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Furin cleavage SARS-CoV-2 spike deletions mostly suppressed within infected airway epithelium, says study

A team of researchers recently examined the SARS-CoV-2 transcriptome and the dynamics of the S gene furin cleavage site in primary human airway epithelia.

8 Feb 2021

Bioengineered ankyrin compounds show high in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 mutants

A new study describes the use of DARPin (designed ankyrin repeat proteins) therapeutic agents, each of which contains three different DARPin domains within the same molecule.

8 Feb 2021

Could graphene be an effective antiviral platform against SARS-CoV-2?

The urgent need for novel therapeutics has spurred investigation into broad-spectrum inhibitors of viral infection and replication. A new study describes the antiviral activity of synthesized graphene platforms, pointing to new therapeutic approaches against this virus.

8 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations identified against monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal immune sera

A recent study describes the experimental selection of SARS-CoV-2 mutants associated with resistance to antibodies, with important implications for vaccine development and therapeutic antibody use.

8 Feb 2021

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Writing in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, Professor Dongki Yang, from the Department of Physiology, Gachon University, South Korea, has reviewed the available knowledge on the coronaviruses, current approaches to tackle the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the innovative application of nanotechnology in the COVID-19 pandemic.

8 Feb 2021

Subdominant SARS-CoV-2 epitopes key to understanding emerging variants

Researchers in the UK have conducted a study showing the importance of considering subdominant epitopes within severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) when investigating neutralizing antibodies that target the virus.

7 Feb 2021

Discovery of ‘Achilles heel’ in gut bacteria may lead to targeted therapies for Crohn’s disease

The discovery of an "Achilles heel" in a type of gut bacteria that causes intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease may lead to more targeted therapies for the difficult to treat disease, according to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.

6 Feb 2021

How does SARS-CoV-2 infect the pancreas?

To understand how SARS-CoV-2 infects the pancreas and investigate its effects, a team of researchers used the human iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells)-derived pancreatic cultures and analyzed the post-infection cellular and molecular changes.

5 Feb 2021

New method can help evaluate potential sight-preserving properties

Scientists like the John A. Moran Eye Center's Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD, know a special class of lipids, or fatty acids, found in the retina of the eye and in just a few other parts of the body play an important role in maintaining vision.

5 Feb 2021

GLS1 inhibitor selectively eliminates senescent cells, ameliorates age-associated disorders

Senescent cells accumulate in organs during aging, promote tissue dysfunction, and cause numerous aging-related diseases like cancer. The cells arise through a process called "cellular senescence," a permanent cell cycle arrest resulting from multiple stresses.

5 Feb 2021

New diagnostic imaging tool measures naturally occurring enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract

A healthy person has a general balance of good and bad bacteria. But that balance is thrown off when someone gets sick.

5 Feb 2021

Alpaca nanobodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server reports the development of highly effective neutralizing nanobodies targeting the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD), thus disrupting its engagement with the host cell angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor.

4 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 N501Y mutation adversely affects cellular immune response

Among these is the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant, with its characteristic N501Y mutation. A new preprint on the bioRxiv server reports the impact of this mutation on CD4 T cell responses, including antigen presentation on cells expressing Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II molecules.

4 Feb 2021

Pharmacologist lays out a plan to improve the equity of drug development

In a new perspective piece published in the Feb. 5 issue of Science, pharmacologist Namandje Bumpus, Ph.D. -- who recently became the first African American woman to head a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine department, and is the only African American woman leading a pharmacology department in the country -- outlines the molecular origins for differences in how well certain drugs work among distinct populations.

4 Feb 2021

Pfizer vaccine and Eli Lilly monoclonal antibodies successfully neutralize SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, finds study

A new study reports the underlying basis of increased transmissibility in the N501Y UK variant and provides reassuring data on the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine and Eli Lilly monoclonal antibodies in neutralizing it.

4 Feb 2021

Monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike's N-terminal prove highly protective in vivo

A new study server reports highly protective neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2.

4 Feb 2021

Chronic hypoxia upregulates RNA polymerase I, alters methylation on ribosomal RNAs

Hypoxia -- where a tissue is deprived of an adequate supply of oxygen -- is a feature inside solid cancer tumors that renders them highly invasive and resistant to treatment. Study of how cells adapt to this critical stressor, by altering their metabolism to survive in a low-oxygen environment, is important to better understand tumor growth and spread.

4 Feb 2021

Predicting future mamalian hosts of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at the Beijing Computational Science Research Center and Peking University analyzed sequences of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) proteins from 16 mammals and predicted the structures of ACE2- receptor-binding domain (RBD) complexes.

4 Feb 2021

Nasodine antiseptic nasal spray shows potential antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2

A team of international scientists has recently investigated the efficacy of PVP-1, a complex of polyvinylpyrrolidone and iodine, in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Using in vitro cell culture settings, the scientists observe that PVP-1 formulation used in a commercially available nasal spray (Nasodine) readily inactivates SARS-CoV-2 within a short period of time.

3 Feb 2021

Insight into role of aging in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine set out to determine the differences between young people and older adults regarding their host responses against SARS-CoV-2. The team revealed that independent of disease severity, COVID-19 was linked to a significant shift in plasma inflammatory factors. The research is posted to the pre-print server medRxiv*.

3 Feb 2021

Enzyme News and Research

Furin cleavage SARS-CoV-2 spike deletions mostly suppressed within infected airway epithelium, says study

Bioengineered ankyrin compounds show high in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 mutants

Could graphene be an effective antiviral platform against SARS-CoV-2?

SARS-CoV-2 escape mutations identified against monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal immune sera

COVID-19 pandemic and nanotechnology

Subdominant SARS-CoV-2 epitopes key to understanding emerging variants

Discovery of ‘Achilles heel’ in gut bacteria may lead to targeted therapies for Crohn’s disease

How does SARS-CoV-2 infect the pancreas?

New method can help evaluate potential sight-preserving properties

GLS1 inhibitor selectively eliminates senescent cells, ameliorates age-associated disorders

New diagnostic imaging tool measures naturally occurring enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract

Alpaca nanobodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

SARS-CoV-2 N501Y mutation adversely affects cellular immune response

Pharmacologist lays out a plan to improve the equity of drug development

Pfizer vaccine and Eli Lilly monoclonal antibodies successfully neutralize SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, finds study

Monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike's N-terminal prove highly protective in vivo

Chronic hypoxia upregulates RNA polymerase I, alters methylation on ribosomal RNAs

Predicting future mamalian hosts of SARS-CoV-2

Nasodine antiseptic nasal spray shows potential antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2

Insight into role of aging in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

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