Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

An improved tetravalent antibody blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows the potential of a new fusion molecule called a biparatopic protein to inhibit viral interaction with the host cell ACE2 receptor. This could lead to therapeutic applications.

17 Jun 2020

BioRescue consortium is developing new technologies to prevent the extinction of species

In order to prevent the extinction of species such as the northern white rhino, the BioRescue consortium is developing new methods and technologies for conservation.

17 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 mutated spike proteins show variations in cell entry

A new study by Japanese scientists published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows that the D614g mutation in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein can enhance the infectivity of the virus while leaving it vulnerable to neutralization by antibodies.

17 Jun 2020

Novel ACE2-antibody fusion molecules show anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Now, in a new study published on the preprint server, bioRxiv researchers in the U.S. investigated a soluble version of ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 viral neutralization activity.

17 Jun 2020

Norway pulls coronavirus contact tracing App due to privacy concerns

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many countries have launched contact tracing apps to help contain the spread of the virus. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread across most of the world, now infecting more than 8.17 million people; hence, extensive contact tracing is a vital tool to prevent its vast spread.

17 Jun 2020

Beijing lockdown due to new SARS-CoV-2 cluster, New Zealand records first case in weeks

China had started to return to normalcy after successfully "flattening the curve," with the government slowly easing restrictions and opening up the economy. However, Beijing has reported new clusters of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, prompting the implementation of lockdown measures.

17 Jun 2020

Scientists isolate powerful SARS-CoV-2 -neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients

A new study has shown that potent antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could help protect against COVID-19 infection. Preliminary results in animal studies have so far proven successful. The study titled, "Isolation of potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and protection from disease in a small animal model," was published in the latest issue of the journal Science.

17 Jun 2020

CSIRO study on the effects of COVID-19 on weight and well being

The CSIRO, Australia's federal government agency responsible for scientific research, has come up with a study looking at the emotional well being and weight loss or gain associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the forced stay-at-home measures.

16 Jun 2020

Antibiotic X-206 effective against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

The current study published on the preprint server bioRxiv aims to understand how these compounds affect SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. The researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark examined 11 natural PEIs, with a single synthetic analog, screening them for inhibitory activity against the CPE of SARS-CoV-2 infecting cultured cells with overexpression of TMPRSS2, a serine protease that is instrumental in cleaving the spike protein of the virus.

16 Jun 2020

Hepatitis C virus co-opts an immune protein to evade antiviral defenses

By discovering a trick the hepatitis C virus uses to evade the immune system, scientists have identified a new antiviral defense system that could be used to treat many virus infections, according to new research published today in eLife.

16 Jun 2020

Study: One in five adults experienced a decrease in their sexual behavior early in the pandemic

One in five adults in the United States report they have experienced change - mostly a decrease - in their sexual behavior during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers.

16 Jun 2020

TERAVOLT tracks outcomes of people with thoracic cancers affected by COVID-19

New data from TERAVOLT, a global consortium that tracks outcomes of people with thoracic cancers affected by COVID-19, offers clues as to why they experienced a high death rate of 33% when the coronavirus swept across Europe.

16 Jun 2020

A new, daily home-monitoring program for patients presumed COVID-19 positive

How do you monitor patients who have COVID-19 symptoms but are not ill enough to come to the emergency department? And how do you help those patients feel cared about and less frightened while convalescing at home?

16 Jun 2020

Scientists evaluate SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in livestock, poultry, pets and wildlife

A large-scale single-cell screening endeavor on a wide variety of animals showed that cells targeted by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are most abundant in cats, but are also found in other animals – unveiling a valuable resource for controlling the ongoing disruptive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

16 Jun 2020

Researchers develop a simple tool for making mouse models of COVID-19

Until there are effective treatments or vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic will remain a significant threat to public health and economies around the world. A major hurdle to developing and testing new anti-viral therapies and vaccines for COVID-19 is the lack of good, widely available animal models of the disease.

16 Jun 2020

Key factors to "flattening the curve": Western Washington state's COVID-19 experience

Despite having the first confirmed case of coronavirus and the first major COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, the state of Washington implemented a response plan that kept its death rate the lowest among all states that have had major outbreaks.

16 Jun 2020

Severity of COVID-19 linked to heparanase activity and heparan sulfate levels

Researchers at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands reported an increase of heparanase activity and heparan sulfate levels in the plasma of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was also associated with the severity of the condition – suggesting, in turn, potential treatment utility of low molecular weight heparins. The paper is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

16 Jun 2020

Georgia Tech professor donated 7,000 gallons of redesigned sanitizer to fight COVID-19

So many people Seth Marder spoke to didn't see the hand sanitizer crisis brewing. The country was going to run dangerously short if someone did not act urgently.

16 Jun 2020

Including patients in hospital discharge letters could enhance outcomes of care

Sending discharge letters to patients as well as their GPs when they leave UK hospitals could make a substantial difference to patient outcomes, according to a new study by University of Warwick researchers.

16 Jun 2020

All of Us Research Program launches initiatives to seek new insights into COVID-19

The All of Us Research Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced that it is leveraging its significant and diverse participant base to seek new insights into COVID-19--through antibody testing, a survey on the pandemic's impacts and collection of electronic health record information.

16 Jun 2020

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

An improved tetravalent antibody blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection

BioRescue consortium is developing new technologies to prevent the extinction of species

SARS-CoV-2 mutated spike proteins show variations in cell entry

Novel ACE2-antibody fusion molecules show anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Norway pulls coronavirus contact tracing App due to privacy concerns

Beijing lockdown due to new SARS-CoV-2 cluster, New Zealand records first case in weeks

Scientists isolate powerful SARS-CoV-2 -neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients

CSIRO study on the effects of COVID-19 on weight and well being

Antibiotic X-206 effective against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Hepatitis C virus co-opts an immune protein to evade antiviral defenses

Study: One in five adults experienced a decrease in their sexual behavior early in the pandemic

TERAVOLT tracks outcomes of people with thoracic cancers affected by COVID-19

A new, daily home-monitoring program for patients presumed COVID-19 positive

Scientists evaluate SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in livestock, poultry, pets and wildlife

Researchers develop a simple tool for making mouse models of COVID-19

Key factors to "flattening the curve": Western Washington state's COVID-19 experience

Severity of COVID-19 linked to heparanase activity and heparan sulfate levels

Georgia Tech professor donated 7,000 gallons of redesigned sanitizer to fight COVID-19

Including patients in hospital discharge letters could enhance outcomes of care

All of Us Research Program launches initiatives to seek new insights into COVID-19

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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