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Booster dose of mRNA vaccines found crucial in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants

A new study shows that Omicron is more infectious than any of the other variants and that booster vaccines, especially mRNA vaccines, are capable of neutralizing Omicron variants of pseudoviruses.

29 Dec 2021

Human iPSC-derived fallopian tube organoids reveal the origins of common ovarian cancer

Stem cell scientists have revealed the origins of a common ovarian cancer by modeling fallopian tube tissues, allowing them to characterize how a genetic mutation puts women at high risk for this cancer.

29 Dec 2021

New techniques enable visualization of DNA repair machinery in detail

Each one of the trillions of cells that make up the human body suffers more than 10,000 DNA lesions every day. These injuries would be catastrophic if cells were unable to repair them, but a very delicate machinery that detects and repair genetic damage is at work to prevent DNA mutations and diseases such as cancer.

29 Dec 2021

New biodegradable smart food packaging material helps kill harmful microbes

A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, US, has developed a 'smart' food packaging material that is biodegradable, sustainable and kills microbes that are harmful to humans. It could also extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit by two to three days.

29 Dec 2021

New optogenetic tool uses focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force

Cell generated force plays essential roles in a wide range of biological processes, such as cell motility, cytokinesis, and tissue morphogenesis. In a study published in Nature Communications, a research team led by the Division of Quantitative Biology at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Japan has successfully developed "OptoMYPT"：an optogenetic tool that utilizes focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force.

29 Dec 2021

Study sheds light on how the immune system behaves during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a challenge for the mother's immune system from the outset. Half of the genes in the fetus are foreign to her body.

29 Dec 2021

Researchers investigate the effect of emerging SARS-CoV-2 mutations on ACE2 binding

Now in new research, scientists from the University of Leicester have been investigating how these mutations alter the affinities of RBDs to ACE2.

28 Dec 2021

Study highlights importance of positive and negative selection in evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have been investigating the changes imparted on the Gamma variant by three RBD mutations.

28 Dec 2021

Pre-existing immunity against influenza can lower SARS-CoV-2 infection burden and spread

A recent study by a team of European researchers demonstrated how antibodies induced by currently circulating influenza A H1N1 strains can cross-react with the important part of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein that interacts with the human cell receptor. Their paper is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server while it undergoes peer review.

28 Dec 2021

Third BNT162b2 dose effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Omicron pseudovirus

The findings reveal that the Omicron neutralizing titers induced by the third vaccine dose are comparable to that achieved against the original Wuhan strain (wild-type SARS-CoV-2) by the two-dose regimen. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

28 Dec 2021

Study suggests spike mutation makes SARS-CoV-2 Omicron milder

The Omicron spike is relatively poorly cleaved and impaired in mediating cell-cell fusion and syncytia formation, contrary to predictions.

28 Dec 2021

Researchers discover antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants

An international team of scientists have identified antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. These antibodies target areas of the virus spike protein that remain essentially unchanged as the viruses mutate.

28 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2-induced kidney damage

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) infects the kidneys and contributes to tissue scarring, as shown by researchers from the RWTH Uniklinik Aachen, Germany, and Radboudumc, The Netherlands. The developed scar tissue in the infected kidneys may suggest a possible impact on kidney outcomes in the long term.

27 Dec 2021

Cancer patients who had breakthrough COVID-19 remain at high risk for hospitalization, death

The first study to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of fully vaccinated patients with cancer who had breakthrough COVID-19 infections indicates they remained at high risk for hospitalization and death.

26 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant mutated to evade the immune system

The SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant mutated to evade our 'innate immune system', helping establish it as the world's first 'Variant of Concern', finds a new study led by researchers at UCL and the Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California San Francisco.

24 Dec 2021

Study helps explain why mRNA vaccines have been successful at preventing severe COVID-19

Washington University in St. Louis student Julian McCall receives a dose of Pfizer's mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.

24 Dec 2021

LJI researchers discover how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma

Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have uncovered how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma. Their research, published in Nature Immunology, could potentially open opportunities for designing drug treatment strategies to target malignant cells in many cancers.

24 Dec 2021

Study hints subtle differences in the quality of immune response based on COVID-19 severity

Infection-fighting B cells retain better memory of the coronavirus spike protein in University Hospital patients who recover from less-severe cases of COVID-19 than in those recovering from severe COVID-19, a new study suggests.

24 Dec 2021

Study uncovers new details behind inflammation that promotes cardiovascular disease

High cholesterol and inflammation are key drivers of heart disease, and an inflamed buildup of lipids can cut off the blood supply through a coronary artery to cause a heart attack.

24 Dec 2021

Single-patient pilot study shows the ability of antisense oligonucleotide to suppress mutant ALS gene

Using a short, synthetic chain of chemically modified nucleotides engineered in the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Chan Medical School, Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, Jonathan Watts, PhD, and colleagues have shown the ability to suppress mutant forms of an ALS gene known as C9ORF72 in a single-patient pilot study.

24 Dec 2021

B Cell News and Research

Booster dose of mRNA vaccines found crucial in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants

Human iPSC-derived fallopian tube organoids reveal the origins of common ovarian cancer

New techniques enable visualization of DNA repair machinery in detail

New biodegradable smart food packaging material helps kill harmful microbes

New optogenetic tool uses focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force

Study sheds light on how the immune system behaves during pregnancy

Researchers investigate the effect of emerging SARS-CoV-2 mutations on ACE2 binding

Study highlights importance of positive and negative selection in evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Pre-existing immunity against influenza can lower SARS-CoV-2 infection burden and spread

Third BNT162b2 dose effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Omicron pseudovirus

Study suggests spike mutation makes SARS-CoV-2 Omicron milder

Researchers discover antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants

SARS-CoV-2-induced kidney damage

Cancer patients who had breakthrough COVID-19 remain at high risk for hospitalization, death

SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant mutated to evade the immune system

Study helps explain why mRNA vaccines have been successful at preventing severe COVID-19

LJI researchers discover how loss of TET enzymes can lead to B cell lymphoma

Study hints subtle differences in the quality of immune response based on COVID-19 severity

Study uncovers new details behind inflammation that promotes cardiovascular disease

Single-patient pilot study shows the ability of antisense oligonucleotide to suppress mutant ALS gene

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