after mitigation measures were relaxed in May.

16 Jul 2020

Selective statins may reduce SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and inhibit infection

Statins are a class of drugs often used to control high cholesterol levels in obesity. Now, a study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 suggests that statins do not aggravate the risk of COVID-19 infection and may have a small beneficial effect in some cases.

16 Jul 2020

Children with MIS-C have different antibody responses than adults with COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint medRxiv in July 2020 reveals that children with the condition Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) have a distinctly different pattern of antibody generation compared to adults with COVID-19 disease.

16 Jul 2020

Moderna vaccine induces robust immune response against SARS-CoV-2

The race to develop an effective vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is on, and one of the potential candidates shows promise in inducing an immune response.

15 Jul 2020

Common FDA-approved drug may be a powerful tool in fighting COVID-19

A common drug, already approved by the Food and Drug Administration, may also be a powerful tool in fighting COVID-19, according to research published this week in Antiviral Research.

15 Jul 2020

Certain antibodies may cause the dangerous part of COVID-19 disease

A new study out of the Netherlands and published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in July 2020 discusses the commonly observed phenomenon of COVID-19 progression at 1-2 weeks from the onset of the earliest symptoms. This is ascribed to the overactivation of the inflammatory signaling cascade triggered by a hyperactive adaptive immune reaction, commonly called the cytokine storm.

15 Jul 2020

Mobility and flexibility in SARS-CoV-2 proteins

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 describes the use of in silico modeling of potential drug targets on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protein structures, using data retrieved from the Protein Databank (PDB).

15 Jul 2020

Llama nanobodies block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Now, a team of scientists at the United Kingdom's Rosalind Franklin Institute may have a surprising solution for the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 574,000 people worldwide.

14 Jul 2020

Cold sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 could impact vaccine studies

Researchers at Duke University in Durham, USA, have made an important discovery about the spike protein on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have a broad impact on vaccine studies.

14 Jul 2020

Avacta and Integumen team up for detection of novel coronavirus in waste water

Avacta Group plc, the developer of Affimer® biotherapeutics and reagents, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a collaboration with Integumen plc (“Integumen”) to evaluate recently generated Affimer reagents that bind the SARS-COV-2 spike protein for the detection of the coronavirus in wastewater, to provide a real-time alert system to warn of localized COVID-19 outbreaks.

From Avacta Life Sciences Ltd. 14 Jul 2020

Absolute Antibody and University of Zurich partner to offer novel SARS-CoV-2 sybodies

Absolute Antibody Ltd., an industry-leading provider of recombinant antibody products and services, today announced a partnership with University of Zurich to offer synthetic nanobodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

From Absolute Antibody Ltd 14 Jul 2020

Current assays reflect non-neutralizing antibodies, finds study

Several serologic tests have been developed to help diagnose the presence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), either currently or in the past. However, all of them are not equally effective.

14 Jul 2020

Researchers stabilize the closed SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer

Now, a new study by researchers at Janssen Vaccines & Prevention BV and Leiden University and published on the preprint server bioRxiv uses cryoEM to reveal the structure of this trimer, in order to support both vaccine development and diagnostic testing based on antibody production.

14 Jul 2020

Altimmune announces positive preclinical results of intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Altimmune, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced positive results from the preclinical studies conducted in mice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham of its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AdCOVID.

13 Jul 2020

Scientists discover common molecular feature found in SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies

A team led by scientists at Scripps Research has discovered a common molecular feature found in many of the human antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

13 Jul 2020