Cytotoxicity News and Research

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Balanced B and T cell response required to control SARS-CoV-2

A new study by researchers in the Netherlands and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 describes the differences in T and B cell responses seen in patients with severe COVID-19.

21 Jun 2020

Nanofiber face masks maintain filtration efficiency after washing

With the global spread of coronavirus infections, personal protective equipments especially hygeine face masks are receiving much attention. Masks are essential items for the primary protection of the respiratory tract from viruses and bacteria that are transmitted through the air as droplets.

17 Jun 2020

Low potassium levels in COVID-19 disease

Now a new study by an Italian team of researchers published in June 2020 on the preprint server medRxiv reports that potassium levels are often low in COVID-19 disease, mostly due to the urinary loss of potassium.

17 Jun 2020

Researchers call for caution of using CAR-T immunotherapy against AML

Acute myeloid leukemia is a hematological malignancy which incidence increases with age, that is biologically, phenotypically, and genetically very heterogeneous.

17 Jun 2020

Exposure to certain e-cig cartridges may cause fatal lung damage

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York, have shown that long-term exposure to certain electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) may cause lung toxicity and injury among vapers.

16 Jun 2020

Antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) suppresses replication of SARS-CoV-2

A study conducted by researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg has shown that the antidepressant agent fluoxetine may be an effective drug for the early treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among at-risk groups.

16 Jun 2020

Rice lab's fluorescent tag project reveals new method to kill tumors

A Rice University lab's project to make better fluorescent tags has turned into a method to kill tumors. Switching one atom in the tag does the trick.

11 Jun 2020

Unique antiviral action of cholesterol 25-hydroxylase against SARS-CoV-2

A new study by U.S. and Chinese researchers, currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, demonstrates how cholesterol 25-hydroxylase and its enzymatic product 25-hydroxycholesterol can inhibit membrane fus

10 Jun 2020

Anti-RBD antibodies shown to neutralize active SARS-CoV-2

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 reports the discovery of multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in samples from healthy donors, collected before the pandemic. These antibodies are capable of inhibiting the binding of the spike protein of the virus to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) molecule and can neutralize active infection of cells in culture.

9 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 can adversely affect cardiac cells and heart function

A research group from Germany demonstrated a direct toxic effect of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on cardiac cells in their paper published on the bioRxiv* preprint server. The finding warrants an in-depth analysis of cardiac tissue in certain coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, as well as close monitoring for any direct cardiomyocyte injury.

2 Jun 2020

Comprehensive review of clioquinol drug gives valuable insights

CQ is an old drug that was commonly used to treat fungal/protozoal infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients in Japan taking it developed subacute myelo-optic neuropathy which resulted in CQ being discontinued for oral use. Recently, extensive research has been done in regards to CQ's use for cancer treatment.

21 May 2020

Continuously active antiviral coating may reduce the spread of COVID-19

Surfaces coated with a quaternary ammonium polymer have remarkable antiviral properties. They may even be capable of reducing the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in areas with high risk for contamination, such as indoor environments or public places. University of Arizona researchers explain the antiviral potential of these in a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv.

14 May 2020

Scientists discover a new way for T cells to attack diseased cells

Scientists at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences have discovered a new way for T cells to attack cells infected by viruses or deranged by cancer.

12 May 2020

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

Cat coronavirus drug shows promise for treatment of COVID-19

“They are strong drug candidates for the treatment of human coronavirus infections because they have already been successful in animals (cats),” writes the team. “The work here lays the framework for their use in human trials for the treatment of COVID-19.”

5 May 2020

Wyss Institute and Cytosurge collaborate to improve CRISPR multiplexing

Today, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Cytosurge AG, a company manufacturing unique high-precision nanotechnology instruments, announced that they will collaboratively investigate CRISPR-based approaches to more effectively introduce multiple edits into the genome of single cells, while minimizing CRISPR-related toxicity.

4 May 2020

Kurome secures license to develop novel therapies for chemo-resistant cancer

Seed investor CincyTech announced the formation of Kurome Therapeutics ("Kurome"), a preclinical stage company developing novel therapies targeting cancer cells' adaptive resistance mechanisms beginning with hematopoietic, or blood cell, cancers.

29 Apr 2020

How toxic are chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to cells?

The spread of the pandemic disease COVID-19 caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now reached almost every country of the world, with over 3.11 million cases and over 217,000 deaths as of April 29, 2020.

29 Apr 2020

Study highlights triptolide as valuable therapeutic approach for IDH1-mutated glioma

Findings of a new study led by Prof. XU Guowang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. YANG Chunzhang from the National Cancer Institute shed light on the selective therapeutics for IDH1-mutated glioma by targeting glutathione synthesis pathway.

13 Apr 2020

Trial of cancer drug OxaliTex promises lower toxicity and more robust action

Preclinical trials indicate that a drug candidate called OxaliTex can stop the growth of cancer cells completely. OxaliTex appears to be more potent than many other common chemotherapy drugs, with less toxicity and less rapidly counteracted by mechanisms of drug resistance. The study was reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in March 2020.

16 Mar 2020