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Chemical modification of RNA appears to play a critical role in inherited kidney disorder

A chemical modification of RNA that can be influenced by diet appears to play a key role in polycystic kidney disease, an inherited disorder that is the fourth leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S., UT Southwestern researchers report in a new study.

13 Apr 2021

A host of mutations could compromise COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapies

Researchers in the United States have identified 95 high-frequency mutations in the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that threaten to compromise the efficacy of current and future vaccines and antibody therapies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Apr 2021

Researchers find a way to fine-tune the molecular assembly line that creates antibiotics

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a way to fine-tune the molecular assembly line that creates antibiotics via engineered biosynthesis.

13 Apr 2021

Natural treatment based on flour made from mealworms can help prevent Type II diabetes mellitus

Scientists from the Bioreactors Research Group of the University of Granada have demonstrated that a natural treatment based on flour made from the insect Tenebrio molitor (more commonly known as the mealworm) can help prevent Type II diabetes mellitus.

13 Apr 2021

Researchers discover a new way to prevent brain nerve cells from deteriorating after injury

Violent blows or jolts to the head can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI), and there are currently about five million people in the U.S. living with some form of chronic impairment after suffering a TBI.

13 Apr 2021

New approach to scale up genome editing in tiny worms

Understanding the effects of specific mutations in gene regulatory regions - the sections of DNA and RNA that turn genes on and off - is important to unraveling how the genome works, as well as normal development and disease.

13 Apr 2021

Researchers develop broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 RBD-based vaccine

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint, the large team of researchers evaluated a SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor-binding domain ferritin nanoparticle protein vaccine (RFN) in a nonhuman primate challenge model. This study addresses the need for a next-generation, efficacious vaccine with an increased pan-SARS breadth of coverage.

13 Apr 2021

Researchers identify SARS-CoV-2 antiviral compounds using protein assay

During the process of SARS-CoV-2 infection, once the virus penetrates the host cell, two open reading frames, ORF1a and ORF1ab, are translated. ORF1ab is responsible for the production of 16 nonstructural proteins (nsp). Several viral proteases such as 3CLpro and PLpro (papain-like protease) produce 1-16 nsps. A new study has been published in bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with identifying drugs that are effective as PLpro inhibitors.

13 Apr 2021

ACE2 homology in laboratory and wild animals

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server describes the conservation of an important receptor gene for the virus among several animal species that live in close contact or proximity to humans.

13 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

Early cardiac events pose major and different risks in close relatives, finds study

Family history of early cardiac events in first degree relatives such as a parent or sibling is a major risk factor, especially for premature events. Currently, data on risks in close relatives of patients with a family history of premature heart attacks, chronic stable angina or peripheral vascular disease are sparse.

12 Apr 2021

Broadly cross-reactive antibody to SARS-CoV-2 RBD with robust resistance to mutational escape

A new study addresses an urgent need – namely, a therapeutic antibody directed specifically against a key SARS-CoV-2 antigen which is highly conserved among similar viruses, and is not easily bypassed by viral escape mutations.

12 Apr 2021

Small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 identified by screening

A new study describes the identification of small molecule inhibitors that block the catalytic activity of the crucial viral non-structural protein 5 (nsp5), using a large-scale screening method.

12 Apr 2021

P681 mutation has little impact on transmissibility in the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, finds study

A new preprint, recently released on the bioRxiv* server, explores the impact of a single mutation, the P681H mutation, on the transmissibility of the virus.

12 Apr 2021

Researchers provide ultrastructural details of SARS-CoV-2-infected respiratory epithelial cells

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom recently investigated the ultrastructural details of the attachment, entry, and budding processes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the human airway epithelium. They have used a highly differentiated air-liquid interface cultures of airway epithelium to thoroughly investigate the viral infection cycle. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

12 Apr 2021

Researchers explore an inhalable SARS-CoV-2 nanobody therapy

Even as vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed and administered at an unprecedented pace, treating this infection remains a challenge. To address this, researchers from China have used nanobodies (Nb) as a possible therapeutic approach. They reported Nb phage display libraries derived from four camels immunized with the SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD.

12 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization

Researchers at the Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, USA, showed that the SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization.

12 Apr 2021

Could N protein-based COVID-19 vaccines hinder SARS-CoV-2's NK cell inhibition?

Upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, what are the changes occurring on the surface of the host cell? To address this, and a team of researchers undertook a study exploring the natural killer (NK) cells and their role during a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

12 Apr 2021

Screening for SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 inhibitors

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Diffley et al. (April 8th, 2021), inhibitors of one essential SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein are explored, with four compounds, in particular, identified as potential antiviral leads that exhibit synergistic effects with antiviral drug remdesivir.

12 Apr 2021

The role and ancestry of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycan shield

In a research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Harbison et al. (April 1st 2021) a set of multi-microsecond long molecular dynamics simulations study the effects of altering glycosylation at sites N234, N165, N343, and the newly identified ancestral site N370, uncovering the influence of these sites on infectivity.

12 Apr 2021

Enzyme News and Research

Chemical modification of RNA appears to play a critical role in inherited kidney disorder

A host of mutations could compromise COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapies

Researchers find a way to fine-tune the molecular assembly line that creates antibiotics

Natural treatment based on flour made from mealworms can help prevent Type II diabetes mellitus

Researchers discover a new way to prevent brain nerve cells from deteriorating after injury

New approach to scale up genome editing in tiny worms

Researchers develop broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 RBD-based vaccine

Researchers identify SARS-CoV-2 antiviral compounds using protein assay

ACE2 homology in laboratory and wild animals

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

Early cardiac events pose major and different risks in close relatives, finds study

Broadly cross-reactive antibody to SARS-CoV-2 RBD with robust resistance to mutational escape

Small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 identified by screening

P681 mutation has little impact on transmissibility in the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, finds study

Researchers provide ultrastructural details of SARS-CoV-2-infected respiratory epithelial cells

Researchers explore an inhalable SARS-CoV-2 nanobody therapy

SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization

Could N protein-based COVID-19 vaccines hinder SARS-CoV-2's NK cell inhibition?

Screening for SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 inhibitors

The role and ancestry of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycan shield

Biochemical Assays for Efficient Hit Prioritization After Screening eBook

Latest eBooks

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (3rd edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Microbiome (1st edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition)

Advancing degrader and proximity-based drug development

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo