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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

Incorrect DNA packaging makes retrotransposons more accessible

Scientists led by Dr. Salvador Aznar-Benitah, head of the Stem Cells and Cancer laboratory at IRB Barcelona, have described the alterations that occur during mammary gland formation when heterochromatin (the part of DNA that does not actively produce proteins) is poorly regulated.

18 May 2021

Scientists develop experimental direct-acting antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19

An international team of scientists from the Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) at Griffith University and from City of Hope, a research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases in the U.S., have developed an experimental direct-acting antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19.

18 May 2021

New coronavirus test can get fast, accurate results from saliva samples

A new coronavirus test can get accurate results from a saliva sample in less than 30 minutes, researchers report in the journal Nature Communications.

18 May 2021

A possible human-to-canine transmission of SARS-CoV-2

Now, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified a case of human to animal transmission when SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a healthy poodle dog living with four family members who had COVID-19.

18 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled the double mutant B.1.617 variant — first discovered in India —a variant of concern for its high transmission rate and ability to evade immune responses. New research posted to the preprint server bioRxiv finds B.1.617 can modestly reduce neutralizing antibody responses generated from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

16 May 2021

Groundbreaking study optimizes patient's own immune system to fight tumors

A groundbreaking study led by engineering and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows how engineered immune cells used in new cancer therapies can overcome physical barriers to allow a patient's own immune system to fight tumors.

14 May 2021

What can ancient feces tell us about the evolution of the human gut microbiome?

Researchers at the Section on Pathophysiology and Molecular Pharmacology, Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts, analyzed microbial DNA found in indigenous human paleofeces (desiccated excrement) from dry caves in northern Mexico and Utah. They found that the ancient human gut microbiome is similar to those of modern-day people from non-industrialized populations.

14 May 2021

Study reports new monoclonal antibodies with broad neutralizing capabilities against betacoronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2)

In a paper published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers report new monoclonal antibodies that target the S2 subunit and that have broad neutralization activity against several betacoronaviruses.

13 May 2021

Scientists find dramatic differences between ancient gut microbiomes and modern microbes

Scientists are rapidly gathering evidence that variants of gut microbiomes, the collections of bacteria and other microbes in our digestive systems, may play harmful roles in diabetes and other diseases.

12 May 2021

Study examines a pathway responsible for the formation of tau tangles in the brain

Since the discovery of Alzheimer's disease over a century ago, two hallmarks of the devastating illness have taken center stage.

12 May 2021

Investigational gene therapy can restore immune function in children with inherited immunodeficiency disorder

An investigational gene therapy can safely restore the immune systems of infants and children who have a rare, life-threatening inherited immunodeficiency disorder, according to research supported in part by the National Institutes of Health.

12 May 2021

Study reveals how oral antiviral drug works to attack SARS-CoV-2 virus

A University of Alberta virology lab has uncovered how an oral antiviral drug works to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus, in findings published May 10 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

12 May 2021

Spread of minority SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City

Viruses mutate to survive. But not all mutations are beneficial to the virus. On the other hand, some mutations such as N501Y and E484K on the spike protein propelled specific severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants to ‘variant of concern’ status, due to their ability to increase transmission and weaken the response of neutralizing antibodies.

12 May 2021

Evolutionary-spreading model predicts another devastating COVID-19 peak around July 2021

The emergence of this variant highlighted the uneven pace of mutation and selection of variants. New bioinformatics tools are the need of the hour to clarify this and confirm a dynamic evolution by tracking the mutation rates of the spike protein. It generally takes 1 – 6 months for current variants causing COVID-19 case peaks and deaths to survive the pressure of selection.

11 May 2021

Low dose of a four-drug combination helps prevent cancer metastasis in mice

Low doses of a four-drug combination helps prevent the spread of cancer in mice without triggering drug resistance or recurrence, shows a study published today in eLife.

11 May 2021

Personalized vaccine can provide effective immunization against cancer

Marie-Claude Bourgeois-Daigneault and her team at the CRCHUM are using mice to show how a combination of peptides and oncolytic viruses, used as an adjuvant, can provide effective immunization against cancer.

11 May 2021

Novel 'CopyCatcher' detects when precise copying of genetic information takes place in cells

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have laid the groundwork for a potential new type of gene therapy using novel CRISPR-based techniques.

11 May 2021

Experimental gene therapy successfully treats children born without an immune system

An experimental form of gene therapy developed by a team of researchers from UCLA and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London has successfully treated 48 of 50 children born with a rare and deadly inherited disorder that leaves them without an immune system.

11 May 2021

MIT researchers generate the complete gene annotation of SARS-CoV-2 genome

In early 2020, a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic began, scientists were able to sequence the full genome of the virus that causes the infection, SARS-CoV-2. While many of its genes were already known at that point, the full complement of protein-coding genes was unresolved.

11 May 2021

Genome News and Research

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

Incorrect DNA packaging makes retrotransposons more accessible

Scientists develop experimental direct-acting antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19

New coronavirus test can get fast, accurate results from saliva samples

A possible human-to-canine transmission of SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 variant shows modest resistance to vaccine-induced antibodies

Groundbreaking study optimizes patient's own immune system to fight tumors

What can ancient feces tell us about the evolution of the human gut microbiome?

Study reports new monoclonal antibodies with broad neutralizing capabilities against betacoronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2)

Scientists find dramatic differences between ancient gut microbiomes and modern microbes

Study examines a pathway responsible for the formation of tau tangles in the brain

Investigational gene therapy can restore immune function in children with inherited immunodeficiency disorder

Study reveals how oral antiviral drug works to attack SARS-CoV-2 virus

Spread of minority SARS-CoV-2 variants in New York City

Evolutionary-spreading model predicts another devastating COVID-19 peak around July 2021

Low dose of a four-drug combination helps prevent cancer metastasis in mice

Personalized vaccine can provide effective immunization against cancer

Novel 'CopyCatcher' detects when precise copying of genetic information takes place in cells

Experimental gene therapy successfully treats children born without an immune system

MIT researchers generate the complete gene annotation of SARS-CoV-2 genome

The art of CRISPR: The power and promise of gene editing eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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