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Promising new candidate 'virus-like particle' vaccine for COVID-19

Researchers in the UK and Taiwan have demonstrated the potential of a new candidate vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the virus responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

1 Sep 2020

Rapid COVID-19 test could enable point-of-care diagnosis

As COVID-19 continues to spread, bottlenecks in supplies and laboratory personnel have led to long waiting times for results in some areas.

1 Sep 2020

New microgel drug delivery method could improve effectiveness of pancreatic islet transplants

Pancreatic islet transplants, which revive insulin production to treat type 1 diabetes, only last an average of three years.

31 Aug 2020

Wearable device may more accurately assess the effects of hemorrhage blood loss

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs), military medics, and emergency room physicians could one day be better able to treat victims of vehicular accidents, gunshot wounds, and battlefield injuries thanks to a new device under development that may more accurately assess the effects of blood loss due to hemorrhage.

31 Aug 2020

New lipid derivatives of Remdesivir have higher anti-coronavirus activity

In a fascinating new preprint paper published on bioRxiv* in August 2020, the researchers report “the synthesis and antiviral evaluation of three novel lipophilic prodrugs of RVn-monophosphate that are substantially more active than Remdesivir in cells infected with SARS-CoV-2.” These could be of immense use in treating COVID-19 patients early and helping to end transmission.

30 Aug 2020

Manipulating 3D Printed Organoid Microenvironments

Organoids are 3-dimensional (3D) clusters of stem cells that come together and emulate the microenvironment within individual organs, whether that be liver, kidney, heart, gut or other specific organs.

From Manchester BIOGEL 28 Aug 2020

Scientists combine 3D bioprinting and computer modeling to study cancer metastasis in blood vessels

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have paired 3D-printed, living human brain vasculature with advanced computational flow simulations to better understand tumor cell attachment to blood vessels, the first step in secondary tumor formation during cancer metastasis.

26 Aug 2020

Effective buccal swab RNA extraction for COVID-19 diagnostic testing

Porvair Sciences announces a special version of its popular Homogeniser Spin Column optimized for RNA extraction from buccal swabs.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 26 Aug 2020

Advances in Virus Epigenetics

Growing evidence shows viruses exploit epigenetic processes to control their life cycles but epigentic regulation of viral infections is not fully understood.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 25 Aug 2020

Relative humidity could play a role in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 indoors

A new study has explored the role of relative humidity in the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from person to person indoors. The study titled, “An Overview on the Role of Relative Humidity in Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Environments,” is published in the latest issue of the journal Aerosol and Air Quality Research.

24 Aug 2020

Research suggests seaweed extract and xylitol may help protect against COVID-19

Researchers in the United States have demonstrated the antiviral effect of three candidate nasal spray formulations against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

24 Aug 2020

Wastewater containing coronaviruses may be a serious threat, shows study

Wastewater containing coronaviruses may be a serious threat, according to a new, global study led by researchers from the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).

24 Aug 2020

Study: Fewer types of fungi in the lungs are associated with increased severity of disease in ARDS patients

Many COVID-19 patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening condition where the lungs cannot provide the body's vital organs with enough oxygen.

24 Aug 2020

Loss of supporting cells in olfactory epithelium causes loss of smell in COVID-19

In the current pandemic of COVID-19, many patients have reported symptoms of loss of smell and taste. The cellular basis of this phenomenon has not been satisfactorily explained so far. However, a new study published in the Briefings in Bioinformatics in August 2020 shows how this symptom is related to viral pathogenesis.

23 Aug 2020

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate BNT162b2 profiled for large scale clinical trials

Although two RNA-based severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine candidates elicited similar, dose-dependent neutralizing antibody titers in both younger and older adults, a recent study by researchers from the U.S. and Germany has shown that BNT162b2 is associated with less systemic reactogenicity in elderly individuals – supporting its selection for further phase 2/3 clinical trials. The study is currently available on medRxiv* preprint server.

23 Aug 2020

Nano and microplastics found in all human organs and tissues

Recently, a team of researchers from Arizona State University has discovered micro and nanoplastics in human tissues and organs. The study was presented at the American Chemical Society's virtual expo.

18 Aug 2020

Study reveals bacteria's secret weapon to evade immune responses

Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute scientists have discovered a previously unknown method used by bacteria to evade immune responses.

17 Aug 2020

Study shows how viruses operate and evade the immune system

University of Otago researchers have learnt more about how viruses operate and can evade the immune system and are now using their discovery to help learn more about COVID-19.

13 Aug 2020

SUTD scientists use 3D printing to create heart cells from stem cells

All humans start out from a single cell which then divides to eventually form the embryo. Depending on the signals sent by their adjacent cells, these divided cells are then developed or differentiated into specific tissues or organs.

11 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 droplets travel further and last longer than thought, and even more in humid air

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is spread by respiratory aerosols, in which tiny droplets of saliva and mucus containing the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are expelled from the upper respiratory tract. Though quite a few studies have investigated the viral load of such droplets, not much is known about how far these droplets move or how long they linger in the air, even though such information is crucial to determining how infectious they are.

10 Aug 2020