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New Astra-Zeneca B.1.351 vaccine AZD2816 strongly immunogenic against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, supports the efficacy of the wildtype ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine against B.1.351, B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2, while showing that a booster dose of vaccine based on the B.1.351 spike induces further increase in antibody titers.

11 Jun 2021

Shark vNAR antibodies inhibit SARS-CoV-2 variants in vitro

Researchers in the UK and Austria have identified a novel class of antibodies that is highly effective at neutralizing the original strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) and maintaining blocking activity against certain viral variants that have emerged.

10 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 enzyme inhibitors among drugs screened for repurposing

A new bioRxiv* preprint describes the identification of some promising pharmaceutical compounds that could be developed as antiviral drugs against COVID-19.

9 Jun 2021

NIH researchers identify novel small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, has recently identified six novel small molecule inhibitors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

8 Jun 2021

Could COVID-19 vaccinations or prior infections protect against other coronaviruses?

A new study provides encouraging proof of the feasibility of this project, showing that both natural infection with and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 are associated with an increase in cross-reactive antibodies against other CoVs.

7 Jun 2021

Comparison of immunological profiles of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Mutations to the spike protein and receptor-binding domain are responsible for these changes in immunogenic profile, and in a paper recently uploaded to the open access journal Antibiotics by Ambrose et al. (May 6th, 2021) these mutations are correlated with various disease parameters by in silico methods, finding that particular features are responsible for the increased infectiousness and lesser disease severity observed in these lineages.

6 Jun 2021

Two repurposed drugs inhibit SARS-CoV-2 entry factors in a synergistic manner

A preprint paper uploaded to the bioRxiv* server shows how combining drugs targeting different entry factors of the host cell may prevent infection by the virus.

3 Jun 2021

Researchers find natural metabolites help SARS-CoV-2 escape antibodies

An international team of scientists has identified a human molecule — biliverdin — as a potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) target. The binding of the heme metabolite to the N-terminal domain of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with the virus’s ability to dodge the immune system by suppressing antibody binding to the spike protein.

2 Jun 2021

Researchers repurpose pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV antibody to develop potent neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2

A team of scientists from the United States has recently engineered a pre-existing anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) neutralizing antibody to increase its binding affinity for the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The engineered antibody demonstrates high potency in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 and preventing infection in animals.

31 May 2021

Corilagin: could a plant compound used in Chinese herbal medicine help prevent COVID-19?

The study, published in the journal Phytomedicine, characterized an active compound, corilagin (a derivative from Phyllanthus urinaria), as potential SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors for its preventive application in daily antiviral hygiene products.

31 May 2021

Discovery of novel SARS-related coronaviruses in bats

In a recent study published on the bioRxiv* server, Peng Zhou, Zheng-Li Shi and colleagues at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, with collaboration from scientists at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in China, have identified a new lineage of SARS-related coronaviruses that utilize bat angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors for cell entry, which is the same receptor used by SARS-CoV-2 to infect host cells.

25 May 2021

Novel natural compounds may help treat COVID-19, study suggests

A new study in the journal Chemistry Europe reports two natural compounds identified by virtual screening and computational modeling as having great promise for the development of drugs against SARS-CoV-2.

24 May 2021

Computationally designed peptide blocks the entry of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV

In order to develop effective antiviral drugs, scientists design active molecules based on their structures that can prevent or disrupt the specific viral-receptor binding - this is an effective strategy to prevent the virus from entering the host.

23 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants exhibit enhanced affinity towards the ACE2 receptor

In a short correspondence paper recently uploaded to the Lancet by Ramanathan, Muthukumar et al. (May 19th, 2021) the affinity of labeled SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain proteins sourced from each of these two variants of concern towards human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) recombinant proteins is investigated using microscale thermophoresis, confirming the enhanced affinity towards the receptor observed in other studies.

22 May 2021

How do common mutations in SARS-CoV-2’s spike affect its binding affinity with host cell receptors?

Antibodies produced during a previous case of COVID-19 or vaccine-induced immunity are targeted towards S protein, where the neutralizing antibodies attach to the Spike RBD domain. Some of the variants have mutations in their RBD domain, causing resistance to the neutralizing antibodies. However, the effect of these mutations on the affinity and kinetics of the binding of Spike RBD to ACE2 is not clear. A new study has been published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with the study of affinity and kinetic analysis of the interface between Spike RBD and ACE2 at physiological temperatures.

21 May 2021

Could graphene oxide nanosheets be an effective SARS-CoV-2 antiviral in PPE?

A new study has been published in Small, which has combined in silico and in vitro analysis to examine if graphene oxide (GO) sheets have an inhibitory effect against SARS‐CoV‐2 surface proteins.

20 May 2021

Virtual analysis identifies a potential natural inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp15

A new paper reports the discovery of promising antiviral hit compounds through the use of computational modeling studies on natural compounds.

19 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.420 and B.1.617.1 immune escape variants reported in France

Researchers discovered the first N440K variant and the new E484Q and L452R Indian variants isolated in France in a recent study. They presented the genetic mutations in the isolated genomes and the phylogenetic tree, including these strains among different SARS-CoV-2 clades. This work is posted on the bioRxiv preprint server.

18 May 2021

Milder COVID-19 in children may be due to higher memory B cells responses to SARS-CoV-2

A new research paper published in the journal Science explores the differences in coronavirus-specific B memory cell repertoires in children versus adults, as well as the functional importance of this discovery.