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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 uses two fusion keys to enter host cells

To enter our cells, the Covid-19 virus fuses its surrounding membrane with the membrane of the target cell.

17 Sep 2026

Novel norovirus vaccine approach may be adaptable for other RNA viruses

Every RNA virus — from stomach bugs and influenza to chickenpox and the common cold — has its own story to tell, with a unique combination of symptoms, rates of transmission, duration, and chemical blueprint.

19 Aug 2026

New cancer vaccine harnesses COVID-19 immune memory to fight tumors

In a discovery that could redefine the future of cancer immunotherapy, scientists from Celloram Inc., University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University have developed a novel cancer vaccine platform that transforms the impact of the largest immunological event in modern history – a synchronized mass immune memory generated through SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination – into a powerful ally against cancer.

27 Jul 2026

COVID-19 vaccine boosters may protect against future animal coronavirus outbreaks

COVID-19 vaccine boosters not only protect against SARS‑CoV‑2 – the virus behind the most recent pandemic – but may also help protect against some future coronaviruses that risk spreading from animals to humans, Cambridge researchers have shown.

1 Jul 2026

COVID-19 vaccine boosters may help protect against future animal coronaviruses

30 Jun 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

Experimental vaccine triggers broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies in macaques

For years, researchers have been hoping for vaccines that protect people against not just one strain of HIV, but every strain of the quickly mutating virus.

28 May 2026

Boston Children's scientists create new booster-free mRNA vaccine strategy

In a new study published in Nature Immunology, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital demonstrated that pairing the original COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with an immune system enhancer, known as an adjuvant, extended the duration of the vaccine's protection in mice from a few months up to two years.

22 May 2026

Genetic mapping in wastewater sets a new standard for pathogen surveillance

Tracking the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, rather than just viral abundance, dramatically improves the ability to monitor and predict COVID-19 outbreaks, researchers report. Their study suggests that the new approach to wastewater pathogen surveillance could serve as a powerful predictive tool for public health, providing earlier and more accurate insight into emerging waves of infection.

15 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

FairJourney Bio opens Cryo-EM structural biology facility in San Diego

FairJourney Bio (FJBio), a global antibody discovery contract research organization (CRO), today announced the opening of its advanced cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structural biology facility in San Diego, California.

From FairJourney Biologics S.A. 13 Apr 2026

Study links COVID-19 infection to increased lung cancer risk

New findings from researchers at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem have identified a potential association between COVID-19 and increased lung cancer risk, driven by underlying biological mechanisms in the lung.

11 Apr 2026

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 shows no signs of greater danger

The Global Virus Network (GVN), representing eminent human and animal virologists from more than 90 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in over 40 countries dedicated to advancing research, collaboration, and pandemic preparedness, is monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2, sometimes informally referred to in media reports as the "cicada" variant, and emphasizes that current evidence does not indicate cause for alarm or heightened public concern.

3 Apr 2026

CDC tracks SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 global rise and finds early signals in U.S. wastewater

CDC surveillance shows that the highly divergent SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 spread to at least 23 countries and was detected in U.S. travelers, patients, airplane wastewater, and wastewater samples across multiple states. The report highlights wastewater and traveler-based genomic surveillance as early warning tools while noting that BA.3.2 has immune-evasion potential but has not rapidly displaced other circulating lineages.

25 Mar 2026

COVID-19 virus evolved quickly but within strict genetic limits

A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that while the COVID-19 virus has developed rapidly since 2019, it has done so within limited genetic channels.

25 Mar 2026

DNA origami vaccine platform shows promise against multiple infectious viruses

The COVID-19 pandemic brought messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to the forefront of global health care. After their clinical trial stages, the first COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was administered on 8 December 2020 and mathematical models suggest that mRNA vaccines prevented at least 14.4 million deaths from COVID-19 in the first year alone.

11 Mar 2026

Nasal COVID vaccine boost increases IgA responses linked to variant neutralisation

Intranasal boosting after prior intramuscular COVID vaccination induced strong mucosal IgA responses in a small human cohort. These antibodies showed markedly enhanced neutralising activity against Omicron variants and evidence of immune memory reprogramming toward mucosal protection.

15 Feb 2026

Bacteria repurpose viral injection systems to target diverse cells

New study shows how bacteria adapted a virus-derived injection system to recognize and attach to many different types of cells.

2 Feb 2026

COVID-19 immunity stays specific and barely boosts protection against common cold coronaviruses

This study shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination generate strong, highly specific spike-binding immune responses with only modest effects on immunity to endemic common cold coronaviruses. Pre-existing coronavirus immunity patterns remain largely intact, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 has integrated into the human viral landscape without broadly reshaping cross-reactive protection.

5 Jan 2026