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Genomic variation and descent of SARS-CoV-2 strains in India

The pandemic of COVID-19 that is still affecting over 188 countries and territories the world over has taken over 359,000 lives in just under five months, while affecting at least 5.8 million people. Different strains have diverged from the original strain detected in Wuhan, China.

28 May 2020

Ferritin heavy chain protein shows promise as a potential SARS-CoV-2 vaccine or antiviral

A new study published on the online preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020 reports the construction and testing of a new ferritin-based antigen-bearing protein that has biological activity towards the ACE2 receptor. This could indicate its potential for development as a vaccine or antiviral.

28 May 2020

Researchers grow lung organoids from stem cells for Sars-Cov-2 research

A Bochum-based team intends to use organoids from stem cells to study the progression of Sars-CoV-2 infection and to identify antiviral substances.

28 May 2020

A closer look at TMPRSS2: This could help treat COVID-19

The transmembrane protease serine-type 2 (TMPRSS2) protein plays a key role in COVID-19 infection since it primes the viral spike protein to allow viral entry into the target cell. A new study by researchers at Imperial College London and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020 describes the protein, which could be an attractive drug target to help manage COVID-19.

28 May 2020

Research provides important insights into genetic adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 to humans

In their groundbreaking paper available on the preprint server medRxiv, University of Pittsburgh researchers were appraising signals of SARS-CoV-2 genome evolution and found that purifying selection (i.e., removal of deleterious mutations) represents the dominant trait during early coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic - suggesting that the virus will evolve as it diversifies in a growing number of hosts.

28 May 2020

PKU-led team identifies potent neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

A joint research team led by Sunney Xie, Director of Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics at Peking University has successfully identified multiple highly potent neutralizing antibodies against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of the respiratory disease COVID-19, from convalescent plasma by high-throughput single-cell sequencing.

28 May 2020

Antibody tests were hailed as way to end lockdowns. Instead, they cause confusion.

Aspen was an early COVID-19 hot spot in Colorado, with a cluster of cases in March linked to tourists visiting for its world-famous skiing. Tests were in short supply, making it difficult to know how the virus was spreading.

28 May 2020

SCN study outlines impacts of targeted skills training on Canada’s regenerative medicine sector

Today, Canada’s Stem Cell Network (SCN) released a study entitled, Training Tomorrow’s Research Leaders, outlining the impacts of nearly 20 years of targeted skills training on Canada’s emergent regenerative medicine sector.

28 May 2020

SignalChem Biotech Inc. launches COVID-19 elisa kits for diagnostic research

SignalChem, a global leader in cell signaling and protein engineering, has been conducting research on new coronaviruses since the outbreak of the virus.

From SignalChem Biotech Inc. 28 May 2020

Measuring the binding of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to the COVID spike protein using SPR

Ryan Denomme, the CEO of Nicoya, speaks to News-Medical on their SARS-CoV-2 research using their SPR technology.

From Nicoya Lifesciences 28 May 2020

Clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine starts in Australia

Over 100 candidate vaccines are being explored as a means of ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight of these have already made it to clinical trials in humans, and another 94 are in the pre-clinical evaluation stage.

27 May 2020

Is air pollution a risk factor for COVID-19 infection?

The COVID-19 pandemic began at the very end of 2019 in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. However, its spread soon began to threaten the health of the whole country and then of the world, leading to nearly 5.7 million cases and over 355,000 dead as of today. A new study, published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020, explores the effects of air pollution on COVID-19 infections in China.

27 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 RNA in blood tests not associated with infectious virus

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged hospitals and laboratory services worldwide. Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 initially lagged but is now primarily based on the use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect viral nucleic RNA in the samples. However, viral RNA has also been reported in several small series of cases, though its significance and frequency remain unclear.

27 May 2020

Masks can help reduce asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols

Growing evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can be spread by asymptomatic people via aerosols -- a reality that deeply underscores the ongoing importance of regular widespread testing, wearing masks and physical distancing to reduce the spread of the virus, say Kimberly Prather and colleagues in a new Perspective.

27 May 2020

ACE2 receptors in the kidney not linked to high BP or RAS blockers

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to smolder and flare up in various parts of the world, researchers are still trying to make sense of the virus, its routes of spread, its target tissues, and the immune responses it induces. One crucial piece of knowledge is that the primary viral receptor is a human enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

27 May 2020

How India's lockdown has affected mental health

India’s public landscape has transformed dramatically over the last couple of months, with the most prolonged lockdown that the present generation can remember. Declared on March 24, 2020, the lockdown ensured that hundreds of millions of people were effectively confined to home, except when they ventured out, armed with a self-attested affidavit, to stock up on essentials.

27 May 2020

Study shows children and adults have a comparable expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry-related genes

A recent paper by researchers from China demonstrated comparable expression levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cell entry mediators in adults and children, suggesting that previously implied difference in viral-entry associated genes is likely not responsible for milder symptoms in children. The study is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

27 May 2020

COVID-19 only kills 1% of people in remote Papuan village with limited resources

A researcher from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and a tropical medicine expert who lives in Wamena, Indonesia have published a unique account of a village in the Papuan highlands of Indonesia that has experienced what was presumed to be an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

27 May 2020

Neurological complications of COVID-19: What is known so far?

Researchers at the São Leopoldo Mandic School of Medicine in Brazil have presented a review of the current data available on the neurological effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-9).

27 May 2020

Mouse model mimics clinical course and pathology observed in COVID-19 patients

A mouse model of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reproduces features observed in human patients, researchers report May 26 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

27 May 2020