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Researchers discover how SARS-CoV-2 hijacks human cell machinery to blunt immune response

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered one way in which SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, hijacks human cell machinery to blunt the immune response, allowing it to establish infection, replicate and cause disease.

29 Apr 2021

New insights into how South African SARS-CoV-2 variant sacrifices tight binding for antibody evasion

The highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variant that recently emerged in South Africa, known as B.1.351, has scientists wondering how existing COVID-19 vaccines and therapies can be improved to ensure strong protection.

29 Apr 2021

Can control theory explain differences in virulence and transmission of SARS-CoV-2?

A new study discusses variations in viral pathogenicity and in transmission, which are responsible for asymptomatic infection and for superspreading events. The ability to understand this would open the way to understand how this virus behaves the way it does, in terms of its virulence, its spread, and its emergent variants of concern.

28 Apr 2021

COVID-19 donor antibodies show broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related viruses

A new study reports on a set of antibodies from COVID-19 donor serum, which seems to be cross-reactive across multiple Sarbecoviruses, including the very similar SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV.

28 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 recruits heme metabolites in antibody evasion

A research paper recently published in the journal Science Advances by Cherepanov et al. (April 22nd, 2021) demonstrated that the NTD binds to biliverdin, a product of heme catabolism, leading to enhanced antibody escape at physiologically relevant concentrations.

28 Apr 2021

Scientists design 'smart' cellular biosensors for detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike

New research led by Hana El-Samad of the University of California, San Francisco, and the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub confirmed the beneficial use of an antiviral therapeutic called SARSNotch, which uses a combination of the SynNotch platform and de-novo designed protein binders. SARSNotch uses sentinel T cells to detect and mount a genetic response toward the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein.

28 Apr 2021

Why do we lose our sense smell/taste with COVID?

The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) enzyme attached to the membranes of cells is the entry point for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They are abundantly found all over the body and most prominently in the lungs and nose.

28 Apr 2021

Researchers design "nanotraps" to capture and destroy SARS-CoV-2 viruses

Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago have designed a completely novel potential treatment for COVID-19: nanoparticles that capture SARS-CoV-2 viruses within the body and then use the body's own immune system to destroy it.

27 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 clade linked to disease severity in the early phase of the pandemic

A new study in the journal JAMA Network reports on the disease severity associated with some clades of the virus, from an analysis of genomes from specimens isolated in the initial phase of the pandemic.

27 Apr 2021

Some heart medications may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection through increasing ACE2 receptor levels

An interesting poster, just presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2021, reports an association between the use of certain heart medications and the risk of COVID-19.

27 Apr 2021

Study identifies mechanism behind SARS-CoV-2 viral protein production

A new study from German researchers examines how SARS viruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), hijack cells and reprogram them to enhance viral replication.

27 Apr 2021

What is the role of nanotechnology in the current COVID-19 outbreak?

The nanotechnology-based medicine platforms against COVID-19 bears hope for relief from the pandemic to save lives and mitigate the infection as part of a broader global public health agenda.

27 Apr 2021

Nucleocapsid-based vaccines may prevent SARS-CoV-2 dissemination to distal organs

A team of scientists recently investigated and compared the efficacy of spike-based and nucleocapsid-based COVID-19 vaccines in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Their findings reveal that nucleocapsid-based vaccines are effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in distal organs, such as the brain.

27 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 suppresses the immune response in the gut

In an effort to determine the potential for COVID-19 to begin in a person's gut, and to better understand how human cells respond to SARS-CoV-2, the scientists used human intestinal cells to create organoids - 3D tissue cultures derived from human cells, which mimic the tissue or organ from which the cells originate.

27 Apr 2021

Researchers develop eleven SARS-CoV-2 RBD nanobodies using computational design

To develop therapeutics that block this binding process, a team of researchers recently used an integrated computational approach to design nanobodies (Nbs) against the SARS-CoV-2 RBD, using neutralizing/monoclonal antibodies specific to RBD of the spike protein.

27 Apr 2021

Triple mutation in SARS-CoV-2 seen in second wave of COVID-19 in India

Researchers sequenced the viral genome from samples in the state of Maharashtra and found a unique combination of three mutations that suggest the SARS-CoV-2 virus is continually evolving to evade the human immune response.

27 Apr 2021

Nanobodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in pre-clinical model

A team of Australian researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), the Doherty Institute, and the Kirby Institute have identified neutralizing nanobody cocktails that block the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering cells in pre-clinical models.

27 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 limits type I and type III IFN protein biogenesis

New research led by Roy Parker of the University of Colorado Boulder finds that SARS-CoV-2 prevents the IFN response despite an increased presence of IFN-encoding mRNAs by suppressing transcriptional processes. Inhibition of IFN mRNAs triggers degradation from the activation of RNase L and the SARS-CoV-2 protein Nsp1.

26 Apr 2021

Potential new COVID vaccine from Australia

Phase 1 trial results published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found a new subunit vaccine —an MF59-adjuvanted subunit vaccine using recombinant spike glycoprotein stabilized in a prefusion conformation by a novel molecular clamp — targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was safe and effective in producing an antigen-specific response in healthy adults.

26 Apr 2021

Two repurposed drugs and a blue dye show potential as SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors

A new multidisciplinary study from Australia, published in the open-access journal mBio, shows that three compounds used to treat cystic fibrosis, dry eye, and a specific medical dye may lead to future strategies for the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

25 Apr 2021