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Researchers discover the second possible effective mechanism of remdesivir

The virostatic agent remdesivir was developed to disrupt an important step in the propagation of RNA viruses, to which SARS-CoV-2 also belongs: the reproduction of the virus's own genetic material. This is present as RNA matrices with which the host cell directly produces virus proteins.

11 May 2021

Severe COVID-19 linked to genetic clotting predisposition

Thus, the need to stratify the risk of severe or critical disease in patients presenting with SARS-CoV-2 infection remains a crying necessity. A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server discusses the relationship between severe disease and pre-existing susceptibility to clots and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.

11 May 2021

GeroSense AI tracks biological age and resilience via smartphone sensor data

Gero has developed and validated GeroSense AI to track biological age and resilience via smartphone sensor data. The performance of the new health and aging markers have been recently reported in a paper in Aging US.

11 May 2021

The travel-related origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 strain

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server describes a new variant B.1.620, which appeared in Lithuania, and is now prevalent in several countries in Europe, as well as in central Africa.

11 May 2021

Machine learning approach helps study human hypothalamus at the single-cell level

Human brain organoids are remarkable platforms for modeling features of human brain development and diseases.

11 May 2021

Single-cell map offers a new immunotherapy target for lung cancer treatment

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a first-of-its-kind spatial atlas of early-stage lung cancer and surrounding normal lung tissue at single-cell resolution, providing a valuable resource for studying tumor development and identifying new therapeutic targets.

11 May 2021

Lab reports 1st instance of SARS-CoV-2 variants affecting antigen test performance

Researchers from the US recently determined the sensitivity of the Quidel Sofia SARS Antigen FIA test (Sofia 2). They found a high viral load specimen that tested negative repeatedly while using this antigen test. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv.

10 May 2021

Machine learning technique detects epigenetic drivers of cancers

Scientists have made major advances in understanding and developing treatments for many cancers by identifying genetic mutations that drive the disease.

10 May 2021

Rice University neurobiologist wins NIH grant to study enteric nervous system development

Rice University neurobiologist Rosa Uribe will be hitting the books for her latest study of the digestive system, but some of the pages in her books are a billion years old.

10 May 2021

Researchers study how cancer cells re-organize 3D structure of DNA to ramp up oncogene activity

In cancer, a lot of biology goes awry: Genes mutate, molecular processes change dramatically, and cells proliferate uncontrollably to form entirely new tissues that we call tumors.

10 May 2021

Esophageal cancers turn on ancient viral DNA hidden in our genome

Scientists have discovered that many esophageal cancers turn on ancient viral DNA that was embedded in our genome hundreds of millions of years ago.

10 May 2021

Researchers improve method to inhibit viruses that cause childhood respiratory infections

By engineering a short chunk of protein, or peptide, that can prevent the attachment of human parainfluenza viruses to cells, researchers have improved a method in rodent models intended to help keep children healthy.

10 May 2021

Korea's first large-scale project reaches milestone of sequencing 10,000 whole genomes

On April 26, UNIST and Ulsan City officially announced that their ambitious 10,000 Genome Project has finally reached the milestone of sequencing 10,000 whole genomes.

10 May 2021

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Germany

Seroprevalence studies have proved their worth in estimating the size and directionality of an outbreak of infectious disease, especially the current pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server describes the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in five representative regions of Germany.

10 May 2021

Total COVID-19 deaths could be 7 million

A new analysis from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), which independently researches health at the University of Washington School of Medicine, shows that the total global toll due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be more than twice the officially reported number of deaths, at almost 7 million.

10 May 2021

Absence of key gene causes severe hearing loss

A gene called GAS2 plays a key role in normal hearing, and its absence causes severe hearing loss, according to a study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

7 May 2021

CFTR modulator can be safe, well-tolerated for younger children with common form of cystic fibrosis

Children ages two to five who have the most common form of cystic fibrosis (CF), caused by two copies of the F508 gene mutation, have not had any modulator treatments available to them until recently.

7 May 2021

Researchers identify genetic cause of a rare neurological disorder

In a paper published today in Nature Communications, an international group of collaborators led by researchers at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have identified a genetic cause of a rare neurological disorder marked by developmental delay and loss of coordination, or ataxia.

7 May 2021

The ancestor of SARS-CoV-2’s Wuhan strain was circulating in late October 2019

The SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in a case from Wuhan, China, in December 2021, and subsequently became the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging the world today. A new study in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution tracks its variants all over the world since the onset of the pandemic.

7 May 2021

Are infants at greater risk of COVID-19 than children?

The widely circulating SARS-CoV-2 has caused the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of this infection varies significantly with age, sparing young children for the most part, though not completely. However, a new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, shows that infants are not as resistant to the virus as children are. The researchers trace this to the expression of ACE2 to varying extents in different groups.

7 May 2021