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Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.

Replication of SARS-CoV-2 in nasal ciliated cells could provide a new vaccination target

Researchers have found that nasal ciliated cells are targeted at the onset of COVID-19 infection, which may help to establish nasal mucosal immunity.

2 Jul 2021

Genetic variants in a neuro-associated gene cause neurodevelopmental disorder, finds study

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that genetic variants in a neuro-associated gene called SPTBN1 are responsible for causing a neurodevelopmental disorder. The study, published in Nature Genetics, is a first step in finding a potential therapeutic strategy for this disorder, and it increases the number of genes known to be associated with conditions that affect how the brain functions.

2 Jul 2021

Hi-tech lab taps advanced technology to boost Singapore's future pandemic response

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Pathnova Laboratories, a medical diagnostic company backed by Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator and headquartered in Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, is contributing to Singapore's COVID-19 diagnostic capability through its partnership in a new clinical diagnostic laboratory.

2 Jul 2021

SwabSeq platform offers a potential solution for massive COVID-19 testing

In an article appearing in Nature Biomedical Engineering, a team of scientists from the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA School of Engineering report real-world results on SwabSeq, a high-throughput testing platform that uses sequencing to test thousands of samples at a time to detect COVID-19.

2 Jul 2021

Is there a link between circadian rhythms and COVID-19 severity?

This study showed that the time of day of SARS-CoV-2 infection could impact the severity of the viral infection and the host immune response.

1 Jul 2021

Engineered T cells prevent translational shutdown in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Schamel et al. (June 25th, 2021) engineered T cells against SARS-CoV-2 are tested against a range of cells in vitro, finding that the treatment could be used to restore cellular immune function and suppress SARS-CoV-2.

1 Jul 2021

Anti-malarial drug shows promise in the battle against COVID-19

In the "war" that the world has been fighting against COVID-19, scientists have been scanning their arsenals of previously used drugs in hopes of finding any that can be used to treat the disease.

1 Jul 2021

Researchers evaluate tools for identification of microRNAs in plants

Almost twenty years ago, the process of RNA silencing was discovered in plants, whereby small fragments of RNA inactivate a portion of a gene during protein synthesis.

1 Jul 2021

Study explores lectins from plants, fungi, algae and cyanobacteria as pan-coronavirus inhibitors

In a recently published article scientists have provided a detailed description of the utility of mannose-specific lectins in preventing coronavirus infections. They have specifically explained how mannose-specific lectins derived from plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria selectively bind N-glycans present on the surface of viral spike protein and how such interactions can be medically utilized to control coronavirus transmission.

1 Jul 2021

Study evaluates neutralizing antibody responses elicited by the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

A recent Diagnostics study discusses the specific antibody response that occurred in individuals after they had received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

1 Jul 2021

COVID-19 vaccines are effective in 94% of cancer patients, shows study

In a U.S. and Swiss study, nearly all patients with cancer developed good immune response to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines three to four weeks after receiving their second dose, but the fact that a small group of the patients exhibited no response raised questions about how their protection against the virus will be addressed moving forward.

1 Jul 2021

Zinc-embedded polyamides inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

The researchers show that the fabric retains its virus-inactivating property and stable zinc content over 50 standardized washes.

1 Jul 2021

New software tool can help identify gene regulators more efficiently

A team of scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago has developed a software tool that can help researchers more efficiently identify the regulators of genes. The system leverages a machine learning algorithm to predict which transcription factors are most likely to be active in individual cells.

1 Jul 2021

Researchers identify proteins that contribute to the pathogenicity of COVID-19 virus

Researchers at Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) have narrowed down the proteins enabling SARS-CoV-2 to cause disease.

1 Jul 2021

Individuals who contract COVID-19 after vaccination are likely to have a lower viral load

Individuals who contract COVID-19 even after vaccination are likely to have a lower viral load, experience a shorter infection time and have milder symptoms than people who are unvaccinated, according to research that includes data from ongoing University of Arizona Health Sciences studies.

1 Jul 2021

COVID mRNA vaccines induce antibodies against three SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers at the Institute of Biomedicine, the University of Turku in Finland showed that the blood of BNT162b2-vaccinated health care workers effectively neutralized the SARS-CoV-2 variant with the D614G substitution and the B.1.1.7 variant (Alpha variant) after the second dose.

1 Jul 2021

New article focuses on drug discovery targeting SARS-CoV-2

The July edition of SLAS Discovery is a Special Edition featuring the cover article, "Development of a High-Throughput Screening Assay to Identify Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Guanine-N7-Methyltransferase Using RapidFire Mass Spectrometry" by Lesley-Anne Pearson, Charlotte J. Green, Ph.D., De Lin, Ph.D., Alain-Pierre Petit, Ph.D., David W. Gray, Ph.D., Victoria H. Cowling, Ph.D., and Euan A. F. Fordyce, Ph.D., (Drug Discovery Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK).

1 Jul 2021

RNA News and Research

Further Reading

Replication of SARS-CoV-2 in nasal ciliated cells could provide a new vaccination target

Genetic variants in a neuro-associated gene cause neurodevelopmental disorder, finds study

Hi-tech lab taps advanced technology to boost Singapore's future pandemic response

SwabSeq platform offers a potential solution for massive COVID-19 testing

Is there a link between circadian rhythms and COVID-19 severity?

Engineered T cells prevent translational shutdown in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells

Anti-malarial drug shows promise in the battle against COVID-19

Researchers evaluate tools for identification of microRNAs in plants

Study explores lectins from plants, fungi, algae and cyanobacteria as pan-coronavirus inhibitors

Study evaluates neutralizing antibody responses elicited by the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines are effective in 94% of cancer patients, shows study

Zinc-embedded polyamides inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

New software tool can help identify gene regulators more efficiently

Researchers identify proteins that contribute to the pathogenicity of COVID-19 virus

Individuals who contract COVID-19 after vaccination are likely to have a lower viral load

COVID mRNA vaccines induce antibodies against three SARS-CoV-2 variants

New article focuses on drug discovery targeting SARS-CoV-2

Ion channel conserved in coronaviruses a potential new drug target for COVID therapeutics

Researchers turn to machine learning to predict when immunotherapy will be effective

Study provides important insights into early stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection

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