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Immune responses in Omicron breakthrough COVID-19

A recent study examined the question as to whether vaccination protects against Omicron infection by assessing breakthrough infection rates in participants at a superspreader event.

18 Jan 2022

An alternative mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Recently, a study has shown the possibility of repurposing hACE2 transgenic mice, primarily raised to study SARS-CoV, to support SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis.

17 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 interacts with heparan sulfate to activate the alternative pathway

A new study discusses the activation of the complement system to determine its role in COVID-19-related deaths.

17 Jan 2022

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 prompts NLRP3 inflammasome activation through spike-ACE2 receptor interaction

New research assesses the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in response to SARS-CoV-2 and its spike protein, and the effects of this exposure in the presence of a-synuclein protein aggregate fibrils.

17 Jan 2022

Study suggests vaccinated Omicron cases are unlikely to shed infectious virus 10 days after diagnosis or symptom onset

Researchers have been investigating the Omicron epidemic in Japan and have recently released an early report on the infectious period of the disease.

17 Jan 2022

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant promote cell binding

Researchers in Germany, based on their recent study published in the journal ChemBioChem, have proposed that the elevated occurrence of positively charged amino acids in specific domains of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) Omicron variant spike protein improves viral binding to cellular negatively charged receptors aiding in enhanced infectiousness.

16 Jan 2022

Monitoring rodents for SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, Hong Kong

A new study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal has hypothesized that locations with positive SARS-CoV-2 in sewage could be used as potential surveillance targets to analyze if pestiferous urban rodents shed SARS-CoV-2 into the environment.

16 Jan 2022

Even mild SARS-CoV-2 respiratory-only infection can cause long-term neurologic damage

A new bioRxiv* preprint study led by Michelle Monje of Stanford University in California finds that a mild COVID-19 infection can produce long-term neurological damage. Persistent cognitive complications are one of many symptoms of long COVID, and the latest results suggest the severity of COVID-19 induced brain fog is similar to cancer’s “chemobrain.”

16 Jan 2022

Exploring the relationship between stem cells and COVID-19

Though COVID-19-related stem cell clinical research is still in its infancy, stem cell treatment offers extensive clinical application possibilities and a far-reaching relevance thanks to ongoing exploration of stem cell clinical research and data mining.

14 Jan 2022

Omicron variant spike protein shows significantly weaker membrane fusion activity than other variants

New research suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike protein requires significantly higher levels of ACE2 for efficient membrane fusion, lagging behind other variants.

14 Jan 2022

Exploring the structural basis of antibody evasion and enhanced transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

In a new study, researchers used cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis to capture the open and closed states of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant’s spike protein.

13 Jan 2022

Microbial characteristics of COVID-19

To better understand how the disease progresses, a recent paper in the journal Frontiers in Medicine discusses the role of the human microbiota in this condition.

13 Jan 2022

Role of leptin in immune modulation and pathophysiology of COVID-19

A recent review paper in the journal Frontiers in Physiology discusses the role of leptins in infection with SARS-CoV-2 that triggered the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

13 Jan 2022

Exploring factors favoring transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta sublineage AY.4.2 over the Delta variant

In the present study, researchers isolated an infectious AY.4.2 strain of COVID-19 from the nasopharyngeal swab of a symptomatic individual from the Paris region. Then, they introduced the AY.4.2 signature mutations - T95I, Y145H, and A222V - in an expression plasmid coding the Delta protein to study the function of the AY.4.2 S protein.

13 Jan 2022