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Researcher uses alternative approach to find genetic drivers of rare eye disease

An analysis of thousands of genomes from people with and without the rare eye disease known as MacTel has turned up more than a dozen gene variants that are likely causing the condition to develop and worsen for a significant share of patients.

23 Mar 2021

A new COVID-19 candidate vaccine induces robust humoral and cellular immune responses in mice

A Korea-based company EyeGene Inc. has recently developed a liposome-based mRNA candidate vaccine against COVID-19, which contains full-length spike protein of the European variant (D614G) of SARS-CoV-2 as a vaccine antigen.

23 Mar 2021

Dandelion extract inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

An exciting new study describes a specific inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 found in an extract of the common dandelion that could provide a new and fruitful avenue of drug research.

23 Mar 2021

Ai helps identify critical interactions for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding to ACE2

Recently, researchers from the US employed multiple-µs molecular dynamic simulations to compare the relative dynamics, stabilities, and energy differences between the SARS-CoV receptor-binding domain (RBD)-ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 RBD-ACE2 complexes. The study is published on the preprint server, bioRxiv.

23 Mar 2021

Simple SARS-CoV-2 mutations allow escape from the majority of polyclonal antibodies

The group identified a single class of antibodies that target a particular epitope on the RBD of SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that the human polyclonal response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is dominated by a worryingly narrow range of antibodies that target an epitope undergoing rapid mutation.

22 Mar 2021

Study uncovers mechanism that causes genetic movement disorder

A research team at the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC) has identified the mechanism that causes movement disorders in patients with mutations in the NUS1 gene.

22 Mar 2021

A green tea compound shows anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties in vitro

Researchers show the antiviral potential of a green tea compound against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

22 Mar 2021

Could nanoparticle vaccines offer broad protection against sarbecoviruses?

To understand the ability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited antibodies to neutralize and protect against emerging variants (that are pathogenic) and other sarbecoviruses, a large team of researchers studied immunity by receptor-binding domain nanoparticle vaccines. They showed that a clinical-stage multivalent SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain nanoparticle vaccine (SARS-CoV-2 RBD-NP) protected mice from the SARS-CoV-2-induced disease.

22 Mar 2021

Circular RNA vaccine shows neutralizing activity against B.1.351 variant

New preclinical research led by Wensheng Wei from Peking University in China has proposed the development of a circular RNA vaccine. Their findings showed the circular RNA vaccine creates neutralizing antibodies and strong T-cell responses against the receptor-binding domain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein.

21 Mar 2021

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 offers less protection against South African SARS-CoV-2 variant

The results of a double-blind, randomized, multisite placebo-controlled trial that was conducted in South Africa show that Oxford’s ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine has no efficacy against the B.1.351 variant in preventing mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and shows reduced neutralization properties of developed antibodies. The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Mar 2021

Underrepresentation in genomic databases may affect therapy selection for minority patients

Low representation of minority groups in public genomic databases may affect therapy selection for Black patients with cancer, according to new Mayo Clinic research published in npj Precision Oncology.

19 Mar 2021

New variant may not have changed COVID-19 pandemic course in UK, says study

A new study examines the effect of the new "Kent variant" of SARS-CoV-2 on the epidemic course within the UK.

19 Mar 2021

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 spread in Wuhan before the lockdown

Using molecular dating tools and epidemiological simulations, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues at the University of Arizona and Illumina, Inc., estimate that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was likely circulating undetected for at most two months before the first human cases of COVID-19 were described in Wuhan, China in late-December 2019.

19 Mar 2021

New drug regimen is safe and effective in children with cystic fibrosis

An international, open-label Phase 3 study, co-led by Susanna McColley, MD, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, found that a regimen of three drugs (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) that targets the genetic cause of cystic fibrosis was safe and effective in 6-11-year-olds with at least one copy of F508del mutation in the CFTR gene, which is estimated to represent almost 90 percent of the cystic fibrosis population in the United States.

19 Mar 2021

Scientists use clinical data to study the molecular groups of atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is a rare brain tumor that predominantly occurs in young children. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital used data from two clinical trials to study the molecular groups of ATRT and correlate them with clinical outcomes.

19 Mar 2021

Chemical cocktail shows promise for producing muscle stem cells

A UCLA-led research team has identified a chemical cocktail that enables the production of large numbers of muscle stem cells, which can self-renew and give rise to all types of skeletal muscle cells.

19 Mar 2021

Study investigates how genetic variants contribute to increased risk of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for both men and women. While risk for this disease can be influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors like smoking, studies estimate that 18% of lung cancer cases are due to inherited genetic variants.

18 Mar 2021

Scientists explore structure of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain with G485R mutation

Researchers at the Bio21 Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, studied the structure of a SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) with a G485R mutation. This mutation is a residue and not directly involved in interactions with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) residues but found in the Β1´/Β2' loop region.

18 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants with E484K mutation show mRNA vaccine-induced antibody evasion

A recent study found that the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine had limited efficacy in identifying mutated receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein similar to the B.1.351 and P.1 variants.

18 Mar 2021

How resistant is the SARS-CoV-2 Brazilian variant to antibodies?

Researchers based at the University of Oxford, UK, have shown that the P.1 Brazilian variant of SARS-CoV-2 is less resistant to natural or vaccine acquired antibody responses than the B.1.351, South African, variant, despite sharing convergent mutations.

18 Mar 2021

Mutation News and Research

Researcher uses alternative approach to find genetic drivers of rare eye disease

A new COVID-19 candidate vaccine induces robust humoral and cellular immune responses in mice

Dandelion extract inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Ai helps identify critical interactions for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding to ACE2

Simple SARS-CoV-2 mutations allow escape from the majority of polyclonal antibodies

Study uncovers mechanism that causes genetic movement disorder

A green tea compound shows anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties in vitro

Could nanoparticle vaccines offer broad protection against sarbecoviruses?

Circular RNA vaccine shows neutralizing activity against B.1.351 variant

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 offers less protection against South African SARS-CoV-2 variant

Underrepresentation in genomic databases may affect therapy selection for minority patients

New variant may not have changed COVID-19 pandemic course in UK, says study

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 spread in Wuhan before the lockdown

New drug regimen is safe and effective in children with cystic fibrosis

Scientists use clinical data to study the molecular groups of atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor

Chemical cocktail shows promise for producing muscle stem cells

Study investigates how genetic variants contribute to increased risk of lung cancer

Scientists explore structure of SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain with G485R mutation

SARS-CoV-2 variants with E484K mutation show mRNA vaccine-induced antibody evasion

How resistant is the SARS-CoV-2 Brazilian variant to antibodies?

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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