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Premature relaxation of restrictions following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could lead to new mutations

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server addresses the need to assess this risk by examining whether SARS-CoV-2 transmission can interact with vaccination rates to select vaccine-resistant strains. The study aims to provide data to shape effective countermeasures against the threat of viral resistance.

14 Feb 2021

Study identifies a new factor that increases risk of Alzheimer's disease

People who have a gene variant associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease also tend to have changes in the fluid around their brain and spinal cord that are detectable years before symptoms arise, according to new research from Duke Health.

12 Feb 2021

Molecular surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutations using CovRadar

In a recent bioRxiv preprint research paper, scientists from Germany discuss how they made sequence information more easily accessible for epidemiologists and virologists.

7 Feb 2021

New study reviews effect of coffee on people's sleep and wake cycles

The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) published a new report today, titled 'Coffee and sleep in everyday lives', authored by Professor Renata Riha, from the Department of Sleep Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.

4 Feb 2021

Researchers release first Japanese reference genome

The Japanese now have their own reference genome thanks to researchers at Tohoku University who completed and released the first Japanese reference genome (JG1).

29 Jan 2021

Innovative breakthrough promises to diagnose DNA rearrangement mutations

Doctors are increasingly using genetic signatures to diagnose diseases and determine the best course of care, but using DNA sequencing and other techniques to detect genomic rearrangements remains costly or limited in capabilities.

28 Jan 2021

Consuming caffeinated coffee can temporarily mitigate repercussions of reduced sleep

A new study exploring the impact of repeated sleep loss during a simulated working week has found that consuming caffeinated coffee during the day helps to minimize reductions in attention and cognitive function, compared to decaffeinated coffee.

22 Jan 2021

Mitochondrial mutation linked to elevated diabetes risk in Japanese men

A new study of Type 2 diabetes in Japanese populations has uncovered a previously uncharacterized genetic variant that puts male carriers at greater risk for the disease, as well as the mechanism by which it does so.

21 Jan 2021

Gene editing shows potential to correct mutations causing inherited retinal degeneration

Gene editing therapies, including CRISPR-Cas systems, offer the potential to correct mutations causing inherited retinal degenerations, a leading cause of blindness.

20 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutations may evade T cell immunity

A potentially disturbing new study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may be undergoing strategic mutations that affect the host immune capacity to recognize and combat the pathogen via T effector cells.

23 Dec 2020

Neanderthal gene variant increases risk of severe COVID-19

Researchers in Germany have conducted a study showing that between 2 and 8% of people in Eurasia carry a genetic variant inherited from Neanderthals that significantly increases the risk of becoming critically ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Dec 2020

Emergence of resistant SARS-CoV-2 variant in immunocompromised patient following therapeutic antibody use

The focus is increasingly moving towards vaccine roll-out as the world faces the real possibility of the second year of social and economic restrictions.

14 Dec 2020

Epitope “megapools” could help determine role T cell immunity plays in COVID-19

Researchers in the United States and Australia have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the epitope recognition patterns associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in humans.

14 Dec 2020

RNA editing within host linked to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, has undergone several mutations.

14 Dec 2020

Guidelines for accurate amplicon-based sequencing of SARS-CoV-2

A new study describes much-needed guidelines for reliable viral sequencing, validated in a large group of clinical samples.

3 Dec 2020

Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 mutations do not significantly increase transmissibility, says study

A team of researchers at the Genetics Institute, University College London, tested whether any homoplasies observed in SARS-Cov-2 to date are significantly linked to increased viral transmission.

26 Nov 2020

COVID-19: HLA class I genotypes and mortality

The study, published on the preprint server medRxiv, explores the ability of HLA class I molecules to mediate the outcome in COVID-19 patients.

24 Nov 2020

Anxiety may help to progress Alzheimer’s disease

The results of a new study reveal the link between increased levels of anxiety and an elevated rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease.

23 Nov 2020

Severe COVID-19 linked to age, body mass index and ABO blood group

With the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting over 50 million people worldwide with hundreds of thousands experiencing severe respiratory illness, researchers have been trying to find the factors associated with severe disease. From the start of the pandemic in March this year, several studies have indicated heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. could be linked to severe disease. Now German researchers have published a study on the association between severe respiratory infection caused by SARS CoV-2 and factors such as age, body mass index (BMI) and ABO blood group.

10 Nov 2020