SARS CoV 2 News and Research

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How DNA and life experiences leave distinct marks on the human immune system

Using single-cell epigenomic profiling of immune cells from 110 individuals, researchers show that genetic variation and environmental exposures shape the human immune system through distinct DNA methylation mechanisms. Genetic effects concentrate within gene bodies of memory cells, while environmental exposures primarily remodel regulatory regions in naive immune cells.

28 Jan 2026

Depression and anxiety together raise long COVID risk in older women

Older women who have a history of both depression and anxiety had a 78% higher risk of developing long COVID after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, report University of California San Diego researchers in the Jan. 27, 2026 online edition of the journal Menopause.

27 Jan 2026

Trump policies at odds with emerging understanding of covid’s long-term harm

27 Jan 2026

Shingles vaccination is linked to slower biological aging in older adults

This population-based study of U.S. adults aged 70 and older found that shingles vaccination was associated with slower epigenetic and transcriptomic aging, as well as lower systemic inflammation. No significant associations were observed for neurodegeneration or cardiovascular biomarkers, highlighting domain-specific molecular effects rather than broad clinical changes.

21 Jan 2026

COVID-19 severity is linked to changes in mitochondrial DNA methylation

This study examined mitochondrial and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial DNA methylation in Indian patients with severe COVID-19 and found region-specific differential methylation linked to disease severity. Pathway analyses and protein assays implicated disrupted mitochondrial metabolism and dynamics, suggesting a role for mitochondrial epigenetic regulation in COVID-19 pathophysiology.

20 Jan 2026

The challenge of tracking asymptomatic Mpox

The mpox virus appears to be circulating silently in parts of Nigeria, in many cases without the symptoms typically associated with the disease, according to new research led by scientists from the University of Cambridge and partners in Nigeria. The findings may have implications for controlling the spread of the disease.

20 Jan 2026

Long-term study reveals shifting patterns in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is rooted in concerns that can be addressed and effectively reduced over time, according to a new study following more than 1.1 million people in England between January 2021 and March 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, published in The Lancet.

13 Jan 2026

How pandemic viruses spread across U.S. cities before anyone notices

Researchers reconstruct the spatial spread of pandemic respiratory viruses across metropolitan areas throughout the United States

12 Jan 2026

ICSA 2025: Infection's role in cellular senescence, inflammation, and aging

A new meeting report was published in Volume 17, Issue 12 of Aging-US on December 23, 2025, titled "Cellular senescence meets infection: highlights from the 10th annual International Cell Senescence Association (ICSA) conference, Rome 2025."

8 Jan 2026

Economic instability linked to higher risk of long COVID in children

New research led by Mass General Brigham investigators suggests that long COVID is more prevalent in school-aged children and adolescents who experience economic instability and adverse social conditions.

5 Jan 2026

COVID-19 immunity stays specific and barely boosts protection against common cold coronaviruses

This study shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination generate strong, highly specific spike-binding immune responses with only modest effects on immunity to endemic common cold coronaviruses. Pre-existing coronavirus immunity patterns remain largely intact, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 has integrated into the human viral landscape without broadly reshaping cross-reactive protection.

5 Jan 2026

Genes and biological networks that drive long COVID risk

This study merges causal genetics and network theory, revealing 32 genes linked to long COVID, offering insights for diagnostics and personalized therapies.

19 Dec 2025

Social living allows genetic effects to spread through the gut microbiome

Your "roommate's" genes could be influencing the bacteria living in your gut, and vice versa, according to a study of rats published today in Nature Communications.

18 Dec 2025

SARS-CoV-2 manipulates host cell's RNA to weaken the immune response

Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil have discovered that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, uses a sophisticated tactic to evade the human body's defense system.

17 Dec 2025

Targeted mRNA vaccines train the immune system to destroy cancer cells

No matter where cancer cells grow in the human body, they are a threat to our health and our lives. But instead of treating them with chemotherapy or radiation - which have undesirable side effects - what if we could train our own immune systems to kill the rogue cells?

16 Dec 2025