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Study demonstrates dynamic and broad-scale immune alterations in COVID-19 patient

A new case report released on the preprint server medRxiv* provides a detailed longitudinal analysis of the immune response associated with a fatal case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It highlights the need for addressing the source of hyper inflammation in the treatment approach.

10 May 2020

Intervention strategy based on shield immunity could reduce risk of expanding economic activity

While attention remains focused on the number of COVID-19 deaths and new cases, a separate statistic - the number of recovered patients - may be equally important to the goal of minimizing the pandemic's infection rate as shelter-in-place orders are lifted.

8 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 found in semen of COVID-19 patients

Since the novel coronavirus, now called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in December 2019, viral loads have been detected in body fluids, such as urine samples, saliva, stool samples, and in the gastrointestinal tract. Now, a new study reveals the SARS-CoV-2 virus in semen.

7 May 2020

Spillover of more bat coronaviruses likely due to destruction of wildlife habitats

A new study available on the preprint server bioRxiv used phylogenetic analysis to demonstrate how certain groups of bats harbor multiple coronavirus lineages that are not readily transmitted across different bat taxa. However, the researchers caution that another novel human coronavirus outbreak originating from bats is imminent due to the destruction of wildlife habitats.

6 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 genome shows mutation hotspots and type-specific distribution

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv reports on a large scale analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes and reveals a clonal geo-distribution and rich genetic variations.

5 May 2020

Hydroxychloroquine shown to slow recovery for COVID-19 patients

As researchers try to piece together a therapeutic strategy against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a recent retrospective study from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, assessed the Hydroxychloroquine's efficacy in increasing SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance, finding that it appeared to significantly slow viral clearance in mild to moderately ill COVID-19 patients.

5 May 2020

Loss of smell may be related to neuroinvasive propensity of SARS-CoV-2

The novel coronavirus has rapidly infected millions over the world in over 187 countries and territories, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. One of the often-neglected and under-reported symptoms of the virus is the loss of the sense of smell or anosmia. Now, a new study out of Germany published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 provides a quantified estimate of the magnitude of anosmia as a symptom of the coronavirus.

4 May 2020

Uncovering immune cell reactions in COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 suggests that an overactive immune response is responsible for the more severe manifestations of the illness.

4 May 2020

Dead virus fragments are causing COVID-19 reinfection false positives

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has ravaged across the globe, infecting a staggering 3.5 million people, and taking over 251,000 lives. One of the most significant concerns in this global pandemic is the possibility of reinfection as previous reports in South Korea and Japan show people testing positive with the coronavirus again.

4 May 2020

Scientists develop a highly sensitive COVID-19 diagnostic platform

Cima Universidad de Navarra researchers have developed a large-scale, highly sensitive COVID-19 diagnostic platform more efficient than the commercial PCR test kits currently available.

4 May 2020

MU researcher finds four antiviral drugs effective in inhibiting novel coronavirus

Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri has found that four antiviral drugs, including remdesivir, a drug originally developed to treat Ebola, are effective in inhibiting the replication of the coronavirus causing COVID-19.

4 May 2020

Scientists develop CRISPR-based test for SARS-CoV-2

Now, a team of scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara has developed a low-cost, rapid, and high-tech test that can detect SARS-CoV-2 effectively. They have developed a CRISPR-based test that is sensitive and effective as traditional tests.

4 May 2020

Rapid affordable viral testing kits for low-resource settings

A new paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in April 2020 reports a low-cost, sensitive and rapid RT-PCR testing kit for the detection of COVID-19. If validated, this could provide an enormous boost to diagnostic testing in low-resource regions of the world.

4 May 2020

Hydroxychloroquine combined with azithromycin and abnormal heart rhythms in COVID-19 patients

A new study shows that the initially lauded combination of drugs against COVID-19 - Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine combined with azithromycin, could lead to abnormal and life-threatening heart rhythms. In patients hospitalized with the novel coronavirus infection or SARS CoV-2, this combination can lead to prolonged QT interval as can be detected on ECG.

3 May 2020

Real-time monitoring of biochemical processes on DNA using infrared spectroscopy

DNA damage in general and DNA strand breaks in particular occur every day in all cells of the human body.

3 May 2020

Testing sewage could be useful in monitoring COVID-19 circulation in the population

Researchers in Italy have demonstrated the potential value of sewage system monitoring for studying trends in the circulation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

30 Apr 2020

Remdesivir shows powerful activity against SARS-CoV-2 in Vitro

Remdesivir is an antiviral first developed by Gilead in 2014 as a treatment for Ebola and Marburg viruses. However, scientists explored its possibilities as a broad-spectrum drug when it proved effective against SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, coronaviruses which were responsible for earlier outbreaks.

30 Apr 2020

CZI commits $13.6 million for large-scale research collaboration on COVID-19

Today, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative committed $13.6 million to stand up a large-scale research collaboration between UC San Francisco, Stanford University, and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub that aims to better understand the spread of COVID-19 across the San Francisco Bay Area.

29 Apr 2020

Further evidence 'pooling of samples' for SARS-CoV-2 helps boost testing capacity

One of the problems faced by health officials today is the vast number of asymptomatic carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as they can still transmit the virus. Therefore the testing of as many people as possible is crucial for immediate isolation of cases to prevent the virus from spreading further.

29 Apr 2020

'Smart sample pooling' for COVID-19 could solve test kit shortage problem

A new study from Pakistan suggests 'smart sample pooling' using population grouping with algorithms as a solution to the unavailability of test kits for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes COVID-19 disease. The paper is published on the preprint server medRxiv on April 28, 2020.

29 Apr 2020

Polymerase News and Research

Study demonstrates dynamic and broad-scale immune alterations in COVID-19 patient

Intervention strategy based on shield immunity could reduce risk of expanding economic activity

SARS-CoV-2 found in semen of COVID-19 patients

Spillover of more bat coronaviruses likely due to destruction of wildlife habitats

SARS-CoV-2 genome shows mutation hotspots and type-specific distribution

Hydroxychloroquine shown to slow recovery for COVID-19 patients

Loss of smell may be related to neuroinvasive propensity of SARS-CoV-2

Uncovering immune cell reactions in COVID-19

Dead virus fragments are causing COVID-19 reinfection false positives

Scientists develop a highly sensitive COVID-19 diagnostic platform

MU researcher finds four antiviral drugs effective in inhibiting novel coronavirus

Scientists develop CRISPR-based test for SARS-CoV-2

Rapid affordable viral testing kits for low-resource settings

Hydroxychloroquine combined with azithromycin and abnormal heart rhythms in COVID-19 patients

Real-time monitoring of biochemical processes on DNA using infrared spectroscopy

Testing sewage could be useful in monitoring COVID-19 circulation in the population

Remdesivir shows powerful activity against SARS-CoV-2 in Vitro

CZI commits $13.6 million for large-scale research collaboration on COVID-19

Further evidence 'pooling of samples' for SARS-CoV-2 helps boost testing capacity

'Smart sample pooling' for COVID-19 could solve test kit shortage problem

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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