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A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

In a recent brief report published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Rockefeller University in New York described a case of two fully vaccinated individuals in whom they found subsequent breakthrough infections with variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), carrying a number of substitutions of interest.

25 Apr 2021

Study offers clues to clinical diagnosis of nephronophthisis in adults

Nephronophthisis (NPH) is a kidney disease affecting mainly children. Now, for the first time, researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University have studied a number of adults with NPH and highlighted clinical, genetic and pathological characteristics that could help in confirming this challenging diagnosis.

23 Apr 2021

Mutations in estrogen receptor gene associated with worse outcomes after breast cancer treatment

A small proportion of women who receive anti-estrogen treatment after breast cancer surgery have worse outcomes. This is associated with mutations in the estrogen receptor gene, according to a study from Lund University now published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum.

22 Apr 2021

B.1.1.7 variant 45% more infectious than wild-type SARS-CoV-2, but can be effectively contained by BNT162b2 vaccine

The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant, also called the UK variant, was identified in London as well as in Southeast and East of England in December 2020. Since its emergence, the UK variant has undergone several mutations that have been said to have altered its infectivity and transmissibility in the community. The B.1.1.7 variant is defined by 17 mutations, several of which are located in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that mediates viral attachment and entry into human cells.

21 Apr 2021

Novel approach to gene editing bypasses disease-causing mutations in a gene

A new approach to gene editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system bypasses disease-causing mutations in a gene, enabling treatment of genetic diseases linked to a single gene, such as cystic fibrosis, certain types of sickle cell anemia, and other rare diseases.

21 Apr 2021

What do we know about the origin and evolution of SARS-CoV-2?

A new study examines the origin and continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the human and animal co-hosts in an attempt to help prepare for future destructive outbreaks.

21 Apr 2021

Immune escape by SARS-CoV-2 mutations acquired in mink

A new study, published in Cell Reports, suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may have acquired such immune evasion mutations during its transmission in farmed mink.

21 Apr 2021

Researchers explore cost-effective identification method for novel SARS-CoV-2 variants

In a new study, a rapid and cost-effective method of detecting known variants of concern has been developed utilizing capillary electrophoresis, allowing local facilities to screen for and track SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and implement reactionary procedures.

21 Apr 2021

Can a single BNT162b2 vaccine dose confer protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants?

A team of researchers in Germany aimed to determine if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine mRNA vaccine (also known as the BNT162b2 vaccine) induces robust antibody responses against emergent SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the United Kingdom (or B1.1.7) variant; the South African (or B.1.351) variant; and the Brazilian (or P.1) variant.

21 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic underscores importance of understanding evolution of RNA genomes

The current COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), underscores the importance of understanding the evolution of ribonucleic acid (RNA) genomes.

21 Apr 2021

All-in-one test provides a promising solution for COVID-19 detection and mutational surveillance

A new type of COVID-19 testing strategy could help streamline the process of identifying cases, tracking variants and detecting co-infecting viruses.

20 Apr 2021

Chronic SARS-CoV-2 infections favor viral adaptation, says study

A new study offers a look at how to keep these hopes alive in the current context of highly infectious variants, which often display immune escape mutations.

20 Apr 2021

1 in 6 patients with colorectal cancer found to have inherited genetic mutations

A new Mayo Clinic study bolsters evidence that colorectal cancer is often imprinted in family genes and passed on from one generation to the next.

20 Apr 2021

Humoral immunity developed by DNA vaccine INO-4800 is effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of international scientists recently demonstrated that antibodies generated in response to the DNA vaccine INO-4800 can effectively neutralize some of the recently emerged variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), such as G614, 501Y.V1, and 501Y.V2.

20 Apr 2021

Scientists identify protein that operates closely with a genetic mutation to spur lung cancer growth

Scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center have identified a protein that operates in tandem with a specific genetic mutation to spur lung cancer growth and could serve as a therapeutic target to treat the disease.

19 Apr 2021

Study reveals why intellectual disability risk for younger siblings is low

Intellectual disability is most often caused by changes to the genome that take place in early fetal development and are not found in the parents’ DNA.

19 Apr 2021

Simple dietary supplement ameliorates schizophrenic traits in mice

A simple dietary supplement reduces behavioral symptoms in mice with a genetic mutation that causes schizophrenia.

19 Apr 2021

Researchers develop computational model to predict changes in SARS-CoV-2’s viral fitness

Two researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, Fabrizio Pucci and Marianne Rooman, recently built a simplified computational model, called SpikePro, to predict the SARS-CoV-2 fitness from the amino acid sequence and structure of the spike protein. This study focuses on the spike protein’s stability and the binding affinity to the host receptor.

19 Apr 2021

Antibodies may not inhibit SARS-COV-2 variants from mink

It has been known for about a year that minks can become infected with SARS-CoV-2. The virus had been transmitted from humans to farmed mink and mutated in infected animals.

19 Apr 2021

Supercomputer simulations illuminate the behavior of dominant G form of SARS-CoV-2

Large-scale supercomputer simulations at the atomic level show that the dominant G form variant of the COVID-19-causing virus is more infectious partly because of its greater ability to readily bind to its target host receptor in the body, compared to other variants.

17 Apr 2021

Mutation News and Research

A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

Study offers clues to clinical diagnosis of nephronophthisis in adults

Mutations in estrogen receptor gene associated with worse outcomes after breast cancer treatment

B.1.1.7 variant 45% more infectious than wild-type SARS-CoV-2, but can be effectively contained by BNT162b2 vaccine

Novel approach to gene editing bypasses disease-causing mutations in a gene

What do we know about the origin and evolution of SARS-CoV-2?

Immune escape by SARS-CoV-2 mutations acquired in mink

Researchers explore cost-effective identification method for novel SARS-CoV-2 variants

Can a single BNT162b2 vaccine dose confer protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants?

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic underscores importance of understanding evolution of RNA genomes

All-in-one test provides a promising solution for COVID-19 detection and mutational surveillance

Chronic SARS-CoV-2 infections favor viral adaptation, says study

1 in 6 patients with colorectal cancer found to have inherited genetic mutations

Humoral immunity developed by DNA vaccine INO-4800 is effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Scientists identify protein that operates closely with a genetic mutation to spur lung cancer growth

Study reveals why intellectual disability risk for younger siblings is low

Simple dietary supplement ameliorates schizophrenic traits in mice

Researchers develop computational model to predict changes in SARS-CoV-2’s viral fitness

Antibodies may not inhibit SARS-COV-2 variants from mink

Supercomputer simulations illuminate the behavior of dominant G form of SARS-CoV-2

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

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