Spike Protein News and Research

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Is the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant more vaccine-resistant than the Delta variant?

Researchers in the USA and China recently published a report in which they discussed the potential factors that confer high infectivity and immune resistance on the Delta and Lambda variants.

6 Sep 2021

Study finds SARS-CoV-2 affects the brain by binding with MAO enzymes

A new study by researchers in Croatia and Slovenia shows the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has an affinity towards monoamine oxidases (MAO) enzymes. Changes in MAO levels have been the culprit for several neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease.

6 Sep 2021

Antibody cocktail neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and has projected protection up to 12 months

A new study reports long-lasting, effective protection against severe disease with the AZD7442 antibody cocktail.

3 Sep 2021

UVA research quantifies the antibody response generated by Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine quantifies the antibody response generated by the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines.

3 Sep 2021

Simple and rapid method measures T-cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, together with collaborators from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH), have discovered a simple and rapid method to measure the T-cell immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

3 Sep 2021

Increased evolutionary rates seen in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

An Australian study conducted at the University of Melbourne describes that the emergence of more deadly variants of concern (VOCs) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with an induction in episodic evolutionary rate. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

2 Sep 2021

Do kidney transplant recipients need a third booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine?

A team of researchers in France have observed that the “standard” 2 dose regimen for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could provide adequate protection to only a few KTRs. It has also been shown in multiple studies that a considerable population of vaccinated KTRs were easily infected with SARS-CoV-2.

1 Sep 2021

Structure-based model of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals opportunity to halt virus transmission

Scientists have simulated the transition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein structure from when it recognizes the host cell to when it gains entry, according to a study published today in eLife.

1 Sep 2021

Attenuated virulence and protective immunity in SARS-CoV-2 with a mutation in the S1/S2 cleavage site

A new study published in mBio investigates the impact of the furin cleavage site on viral growth and pathogenesis.

31 Aug 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 infection protect against reinfection?

A new review showed that the protective effect of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection is at least equivalent to that of vaccination.

31 Aug 2021

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity induced by Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may decline after 6 months

A team of scientists from Israel has recently claimed that antiviral immunity induced by the mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) BNT162b2 gradually declines over time, highlighting the need for a third booster dose.

31 Aug 2021

Post-infection vaccination produces potent neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

The best protection against new SARS-CoV-2 infections or reinfections may be obtained by a combination of vaccine-elicited and infection-induced antibodies.

31 Aug 2021

The tale of mRNA vaccines: Turning calamity into opportunity

In a review paper published in the journal Nature Reviews, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pennsylvania have described the underlying technologies for mRNA vaccines and their future prospects with improved delivery systems and applications in diseases beyond the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

31 Aug 2021

Role of glycans on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human receptor interaction

A team of investigators, led by Dr. Benjamin F. Mann, from Merck, USA have published a new study on the preprint server bioRxiv*. They have used a biochemical approach to control the glycosylation profile of the S protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and to analyze the effect of different glycosylation patterns on receptor binding.

30 Aug 2021

Could genetic variants in host cell receptors (ACE2) explain COVID-19 susceptibility among certain ethnic groups?

Led by Ioannis Karakikes of Stanford University, a new study suggests some hospitalized patients with COVID-19 contain ACE2 genetic variants that increase ACE2 expression. Some variants that altered ACE2 protein expression and binding affinity were more prevalent in people with European backgrounds.

30 Aug 2021

Does SARS-CoV-2 natural infection immunity better protect against the Delta variant than vaccination?

A new study from Israel suggests immunity gained after recovering from a previous COVID-19 infection is more protective against the new Delta variant than vaccine-induced immunity. Natural immunity was estimated to be about 13 times stronger than having two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

30 Aug 2021

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern modulate receptor and antibody binding

In a trailblazing engineering effort, Canadian and US researchers indicate that the emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 stems from the mutations of spike glycoprotein that confer either increased affinity for the host cell receptor or increased antibody evasion.

30 Aug 2021

New study maps the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 delta and delta plus variants

The SARS-CoV-2 delta variant bears the D164G mutation, which is known to enhance viral fitness. However, a number of additional mutations are known to be common to the delta and delta plus lineages, at least 25 as identified in a study recently published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, mainly located on the spike protein of the virus.

30 Aug 2021

Polymeric and lipid nanoparticles in self-amplifying RNA vaccines result in higher protein expression and immunogenicity

Self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) is an advanced platform for nucleic acid vaccine development. The backbone is typically derived from an alphaviral genome and encodes a gene of interest (GOI) and a viral replicase that can amplify the genomic and subgenomic RNA.

30 Aug 2021

Next-gen COVID vaccine to make persistent neutralizing antibodies

Presently, there is a need to develop improved versions of COVID-19 vaccines that are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) and can confer long-term protection. Considering the need of the hour, scientists from the University of Sydney in Australia have generated a new COVID-19 vaccine CoVac-II and evaluated its effect against COVID-19 strains. The findings from this study are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

30 Aug 2021

Spike Protein News and Research

Is the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant more vaccine-resistant than the Delta variant?

Study finds SARS-CoV-2 affects the brain by binding with MAO enzymes

Antibody cocktail neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and has projected protection up to 12 months

UVA research quantifies the antibody response generated by Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines

Simple and rapid method measures T-cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 virus

Increased evolutionary rates seen in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Do kidney transplant recipients need a third booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine?

Structure-based model of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein reveals opportunity to halt virus transmission

Attenuated virulence and protective immunity in SARS-CoV-2 with a mutation in the S1/S2 cleavage site

Does SARS-CoV-2 infection protect against reinfection?

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity induced by Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may decline after 6 months

Post-infection vaccination produces potent neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

The tale of mRNA vaccines: Turning calamity into opportunity

Role of glycans on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human receptor interaction

Could genetic variants in host cell receptors (ACE2) explain COVID-19 susceptibility among certain ethnic groups?

Does SARS-CoV-2 natural infection immunity better protect against the Delta variant than vaccination?

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern modulate receptor and antibody binding

New study maps the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 delta and delta plus variants

Polymeric and lipid nanoparticles in self-amplifying RNA vaccines result in higher protein expression and immunogenicity

Next-gen COVID vaccine to make persistent neutralizing antibodies

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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