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Critically ill COVID-19 patients experience novel platelet-activating immune complexes, study finds

Canadian researchers from McMaster University, Ontario, have pinpointed platelet activating immune complexes in coagulation disorders associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the condition caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

10 Nov 2020

Babies can acquire allergies from their mothers in the womb

Mothers can pass on allergies to offspring while they are developing in the womb and that is one reason why babies exhibit allergies early in life, according to a Singapore preclinical study.

10 Nov 2020

Identifying SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutations resistant to antibodies

Using a set of different monoclonal antibodies, researchers determined different mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that leads to resistance. Understanding these resistant mutations is important in developing effective therapeutic strategies.

10 Nov 2020

Scientists observe GABAA receptors and their organization on synaptic membrane

Synapses are specialized devices where learning and memory occur. The efficient transmission of synaptic signals relies on the delicate structure and complex molecular composition of the synapses. However, the small size (several hundred nanometers in diameter) and heterogeneous nature of the synapses pose significant challenges in direct observation of the molecules inside synapses.

10 Nov 2020

After SARS-CoV-2 antibodies fade B and T-cells persist

Now, an international team of thirty researchers from Sweden, Italy, Germany, the USA, and China aimed to determine the longevity of the immune response against SARS-CoV-2, particularly the specific memory B-cell and T-cell responses over time in convalescent COVID-19 patients.

9 Nov 2020

Promising yeast-expressed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate effective in mice

Researchers at the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, USA, have published a report on the preprint server bioRxiv that describes a yeast-expressed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein, a key target of current vaccine development efforts.

9 Nov 2020

Novel, highly specific treatment method for hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia

A new method to treat hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia has proven highly selective in targeting lesions and effective in slowing tumor growth, according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

9 Nov 2020

ACE2 and TMPRSS2 not the only virus-receptors to mediate SARS-CoV-2 entry

However, a recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 uncovers the major role played by the N-terminal domain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in host infection. This could be of great use in measuring the usefulness of antibodies used in convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19.

9 Nov 2020

Immune-evading variants can emerge in SARS-CoV-2, researchers warn

An international team of researchers has shown that a mutation within severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – enables the pathogen to evade antibody-mediated immunity while maintaining replication fitness and increasing viral loads.

9 Nov 2020

Researchers identify new strategy to combat loss of skeletal muscle mass

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have shown for the first time that stimulating expression of a protein naturally produced by the human body can be a strategy to combat loss of skeletal muscle mass, which happens normally with aging but can intensify in cases of neurodegenerative or inflammatory disease, or in patients who spend long periods in intensive care units (ICUs).

9 Nov 2020

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 direct heart muscle cell infection, cell death, loss of contractility

In the study, published on the pre-print journal bioRxiv, the researchers revealed that SARS-CoV-2-infected EHTs manifested the typical characteristics of myocarditis or heart inflammation. These include the stimulation of immune cells, heart cell death, and decreased contractile force generation.

8 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens found in non-pulmonary tissues in recovering patients

A team of researchers in Singapore, led by Dr. Joe Yeong, and Prof. Tony Kiat Hon Lim, have reported the presence of residual SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) – the virus' genetic material – in stool samples and gastrointestinal tissues from patients recovering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

8 Nov 2020

Innate immunity key to limiting viral load in COVID-19 cases

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to cause many difficulties for public health authorities, research is ongoing to understand how the virus can cause fatal effects on those infected and thereby suggest effective preventive and therapeutic measures against it.

8 Nov 2020

Universal nanoparticle platform may help in rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine

A research group in China recently published a paper on the pre-print server bioRxiv* that reports the performance of a potentially universal nanoparticle platform that may prove useful for the rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as other vaccines in the future.

8 Nov 2020

A new method to improve the preclinical evaluation of CAR T cell therapies

Ludwig Cancer Research scientists have developed a method to significantly improve the preclinical evaluation of chimeric antigen-receptor (CAR) T cell therapies, in which the immune system's T cells are extracted from a patient, engineered to target a specific tumor-associated molecule and then grown and reinfused for cancer treatment.

6 Nov 2020

Natural component of ayahuasca tea promotes neurogenesis

One of the main natural components of ayahuasca tea is dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which promotes neurogenesis --the formation of new neurons-- according to research led by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM).

6 Nov 2020

Commonly prescribed anti-depressant may halt the growth of childhood sarcoma

A new study has found that a commonly prescribed anti-depressant may halt growth of a type of cancer known as childhood sarcoma, at least in mice and laboratory cell experiments.

6 Nov 2020

Rapid rise in CRP levels predicts COVID-19 outcomes

Predicting the course of a COVID-19 patient's disease after hospital admission is essential to improving treatment.

6 Nov 2020

Research describes novel molecules designed to treat or prevent COVID-19 infection

Neoleukin Therapeutics, Inc., "Neoleukin" (NASDAQ:NLTX), a biopharmaceutical company utilizing sophisticated computational methods to design de novo protein therapeutics, today announced the publication in Science of research describing novel molecules designed to treat or prevent infection by the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2.

6 Nov 2020

Repurposing an anxiety drug to increase the efficacy of therapies for metastatic melanoma

There are times when adding something new to the mix makes it better. Give Popeye some spinach, and you've got a fighting machine. Give Mario a mushroom, and he becomes invincible. Without drinking a potion, Alice in Wonderland would never fit through the door.

5 Nov 2020