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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.

Feasibility of using dry reagents LAMP assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection

In a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv, researchers evaluated the suitability of the Loopamp SARS-CoV-2 Detection kit from Eiken Chemica, Japan, for detecting SARS-CoV-2. This is a LAMP method that uses dry reagents for RNA amplification.

5 Oct 2020

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in patients with aggressive hematological malignancies

Patients with hematological malignancy (PHM), also infected with COVID-19, were investigated for SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses while undergoing systemic anti-cancer therapy. While no obvious correlation is found between the serological results and the hematological diagnosis and the treatment, the immune response is similar to the severity of COVID-19 infection observed in the general population.

4 Oct 2020

Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 with portable CRISPR-based mobile phone diagnostic test

A large group of researchers from the United States reported developing an amplification-free CRISPR-based mobile phone assay for direct detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from nasal swabs. Their state-of-the-art paper is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

4 Oct 2020

Anti-sense agents suppress SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that anti-sense agents called peptide-conjugated morpholino oligomers (PPMOs) have the ability to specifically and potently suppress the growth of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

4 Oct 2020

$9.1 million NCI grant renewal will support researchers studying retrovirus cancer models

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $9.1 million grant Program Project Grant renewal from the National Cancer Institute.

1 Oct 2020

Compounds repurposed from malaria treatment can kill diarrheal pathogen

A class of compounds used for malaria treatment also kill the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium, a leading cause of diarrheal disease and death in children that has no cure, a multi-institution collaboration of researchers found in a new study.

1 Oct 2020

Study shows how cancer cells gain access to nerve signal to enter the bloodstream

Tumors come in many shapes and forms--curable or deadly, solid or liquid, lodged inside the brain, bone, or other tissues. One thing they all have in common, however, is a knack for molecular deceit.

1 Oct 2020

Researchers receive NCI grant to study role of collagens in breast cancer

An MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher received a $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study how patterns of collagens can serve as biomarkers of breast cancer risk and potentially reveal clues to what might be driving health disparities.

1 Oct 2020

23 SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating in the Philippines

In a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server, scientists reported coding of complete genome sequences of 23 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains in the Philippines.

1 Oct 2020

Researchers use single-cell sequencing to identify cell types that occur in pancreatic tumors

Led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, and by HonorHealth Research and Innovation Institute, an international team of researchers have described in detail the individual cells that comprise the pancreatic cancer microenvironment, a critical step in devising new treatment options for patients with this aggressive and difficult-to-treat disease.

1 Oct 2020

Lung tissue in fatal COVID-19 shows broad cell tropism and extensive damage

In a recent preprint paper published on the medRxiv server, researchers demonstrated their investigation of fatal COVID-19 patients to assess infection in various cell types and the extent of damage it caused to the lung tissues.

30 Sep 2020

Skoltech researchers identify new panel of potential biomarkers for liver cancer diagnosis

A group of Skoltech scientists led by a Skoltech and MSU professor Olga Dontsova discovered a novel liver-specific non-coding RNA.

30 Sep 2020

Researchers create drug-like compounds to destroy coronavirus' frameshifting element

Scripps Research chemist Matthew Disney, PhD, and colleagues have created drug-like compounds that, in human cell studies, bind and destroy the pandemic coronavirus' so-called "frameshifting element" to stop the virus from replicating.

30 Sep 2020

A TLR2 agonist reduces SARS-CoV-2 in upper respiratory tract of ferret model

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, Professor Miles W. Carroll et al. study an agonist for reducing the SARS-CoV-2's viral load. They show that prophylactic intra-nasal administration of TLR2/6 (toll-like receptor) agonist, INNA-051, reduces viral RNA in the nose and throat, in a ferret model.

30 Sep 2020

Small for gestational age babies more likely to experience asymmetric growth

Carrying a fetus that is small for gestational age is associated with increased rates of stillbirth and neonatal death as well as metabolic disease in later life.

30 Sep 2020

Blocking the self-destruction process of enzymes can mitigate age-related diseases

Stopping the cannibalistic behavior of a well-studied enzyme could be the key to new drugs to fight age-related diseases, according to a new study published online in Nature Cell Biology.

30 Sep 2020

Australian scientists develop a nasal spray that could stop SARS-CoV-2 infection

The novel product, called INNA-051, is being developed by Ena Respiratory, and laboratory experiments have shown that it reduced viral replication by as much as 96 percent in the animal study. Spearheaded by Public Health England’s (PHE) Deputy Director, Professor Miles Carroll, the new study described the potential treatment and has been published in the open-source preprint server bioRxiv*.

29 Sep 2020

A study contradicting the phenotypical relationship between plasmablasts and developing neutrophils

A team of scientists from Australia challenges the findings of a recent study by Wilk et al. demonstrating that plasmablasts transdifferentiate into developing neutrophils in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Australian study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

29 Sep 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infects human embryonic epithelial and lung cells

As COVID-19 continues to spread the world over, investigators are still trying to understand how it ravages the human body. A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 shows that the virus is capable of infecting human embryonic cells that are destined to form the epithelial surfaces of the body, both internal and external, as well as lung cells.

29 Sep 2020

Qatar worker communities may have attained herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2

Now, a recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 shows the achievement of herd immunity for SARS-CoV-2 infection by at least some expatriate worker communities in Qatar.

29 Sep 2020

RNA News and Research

Further Reading

Feasibility of using dry reagents LAMP assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in patients with aggressive hematological malignancies

Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 with portable CRISPR-based mobile phone diagnostic test

Anti-sense agents suppress SARS-CoV-2 virus

$9.1 million NCI grant renewal will support researchers studying retrovirus cancer models

Compounds repurposed from malaria treatment can kill diarrheal pathogen

Study shows how cancer cells gain access to nerve signal to enter the bloodstream

Researchers receive NCI grant to study role of collagens in breast cancer

23 SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating in the Philippines

Researchers use single-cell sequencing to identify cell types that occur in pancreatic tumors

Lung tissue in fatal COVID-19 shows broad cell tropism and extensive damage

Skoltech researchers identify new panel of potential biomarkers for liver cancer diagnosis

Researchers create drug-like compounds to destroy coronavirus' frameshifting element

A TLR2 agonist reduces SARS-CoV-2 in upper respiratory tract of ferret model

Small for gestational age babies more likely to experience asymmetric growth

Blocking the self-destruction process of enzymes can mitigate age-related diseases

Australian scientists develop a nasal spray that could stop SARS-CoV-2 infection

A study contradicting the phenotypical relationship between plasmablasts and developing neutrophils

SARS-CoV-2 infects human embryonic epithelial and lung cells

Qatar worker communities may have attained herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2

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