Genome News and Research

RSS

A new approach to identify genomic regions in our brain that contribute to make us human

With only 1% difference, the human and chimpanzee protein-coding genomes are remarkably similar.

16 Dec 2020

Scientists identify new Salmonella proteins

Salmonella are bacteria that can cause food poisoning with severe diarrhea. If they penetrate from the intestine into the blood system, this can lead to sepsis, life-threatening inflammatory reactions in the entire organism.

16 Dec 2020

Traditional herbal medicine Respiratory Detox Shot (RDS) inhibits SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A infection in vitro

As researchers continue to search for antivirals to counter COVID-19, a study presents the potential utility of a decoction called Respiratory Detox Shot (RDS).

16 Dec 2020

Copper gluconate supplementation could reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

The second wave of COVID-19 has affected many countries, costing thousands of lives and dealing further heavy blows to already reeling economies.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be reverse-transcribed to be part of chimeric viral-human genome

A new study reveals that the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is inserted into the human genome, accounting for the detection of viral RNAs.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

While participating in the SPHERES Consortium project, US researchers sequenced 2,726 clinical patient specimens gathered in March 2020 and identified eight unique ORF7a deletion variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Their results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

15 Dec 2020

Trump’s wrong. 15% ‘herd immunity’ is not on par with strength of a vaccine

During a Dec. 8 press conference about Operation Warp Speed, President Donald Trump likened the spread of the coronavirus throughout the population — which experts agree bestows some immunity on the people who became ill — to having a COVID-19 vaccine.

15 Dec 2020

Study provides valuable interaction about animal host and pathogen during pneumococcal infections

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine published one of the most comprehensive analyses of how genes get expressed during infection (known as a transcriptome). The analyses include three different strains of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, meningitis, and middle-ear infections.

15 Dec 2020

COVID-19 vaccine shows the long-term value of curiosity-driven basic research

The most promising vaccine against the coronavirus to date is also an example of the long-term value of curiosity-driven basic research and its funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation).

15 Dec 2020

MIPT researchers use zebrafish to study chronic stress

A team of researchers led by MIPT's Allan Kalueff has studied chronic stress in zebrafish and determined that the animal can serve as a valuable model species for research into the associated brain diseases, complementing research currently done on rodents.

14 Dec 2020

Extensive genomic data can improve breast cancer risk assessment

Findings from the FinnGen study encompassing 120,000 women indicate that inherited breast cancer risk should be assessed in an increasingly comprehensive manner.

14 Dec 2020

Emergence of resistant SARS-CoV-2 variant in immunocompromised patient following therapeutic antibody use

The focus is increasingly moving towards vaccine roll-out as the world faces the real possibility of the second year of social and economic restrictions.

14 Dec 2020

Epitope “megapools” could help determine role T cell immunity plays in COVID-19

Researchers in the United States and Australia have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the epitope recognition patterns associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in humans.

14 Dec 2020

Prior T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 unlikely to be the result of seasonal coronavirus infection

Scientists have suggested that a proportion of the population have pre-existing immunity to COVID-19 because of T cells primed against SARS-CoV-2 antigens.

14 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp3 protease activity and nanobody inhibitor development

A new study published in the pre-print server bioRxiv* explores the viral enzyme PLpro, encoded in the nonstructural protein nsp3, and its inhibitors. T

14 Dec 2020

RNA editing within host linked to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, has undergone several mutations.

14 Dec 2020

Scientists get closer to finding the genes for maleness in weeds

Scientists are getting closer to finding the genes for maleness in waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, two of the most troublesome agricultural weeds in the U.S.

11 Dec 2020

Study uncovers genetic risks of Takayasu arteritis

In a paper published today in the American Journal of Human Genetics, a group of international collaborators led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine identified new genetic associations that can predict individual susceptibility to a rare inflammatory disease called Takayasu arteritis.

11 Dec 2020

First patient participates in immunotherapy trial despite COVID-19 pandemic

Since 2016, Bernard Thurman has undergone traditional treatments, experimental therapies and surgeries to counter the cancer within him, but nothing has successfully eradicated the disease.

11 Dec 2020

Rapid lateral flow immunoassay enables fluorescence detection of SARS-Cov-2 RNA

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for rapid and accurate nucleic acid detection at the point of care. To meet this need, scientists from the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology have developed a novel amplification-free rapid SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection platform based on hybrid capture fluorescence immunoassay (HC-FIA).

11 Dec 2020