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Researchers find new clue to restore congenital hearing loss

Researchers at Oregon State University have found a key new piece of the puzzle in the quest to use gene therapy to enable people born deaf to hear.

19 May 2021

Genetic mutation associated with autism can impair oxytocin-mediated social behavior

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition involving impaired social abilities, and this makes it a fascinating subject for neuroscientists like Prof. Teiichi Furuichi of the Tokyo University of Science who study the neuroscience of social behavior.

19 May 2021

New mathematical model predicts how bacterial mutations influence the success of antibiotic treatments

Scientists have developed a mathematical model that predicts how the number and effects of bacterial mutations leading to drug resistance will influence the success of antibiotic treatments.

19 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.420 and B.1.617.1 immune escape variants reported in France

Researchers discovered the first N440K variant and the new E484Q and L452R Indian variants isolated in France in a recent study. They presented the genetic mutations in the isolated genomes and the phylogenetic tree, including these strains among different SARS-CoV-2 clades. This work is posted on the bioRxiv preprint server.

18 May 2021

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine elicits six-month antibody responses to variants

Researchers in the United States have demonstrated the long-term durability of the antibody responses elicited by Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp2 structure revealed by cryo-EM and AI

Researchers in the United States analyzed the non-structural protein 2 (Nsp2) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in order to better understand its function and to guide future drug discovery. The research paper is currently available on bioRxiv* preprint server.

16 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled the double mutant B.1.617 variant — first discovered in India —a variant of concern for its high transmission rate and ability to evade immune responses. New research posted to the preprint server bioRxiv finds B.1.617 can modestly reduce neutralizing antibody responses generated from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

16 May 2021

A magnetofluidic platform for SARS-CoV-2 variant and respiratory pathogen detection

Recent research published on the medRxiv* server has developed a portable, magnetofluidic cartridge platform, for automated PCR testing in <30 min, for rapid multiplexed screening of pathogens. A multidisciplinary team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine developed these cartridges for multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 with distinctive variant mutations or with Influenza A and B.

13 May 2021

Immunity developed by SARS-CoV-2 infection can protect against E484K variants, suggests study

A team of scientists from Japan has recently investigated the neutralizing potency of convalescent sera against currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants with multiple spike mutations.

13 May 2021

Researchers identify six “words” used by specific immune cells to call up immune defense genes

UCLA life scientists have identified six "words" that specific immune cells use to call up immune defense genes -- an important step toward understanding the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats.

13 May 2021

Study describes differences between mutation profile of acral nevi and acral melanoma

Melanocytic nevi, or moles, are nonmalignant growths that arise from pigment producing cells of the skin.

12 May 2021

Spread of minority SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City

Viruses mutate to survive. But not all mutations are beneficial to the virus. On the other hand, some mutations such as N501Y and E484K on the spike protein propelled specific severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants to ‘variant of concern’ status, due to their ability to increase transmission and weaken the response of neutralizing antibodies.

12 May 2021

Evolutionary-spreading model predicts another devastating COVID-19 peak around July 2021

The emergence of this variant highlighted the uneven pace of mutation and selection of variants. New bioinformatics tools are the need of the hour to clarify this and confirm a dynamic evolution by tracking the mutation rates of the spike protein. It generally takes 1 – 6 months for current variants causing COVID-19 case peaks and deaths to survive the pressure of selection.

11 May 2021

MIT researchers generate the complete gene annotation of SARS-CoV-2 genome

In early 2020, a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic began, scientists were able to sequence the full genome of the virus that causes the infection, SARS-CoV-2. While many of its genes were already known at that point, the full complement of protein-coding genes was unresolved.

11 May 2021

The travel-related origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 strain

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server describes a new variant B.1.620, which appeared in Lithuania, and is now prevalent in several countries in Europe, as well as in central Africa.

11 May 2021

New approach combines molecular and medical imaging data to diagnose cancer type

Despite our remarkable advances in medicine and healthcare, the cure to cancer continues to elude us. On the bright side, we have made considerable progress in detecting several cancers in earlier stages, allowing doctors to provide treatments that increase long-term survival.

11 May 2021

Lab reports 1st instance of SARS-CoV-2 variants affecting antigen test performance

Researchers from the US recently determined the sensitivity of the Quidel Sofia SARS Antigen FIA test (Sofia 2). They found a high viral load specimen that tested negative repeatedly while using this antigen test. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv.

10 May 2021

Mutation News and Research

Researchers find new clue to restore congenital hearing loss

Genetic mutation associated with autism can impair oxytocin-mediated social behavior

New mathematical model predicts how bacterial mutations influence the success of antibiotic treatments

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.420 and B.1.617.1 immune escape variants reported in France

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine elicits six-month antibody responses to variants

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp2 structure revealed by cryo-EM and AI

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

A magnetofluidic platform for SARS-CoV-2 variant and respiratory pathogen detection

Immunity developed by SARS-CoV-2 infection can protect against E484K variants, suggests study

Researchers identify six “words” used by specific immune cells to call up immune defense genes

Study describes differences between mutation profile of acral nevi and acral melanoma

Spread of minority SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City

Evolutionary-spreading model predicts another devastating COVID-19 peak around July 2021

MIT researchers generate the complete gene annotation of SARS-CoV-2 genome

The travel-related origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 strain

New approach combines molecular and medical imaging data to diagnose cancer type

Lab reports 1st instance of SARS-CoV-2 variants affecting antigen test performance

New technique can help to non-invasively assess progression of sickle cell retinopathy

Korea's first large-scale project reaches milestone of sequencing 10,000 whole genomes

CFTR modulator can be safe, well-tolerated for younger children with common form of cystic fibrosis

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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