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ACE2-TMPRSS2 profiling indicates tissue vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published in April 2020 on the preprint server bioRxiv reports that the different levels of susceptibility of various organs to viral attack by the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the huge pandemic of COVID-19 sweeping around the world can be predicted from the level of expression of two molecules, the ACE2 receptor, and the TMPRSS2 protein.

20 Apr 2020

Do ACE inhibitors increase SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced clinicians and academicians to intensive research to find evidence for many conventional therapies. A new round-up editorial published in the journal Cardiovascular Research in April 2020 summarizes the current clinical grounds for and against the use of the commonly used angiotensin axis inhibitors in patients with COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

CRISPR technology mobilized for rapid COVID-19 diagnosis

A group of authors from the United States published a study in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology in which they have described a CRISPR-Cas-based approach for rapid and accurate diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection – without the need for complex laboratory infrastructure.

20 Apr 2020

Male-female cardiac repair differences found in heart failure survival after heart attack

The short-term acute inflammatory response triggered to mend injured cardiac tissue following a heart attack can lead to weakening of the heart's pumping function if the inflammation remains active over the long-term.

20 Apr 2020

Activating a braking mechanism against cancer

A team has identified the binding site where drug compounds could activate a braking mechanism against runaway growth of cancer.

20 Apr 2020

Research suggests Nelfinavir and Cepharanthine as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents

A new study published in the journal bioRxiv in April 2020 reports the identification of a promising multidrug treatment against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for causing COVID-19 disease. The team predicts that this combination will prevent the virus from reproducing, hence both halting the transmission and progress of the disease.

19 Apr 2020

Researchers discover unique structure and function of rotavirus VP3 protein

After eluding researchers for more than 30 years, the VP3 protein of rotavirus has finally revealed its unique structure and function to a team led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine.

17 Apr 2020

Gimsilumab trial starts in first US patient with ARDS and COVID-19

The first American patient with COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been put on the drug gimsilumab at Temple University Hospital, as part of the BREATHE clinical trial. The trial, sponsored by Roivant Sciences, will evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous gimsilumab in preventing death in patients with COVID-19 and ARDS.

16 Apr 2020

Supercomputer helps find 64 compounds as potential inhibitors of the COVID-19 protease

A new study published in Chemrxiv in April 2020 describes the identification of 64 compounds that could potentially be inhibitors of replication of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is causing the current COVID-19 disease pandemic. The research was carried out using a pharmacophore model of an essential viral enzyme, mining data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database of conformations of approved drugs.

16 Apr 2020

Psychedelics can be produced in yeast

Psilocybin mushrooms have been found to have minimal harmful effects and could potentially benefit those with depression.

16 Apr 2020

A specialized gut-brain circuit mediates sugar preference

A little extra sugar can make us crave just about anything, from cookies to condiments to coffee smothered in whipped cream. But its sweetness doesn't fully explain our desire. Instead, new research shows this magic molecule has a back channel to the brain.

16 Apr 2020

Reprogramming skin cells into photoreceptors to restore vision in mice

Researchers have discovered a technique for directly reprogramming skin cells into light-sensing rod photoreceptors used for vision.

15 Apr 2020

'Chaperone protein' protects against autoimmune diseases, mice study shows

Like a parent of teenagers at a party, Mother Nature depends on chaperones to keep one of her charges, the immune system, in line so that it doesn't mistakenly attack normal cells, tissues and organs in our bodies.

15 Apr 2020

Researchers restore sight in mice by turning skin cells into light-sensing eye cells

Researchers have discovered a technique for directly reprogramming skin cells into light-sensing rod photoreceptors for vision.

15 Apr 2020

A gut-to-brain circuit drives sugar preference and may explain sugar cravings

By visualizing brain activity when the rodents consumed sugar versus artificial sweetener or water, researchers have identified a brain region that responds solely to sugar: the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (cNST).

15 Apr 2020

Study shows possible way to effectively deliver RNA drugs to tumors

In recent years, RNA molecules, with the ability to affect or turn off pathogenic genes, have become promising drug candidates in several areas.

15 Apr 2020

Temple researchers receive NIAID grant to study immunological synapse formation

Switching immune cells on is a critical step in combating infection. In the case of T cells, which are key players in immunity, this happens when dormant T cells circulating in the blood encounter a suspicious agent on the surface of specialized antigen-presenting cells.

14 Apr 2020

UTSW researchers show how vulnerable cells armor themselves against infection

Cells in some of the body's most vulnerable entry routes to bacterial infection buffer themselves when the immune system detects danger by reorganizing the cholesterol on their surfaces, a new study led by UTSW scientists suggests.

13 Apr 2020

Skoltech scientists propose new method to make doping tests quicker

Skoltech scientists and their colleagues proposed a way to simplify the search for traces of medicines, narcotic substances and sports doping drugs in human biological samples by performing two additional tests with the search domain reduced tenfold.

13 Apr 2020

Super-charging production of drugs for COVID-19

Researchers are ramping up production of a promising drug that has proven effective in obliterating SARS-CoV in cellular cultures. The team hopes that the drug might also be effective in the fight against SARS's close genetic cousin, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

13 Apr 2020