immunity News and Research

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How do common mutations in SARS-CoV-2’s spike affect its binding affinity with host cell receptors?

Antibodies produced during a previous case of COVID-19 or vaccine-induced immunity are targeted towards S protein, where the neutralizing antibodies attach to the Spike RBD domain. Some of the variants have mutations in their RBD domain, causing resistance to the neutralizing antibodies. However, the effect of these mutations on the affinity and kinetics of the binding of Spike RBD to ACE2 is not clear. A new study has been published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with the study of affinity and kinetic analysis of the interface between Spike RBD and ACE2 at physiological temperatures.

21 May 2021

Facets of SARS-CoV-2 infection and animal models

A new study in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology discusses the ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome of the virus, and the mechanisms by which it establishes infection within the host cell. The researchers also summarize the development of animal models of COVID-19, which will both help understand the clinical features of the illness, and indicate new approaches for the treatment of the infection.

21 May 2021

Despite frequent vaccinations, COVID-19 could continue to cause recurrent waves and deaths

Covid-19 could continue to cause recurrent waves and deaths despite frequent vaccinations according to a new study from the University of East Anglia.

21 May 2021

Study shows distinctive mutation in rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 sublineage

In a new study currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, US researchers report the detection of a specific sub-lineage of B.1.1.7 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant harboring a novel S:D178H mutation and elucidate its transmission and evolutionary patterns.

21 May 2021

Researchers define immune determinants of protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice

Researchers in the United States have conducted a preclinical study defining the roles that different arms of the immune system play in fighting primary infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as reinfection and infection following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

21 May 2021

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Recently, a team of researchers from various countries analyzed the unique variants of S proteins across six continents, including Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, South America, and North America. They wanted to characterize the unique S protein variants embedded in SARS-CoV-2 genomes infecting millions of people globally.

20 May 2021

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

Researchers from the US and Denmark recently described a novel therapeutic option that targets the SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) using locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (LNA ASOs). They identified an LNA ASO that binds to the 5’ leader sequence of SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a/b. This disrupts a highly conserved stem-loop structure with nanomolar efficacy and inhibits viral replication in host cells.

20 May 2021

Does cross-immunity exist between SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.28 and P.1 variants?

A team of researchers recently cross-tested severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies to assess their neutralization activity against different variants. The team recently released their findings as a preprint on the medRxiv* server.

20 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variant spread study in France shows B.1.351/V2 variant outgrowing B.1.1.7/V1 variant

A recent study by researchers in France has compared the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern. The team found a significant transmission advantage of V2 (from lineage B.1.351) over V1 (from lineage B.1.1.7). A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server.

20 May 2021

Are COVID-19-related complications in children explained by abnormal immune responses?

A common theme in reports on COVID-19 around the world has been the large number of children who have not been infected or shown signs of disease. However, though the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes less acute infection in this age group, it is associated with a severe immune-mediated multisystemic illness called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

20 May 2021

FDA reminds the public about the limitations of COVID-19 antibody

The following quote is attributed to Tim Stenzel, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

20 May 2021

Childhood immunization rates in Texas declined sharply during COVID-19 pandemic

Despite expert recommendations that children continue to get regularly scheduled vaccines during the pandemic, vaccination rates have decreased in several states.

20 May 2021

Potential immunotherapy may improve cognitive and behavioral functions after stroke

Specialized immune cells that accumulate in the brain in the days and weeks after a stroke promote neural functions in mice, pointing to a potential immunotherapy that may boost recovery after the acute injury is over, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine neurologists found.

19 May 2021

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces a stronger antibody response when given at an extended interval

Scientists have recently investigated the dynamics of immune responses in elderly people who have received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

19 May 2021

Spike antibodies after vaccination with Pfizer and Oxford vaccines

A preprint discusses the results of a study of antibody responses to the first and second dose of currently available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, Pfizer and Oxford.

19 May 2021

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) detects the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein and generates inflammatory cytokines

Researchers at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital found that toll-like receptor 2 detects the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein-producing inflammatory cytokines.

19 May 2021

Presence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after 13 months of infection

A new study has been published on the medRxiv* preprint server which focuses on validating the serological assays using a large cohort of healthcare workers.

19 May 2021

Lengthy treatment with low-dose 6-mercaptopurine inhibits resistant triple-negative breast cancer cells

The cover for issue 7 of Oncotarget features Figure 5, "SUM149-MA cells surviving a 6-MP treatment are sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs," published in "Inhibition of resistant triple-negative breast cancer cells with low-dose 6-mercaptopurine and 5-azacitidine" by Singh, et al. which reported that the authors have reported that a lengthy treatment with low-dose 6-mercaptopurine, a clinically useful anti-inflammatory drug, inhibits such resistant cells.

19 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine PTX-COVID19-B safe and highly immunogenic in preclinical study

COVID-19, the coronavirus disease of 2019, is one of the worst pandemics in human history. It emerged in December 2019 and is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Nearly 164 million SARS-CoV-2 infections and 3.4 million deaths have been reported globally since the beginning of the pandemic, which is still raging in many countries.

18 May 2021

Robust T cell and humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with immunodeficiency

A study of immune-deficient adults and children has shown that patients who fail to respond positively to infections and vaccinations have robust humoral immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) structural proteins.

18 May 2021

immunity News and Research

How do common mutations in SARS-CoV-2’s spike affect its binding affinity with host cell receptors?

Facets of SARS-CoV-2 infection and animal models

Despite frequent vaccinations, COVID-19 could continue to cause recurrent waves and deaths

Study shows distinctive mutation in rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 sublineage

Researchers define immune determinants of protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Intranasal COVID-19 therapeutic shows promise in preclinical trials

Does cross-immunity exist between SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.28 and P.1 variants?

SARS-CoV-2 variant spread study in France shows B.1.351/V2 variant outgrowing B.1.1.7/V1 variant

Are COVID-19-related complications in children explained by abnormal immune responses?

FDA reminds the public about the limitations of COVID-19 antibody

Childhood immunization rates in Texas declined sharply during COVID-19 pandemic

Potential immunotherapy may improve cognitive and behavioral functions after stroke

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces a stronger antibody response when given at an extended interval

Spike antibodies after vaccination with Pfizer and Oxford vaccines

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) detects the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein and generates inflammatory cytokines

Presence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after 13 months of infection

Lengthy treatment with low-dose 6-mercaptopurine inhibits resistant triple-negative breast cancer cells

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine PTX-COVID19-B safe and highly immunogenic in preclinical study

Robust T cell and humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with immunodeficiency

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