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Researchers identify anti-inflammatory prodrug Minnelide with potential against SARS-CoV-2

Using a transgenic mouse model of COVID-19, they have observed that treatment with Minnelide reduces viral load and inflammation in the lungs and improves survival. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

9 May 2021

Researchers develop a multivalent vaccine for COVID-19 and influenza

Researchers at Duke University, USA, are looking into the possibility of a combined influenza and COVID-19 vaccine that could be used to simultaneously protect against annual flu strains and the SARS-CoV-2. Preclinical results showed the vaccine protected mice from both SARS-CoV-2 and the flu.

6 May 2021

Pan-COVID-19 vaccine protects mice against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States have identified short peptide sequences in the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that are immunogenic in a mouse model and may provide protection against viral variants.

5 May 2021

Researchers use gene therapy to prevent learning, memory loss in Alzheimer's mouse model

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, have used gene therapy to prevent learning and memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a key step toward eventually testing the approach in humans with the neurodegenerative disease.

5 May 2021

Vaccine candidate targeting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein elicits protective immune response in animal model

New preclinical results from a study led by David Masopust of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA, show that a Had5-based vaccine targeting the nucleocapsid protein can also elicit a protective immune response.

3 May 2021

Live "attenuated" influenza virus vaccine protects animals against respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States and Austria have demonstrated the potential of a modified influenza virus as a vaccine to protect against viral respiratory pathogens, including the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

2 May 2021

Potent monoclonal antibody shows promise against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

In a new study currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a group of US-based researchers developed a panel of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 that can block viral attachment to cells – and pinpointed a specific one that can potently neutralize all tested variants of concern.

28 Apr 2021

Neural implant can help monitor activity in multiple brain regions at the same time

How do different parts of the brain communicate with each other during learning and memory formation? A new study by researchers at the University of California San Diego takes a first step at answering this fundamental neuroscience question.

27 Apr 2021

Researchers discover elusive cell type in fish sensory organs

One of the evolutionary disadvantages for mammals, relative to other vertebrates like fish and chickens, is the inability to regenerate sensory hair cells.

26 Apr 2021

Characterization of lab-produced neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2

A new study led by Hans-Martin Jäck of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany engineered clusters of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies using a transgenic mouse model. A unique characteristic for the antibodies was the different ways it bound to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the overall reduction in the viral spread for human ACE2.

21 Apr 2021

Study identifies how SARS-CoV-2 enters and infects the brain

A recent preclinical study led by Anja Kipar of the University of Zurich and the University of Liverpool found evidence of the virus infecting and eventually provoking cell death in microglia and immune cells — but not neurons. The viral-induced apoptosis in these brain cells may explain why some long-haulers experience ‘brain fog’ months after recovery.

21 Apr 2021

Could Zebrafish larvae be a novel animal model for SARS-CoV-2?

Researchers based in Paris, France, have explored the potential use of zebrafish larvae as animal models for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These larvae are small and cheap, so could prove a suitable medium for rapid mass testing of the disease.

13 Apr 2021

New mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows promise in vivo

Researchers report that a new lipid nanoparticle mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine candidate protected 70% of mice expressing the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), while all the non-vaccinated mice died.

31 Mar 2021

Developing orally administrable drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in China have reported the successful design and synthesis of two antiviral compounds that target the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)’s main protease, essential in virus replication.

29 Mar 2021

Potent nanobody binds SARS-CoV-2 spike in an extraordinary manner

In a new study, published recently on the bioRxiv preprint server, researchers isolated a nanobody that potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2, including the B.1.351 variant, and cross-neutralizes SARS-CoV. They demonstrated the therapeutic potential of the nanobody in a human ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme) transgenic mouse model.

24 Mar 2021