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Therapeutic potential of clinical-grade ACE2 for blocking SARS-CoV-2 variants

According to new research by an international team of scientists, all SARS-CoV-2 variants, including variants of concern (VOC) Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, exhibit enhanced affinity toward recombinant human soluble ACE2.

16 Sep 2021

This 3D modeling reveals how SARS-CoV-2 attacks

Now, researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst in Australia, CSIRO Data61, and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (UNSW) demonstrated the most comprehensive analysis of the three-dimensional structure of SARS-CoV-2, providing a new insight into how the virus infects cells and replicates.

16 Sep 2021

New study reveals chemical steps in an important cellular modification process

The chemical steps in an important cellular modification process that adds a chemical tag to some RNAs have been revealed in a new study. Interfering with this process in humans can lead to neuronal diseases, diabetes, and cancers.

16 Sep 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine proves effective against recent SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States and Germany have conducted a study showing that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine designed to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is effective against recently emerged variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2).

16 Sep 2021

Flavonoids can potentially help prevent COVID-19-induced diarrhea, study finds

A recent study published in Tropical Biomedicine determines whether flavonoids can help prevent diarrhea caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

15 Sep 2021

COVID mRNA vaccines display weakened immune response with age and diminish over time, according to new study

Researchers from Simon Fraser University in Canada decided to investigate the magnitude of immunity in mRNA vaccines for COVID-19.

15 Sep 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants show substantial differences in spike structure

To investigate the impact of these mutations, researchers performed cryo-electron microscopy analysis on the variants spike proteins to determine any structural changes.

15 Sep 2021

A sweet pill to swallow: oral nucleoside analog of Remdesivir improved SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in mice

A new study focused on in vitro antiviral activity in various cell models and in vivo therapeutic efficacy of oral GS-621763 in a mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis.

15 Sep 2021

Deep profiling of SARS-CoV-2 immune response amongst the mildly symptomatic

In a research paper recently uploaded to the medRxiv* preprint server by Capelle et al. (September 2nd, 2021), the immune response of mild and hospitalized COVID-19 patients is compared, finding that early T-cell response is a vital indicator of SARS-CoV-2 disease severity.

15 Sep 2021

Quantification of salivary IgG and IgA against SARS-CoV-2

Salivary antibody levels are many fold lower than found in blood serum, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the saliva is mainly sourced from leakage from the gingival surface and Immunoglobulin A (IgA) from mucosal membranes.

15 Sep 2021

Blood serum test can identify which breast cancer patients have slow-growing disease

Researchers with the SWOG Cancer Research Network have found that patients with metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who have low activity levels of the enzyme sTK1 in their blood serum at the start of anti-estrogen treatment live longer and go longer without their disease progressing than patients with high levels.

14 Sep 2021

Study identifies broadly neutralizing antibody panel against SARS-like viruses

A recent study describes 40 broadly neutralizing antibodies from two individuals with a history of COVID-19 who were recently immunized against the virus.

13 Sep 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 mechanism of host gene suppression

A new study finds that the viral non-coding RNA dubbed vmiR-5p, derived from the viral gene ORF7a, appears to reduce host transcription.

13 Sep 2021

Urban and deprived individuals are disproportionately afflicted by COVID-19

In a recent study, scientists at the University of Oxford investigate the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection in various populations.

13 Sep 2021

Research suggests current smokers not at excess risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Now, a new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server investigates this relationship further and suggests that current smoking is not associated with a higher incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

13 Sep 2021

Acid pH enhances SARS-CoV-2 infection by up-regulating ACE2 receptor

A new study published in the journal Frontiers of Medicine indicated that Barrett's esophagus (BE) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may represent novel comorbidities associated with SARS-CoV-2 disease. A previous study had estimated that in the United States, 5.6% of adults have BE, a disease where esophageal squamous mucosa gets damaged by GERD.

12 Sep 2021

Scientists develop a novel and potent SARS-CoV-2 RBD-homodimer vaccine

A recent report published in the journal Cell Discovery has described the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) subunit vaccine candidate. The vaccine induces robust immune responses in rodents and non-human primates and protects the animals against severe disease.

12 Sep 2021