Phenotype News and Research

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Rapid generation of divergent synthetic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a cell-free engineering platform

In a groundbreaking bioRxiv paper, a research group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the US engineered antibodies against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein by using a novel approach. In doing so, they also identified more than 800 predicted binder families.

3 Nov 2020

MD65 IgG-YTE shows powerful post-exposure neutralization of SARS-CoV-2

A recent study published in the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 describes a reliable animal model to demonstrate the powerful capacity of human neutralizing mAbs directed against SARS-CoV-2 to prevent viral binding the host cell receptor and thus block infection. This indicates the lifesaving value of mAbs in severe COVID-19.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that spread widely across Europe in summer 2020

Researchers from Basel and Spain have identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that has spread widely across Europe in recent months, according to an un-peer-reviewed preprint released this week.

29 Oct 2020

Study reveals how gene control mechanisms define the identity of developing brainstem neurons

A recent study at the University of Helsinki reveals how gene control mechanisms define the identity of developing neurons in the brainstem.

29 Oct 2020

Lung biomarkers may predict severe COVID-19

Two University of New Mexico researchers postulate certain specific biomarkers' relevance in predicting the potential for progression to severe COVID-19 in a paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv*

27 Oct 2020

Cellular senescence variations may control health and onset of age-related diseases

Researchers from Kumamoto University, Japan have proposed that cellular senescence variations during the aging process could lead to control of health and onset of age-related diseases.

27 Oct 2020

New versatile method to isolate individual cells with unique profiles

Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a new method to isolate specific cells, and in the process found a more robust fluorescent protein.

23 Oct 2020

NMR Metabolomics as Novel Screening Tool for New-borns (For Research Only)

In this interview, Oscar Millet, group leader of the Precision Medicine and Metabolism group of the CIC bioGUNE, talked to News Medical about his research into the use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) metabolomic analysis as a clinical screening tool. His team has used NMR to screen urine samples form new-borns for congenital metabolic disorders.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 20 Oct 2020

Immunoglobulin M ACE2 autoantibodies associated with severe COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses with little prospect of immediate relief, a recent study by Johns Hopkins University researchers published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 discusses the association of Immunoglobulin M (IgM) autoantibodies against the host receptor that binds severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with severe disease via vascular endothelial damage. This could help develop better therapies and prognostic criteria.

19 Oct 2020

Monkey study shows a causal link between white patch and vocal behavior

It's not a coincidence that dogs are cuter than wolves, or that goats at a petting zoo have shorter horns and friendlier demeanors than their wild ancestors.

16 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection of carotid arteries may explain vascular involvement in COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 shows that the virus causing COVID-19, namely, SARS-CoV-2, produces replicative infection in the carotid arteries and affects the vascular responses. This could have a profound bearing on the understanding of the disease and its clinical treatment.

14 Oct 2020

Researchers explore molecular factors that drive the severity of COVID-19

While most COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic or mild, severe complications associated with acute respiratory distress have led to more than one million deaths worldwide in just several months.

13 Oct 2020

Why blood type O might lower risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection

The author hypothesizes that people with non-O blood groups may have highest contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus via the formation of in intermediate structure, resulting in possibly higher infection rates and more severe symptoms.

12 Oct 2020

Fetal brain models could predict neurodevelopmental outcomes of COVID-19 exposure

Researchers in the United States and Sweden have created personalized models of fetal brain microglia to investigate the effects of maternal infection on the developing brain, including infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Oct 2020

Hypoxic exosomes promote stemness in EWS sarcoma, indicates study

The cover for issue 40 of Oncotarget features Figure 5, "miR-210 silences the proapoptosis member CASP8AP2," by Kling, et al. which reported that hypoxic Ewing's sarcoma cells release exosomes that promote sphere formation, a stem-like phenotype, in EWS cells by enhancing survival.

9 Oct 2020

Vitamin D deficiency may predict COVID-19 seroconversion

A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in October 2020 reports the potential contribution of vitamin D deficiency to an increased risk of COVID-19 in a subset of health care workers in the UK.

8 Oct 2020

Older heavier COVID-19 positives likely to be superspreaders

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 is known to be through respiratory droplets as well as via aerosols, composed of minute particles normally exhaled during natural breathing.

6 Oct 2020

Researchers identify gene related to seed dispersal in green millet

For years, Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg, PhD, member and Robert E. King Distinguished Investigator and other researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center) drove up and down the highways of the continental United States, occasionally pulling over to the side of the road to collect small weedy plants and bring them back to the lab.

6 Oct 2020

Chronic illnesses promote active SARS-CoV-2 infection via suppressed mucosal immunity

A recent paper published in the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 discusses the “clinically relevant variation in the expression of COVID-19-related genes”, which is associated with the host and environmental factors, as well as host genetic factors.

6 Oct 2020

Macrophage subgroups may play pivotal role in COVID-19 lethality

Many researchers are attempting to identify risk factors for severe or critical COVID-19. A recent paper in the journal Medical Hypotheses in September 2020 suggests that macrophage class activation is one of the factors that determine the clinical phenotype of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

5 Oct 2020