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SARS-CoV-2 spike protein triggers cell signaling pathways in lung vascular cells

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 shows that vascular cells in the lung tissue begin to secrete signaling growth factors when exposed to just the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), without the rest of the viral components.

14 Oct 2020

Researchers discuss methods to produce core-sheath polymer fibers

Wound dressing, tissue scaffolding, controlled and sustained drug delivery, and cardiac patching are all biomedical processes requiring a material that combines strength with functionality.

14 Oct 2020

NIH launches new study to streamline COVID-19 treatments for larger clinical studies

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, today launched a study designed to determine whether certain approved therapies or investigational drugs in late-stage clinical development show promise against COVID-19 and merit advancement into larger clinical trials.

14 Oct 2020

First confirmed US case of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

Of the cases of reinfections worldwide, a particular case has been reported by scientists at the Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada. A 25-year-old man from Washoe County in the United States, the hardest-hit country globally, has more than 7.85 million cases.

14 Oct 2020

D614G mutation in SARS-CoV-2 increases viral fitness and infectivity

Researchers from the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and Duke University, Durham NC, USA, recently analyzed the D614G mutation in SARS-CoV-2 in the context of a soluble S ectodomain construct. Their study has been published in the preprint server bioRxiv.

14 Oct 2020

Children and teens can spread SARS-CoV-2 in their households

A team of researchers from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aimed to determine the secondary attack rates (SAR) among household contacts of children and adolescents who contracted SARS-CoV-2 during an outbreak at an overnight camp in June.

13 Oct 2020

Molecular stilts help deadly parasites to invade host cells

In biological terms, gliding refers to the type of movement during which a cell moves along a surface without changing its shape. This form of movement is unique to parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa, such as Plasmodium and Toxoplasma.

13 Oct 2020

Genoscience Pharma's GNS561 shows potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 shows that a combination of a new compound GNS561 and remdesivir act synergistically against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This suggests that autophagy inhibitors could be an alternative strategy for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

12 Oct 2020

Nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine shows promising results in mice

With promising vaccines comes a new candidate that has shown potent pre-clinical immune responses. The vaccine, developed by scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), induced a potent T-cell response at the mucus layer of the lungs, including killer CD8+ T-cells, which can recognize and kill virally infected cells.

12 Oct 2020

Vaccines likely to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 D614G mutation

The emergence of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mutation D614G has raised many questions, including whether it will cause the virus to become resistant to the vaccines produced against earlier versions of the virus. A new study published in the journal npj Vaccines in October 2020 shows that this may be an unfounded fear.

11 Oct 2020

Researchers receive €2.35 million to examine disease pathways of viruses

Two University College Dublin (UCD) researchers and SiriusXT, a UCD spin-out company, have been awarded a total of €2.35 million in funding for a disruptive photonics technology project, through Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme, to examine the disease pathways of viruses.

9 Oct 2020

Scientists recreate initial steps of HIV infection in a test tube

Accomplishing a feat that had been a pipe dream for decades, scientists have recreated in a test tube the first steps of infection by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

9 Oct 2020

Production of bone substitutes is less complicated than was previously thought

The way in which bone formation occurs needs to be redefined. This was revealed by Radboud university medical center researchers and their colleagues in a publication in Nature Communications.

8 Oct 2020

NIH clinical trial to test a combination treatment regimen for COVID-19

A clinical trial to test the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a combination treatment regimen for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) consisting of the antiviral remdesivir plus a highly concentrated solution of antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has begun.

8 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 survives on human skin for 9 hours

Japanese researchers have now studied the survival possibilities of the flu virus and the SARS-CoV-2 on human skin. Their study titled, "Survival of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus on the human skin: Importance of hand hygiene in COVID-19," was published in the latest issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

8 Oct 2020

Scientists refine SARS-CoV-2 protein structures

An international team of scientists has developed computational models to re-analyze and validate experimentally-derived publicly available macromolecular structures of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

8 Oct 2020

Proteolytic cleavage of nucleocapsid helps SARS-CoV-2 evade host immune responses

A team of scientists of the University of Oxford reveals that the nucleocapsid protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) undergoes autoproteolysis, and that resulting products can escape the host immune responses and facilitate viral proliferation. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

7 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection analysis could help fight against COVID-19

Researchers in the United States has provided a detailed catalog of the interactions that occur between host cell proteins and RNA and the RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the course of infection.

7 Oct 2020

Engineers invent plant-based spray that could be used in N95 mask filters

Engineers have invented a way to spray extremely thin wires made of a plant-based material that could be used in N95 mask filters, devices that harvest energy for electricity, and potentially the creation of human organs.

7 Oct 2020

Using virus-like particles to study SARS-CoV-2 assembly, budding, and entry

In a recent preprint paper published on the bioRxiv server, researchers from the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, discuss their efforts to assess the 4 SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins for their ability to produce VLPs from human cells to create a competent system for BSL-2 studies of SARS-CoV-2.

6 Oct 2020