ACE2 News and Research

RSS

COVID-19 immunity shows cross-reactivity against related bat coronaviruses

People who recovered from COVID-19 infection or were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to have immunity to other closely related bat coronaviruses that could have the potential to threaten future human health.

1 Oct 2026

SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF8 drives macrophage infection and lung inflammation

In the sickest COVID-19 patients, the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesn't just cause severe damage by directly infecting airway cells.

18 Sep 2026

Harvard scientists design evolutionary traps to stop viral mutations

When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS‑CoV‑2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed.

15 Sep 2026

Why Andes hantavirus is not the next COVID-19

Research highlights fundamental differences between Andes hantavirus and SARS-CoV-2, emphasizing distinct transmission routes and public health implications.

10 Jun 2026

Scientists find that human embryos are vulnerable to COVID

A University of California, Riverside study reports that cells in the earliest stages of human development could be susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, offering new insight into how the virus interacts with developing human tissues and why that may matter for pregnancy research.

4 May 2026

Kenyan bat coronavirus uses human CEACAM6 to enter cells, raising spillover concerns

Researchers screened a phylogenetically diverse panel of alphacoronavirus spike proteins and found that a heart-nosed bat coronavirus from Kenya can use human CEACAM6 to enter cells.

23 Apr 2026

SARS-CoV-2 rarely reaches first-trimester placentas but still disrupts early pregnancy immunity

Researchers analyzing 761 first-trimester pregnancies found that SARS-CoV-2 was rarely detected in placental tissues, suggesting in utero transmission early in pregnancy is uncommon. However, maternal infection was linked to immune dysregulation at the maternal-fetal interface, altered trophoblast signaling, and inflammatory changes that could affect placental development.

14 Apr 2026

Long COVID taste loss tied to reduced expression of key taste genes

The study identifies molecular changes in taste receptor cells as a potential cause of persistent taste dysfunction in long COVID-19, impacting quality of life.

5 Mar 2026

ACE2 protein may play a protective role against high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes

A collaborative study from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London has found that the protein ACE2 may play a protective role against two common conditions, high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes, which affect millions of people worldwide.

19 Dec 2025

Azelastine nasal spray prevents COVID-19 and rhinovirus infections

Researchers discuss the effects of azelastine nasal spray on the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection as compared to placebo.

6 Oct 2025

Study reveals how SARS-CoV-2 hijacks testicular lipid metabolism to replicate

The COVID-19 virus hijacks the machinery of testicular cells that produce the hormone testosterone in order to replicate.

21 Aug 2025

Llama-derived nanobody VHH21 destroys the spike-trimer of SARS-CoV-2

Neutralizing antibodies that merely block receptor binding are losing ground against heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants.

14 Aug 2025

Gut microbe emerges as a promising tool in the fight against COVID-19

Researchers found that Akkermansia muciniphila boosts lung-specific antiviral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mice by modulating the gut–lung axis. This commensal gut bacterium shows promise as a potential biomarker and biotherapeutic candidate for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

25 Jun 2025

Aspirin lowers diabetes risk during COVID-19, but not without side effects

A large real-world Italian cohort study found that daily low-dose aspirin use significantly lowered the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protective effect appears linked to aspirin’s anti-inflammatory properties, though bleeding risks require caution.

19 Jun 2025

AI and film animation tools lead to breakthrough in coronavirus drug discovery

About 30% of all respiratory tract infections are caused by coronaviruses, leading to widespread illnesses and, in some cases, to epidemic and even pandemic outbreaks, as we experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic.

13 Jun 2025

Compact diagnostic platform enables rapid COVID-19 antibody testing from fingertip blood

Researchers from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with multiple collaborators, have developed a compact diagnostic platform that can evaluate antibody protection against COVID-19 using only a single microliter of fingertip blood.

5 Jun 2025

Emerging bat viruses closely related to MERS show potential to jump to humans

A group of bat viruses closely related to the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) could be one small mutation away from being capable of spilling over into human populations and potentially causing the next pandemic.

4 Jun 2025

Integrating phytomedicine and nanotechnology in managing COVID-19 related heart disease

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection represents a critical intersection of viral-induced inflammation and cardiovascular pathology.

22 May 2025

Electromagnetic waves disrupt SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and lower infectivity

Researchers demonstrated that specific electromagnetic wave frequencies can disrupt the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein structure in virus-like particles, leading to reduced infectivity in cell models. This proof-of-concept study suggests new avenues for non-chemical viral inactivation methods.

18 May 2025