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Neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in mice depend on Fc effector function

A new study reports the essential nature of Fc-mediated functionalities in determining the efficacy of such antibodies.

24 Mar 2021

Could an “ACE2 Triple Decoy” be an alternative approach to neutralizing SARS-CoV-2?

A team of scientists from the USA recently developed a recombinant “Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) Triple Decoy” that can trap SARS-CoV-2 and prevent its propagation inside the host cell.

11 Mar 2021

Simple blood test using nanoparticles could enable earlier detection of acute liver damage

University of Texas at Dallas chemist Dr. Jie Zheng has spent much of his career investigating gold nanoparticles for their potential impact in the field of nanomedicine.

10 Mar 2021

The Role of D-Amino Acids in Humans

In this interview, Dr. Daniel Armstrong from the University of Texas at Arlington talks to News-Medical Life Sciences about his upcoming Pittcon presentation.

From Pittcon 4 Mar 2021

Evolution of the spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 for human adaptation

Researchers have found a 96% similarity in nucleotide sequence between bat coronavirus (RaTG13), isolated from Rhinolophus affinis bats in China in 2013, and SARS-CoV-2 and ~97% amino acid similarity with the Spike (S) protein. This S protein performs two essential roles, i.e., mediates receptor-binding and membrane fusion. Hence, spike protein is regarded as a key coronavirus determinant of host tropism.

21 Feb 2021

Novel neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 N-terminal domain discovered

A new study by US-based researchers shows the presence of protective antibodies that target the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike instead of the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD).

22 Jan 2021

How have new SARS-CoV-2 strains become more transmissible?

A new study discusses the effect of specific mutations on the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein to elastase, and on the intramolecular conformational changes.

22 Jan 2021

Can metabolic biomarkers help clinicians stratify adverse outcome risk in COVID-19 patients?

A recent study describes the alterations in lipids and other parameters that define the state of dysfunctional metabolism in acute COVID-19 illness.

20 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutations may evade T cell immunity

A potentially disturbing new study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may be undergoing strategic mutations that affect the host immune capacity to recognize and combat the pathogen via T effector cells.

23 Dec 2020

Researchers identify new biomarkers associated with incident heart failure

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital have discovered several new biomarkers that are associated with incident heart failure.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM / IgG responses accurately predict COVID-19 outcome

Researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, recently built a proteome microarray with 20 out of the 28 predicted SARS-CoV-2 proteins to help understand IgM/IgG responses specific to SARS-CoV-2.

17 Nov 2020

Promising yeast-expressed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate effective in mice

Researchers at the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, USA, have published a report on the preprint server bioRxiv that describes a yeast-expressed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein, a key target of current vaccine development efforts.

9 Nov 2020

High Throughput Identification and Quantification of Breast Cancer With NMR-Based Metabolomics

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among the female population globally, despite the ever-growing technology of early detection.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 30 Oct 2020

Structure and mechanisms of ribosomal frameshifting during SARS-CoV-2 translation

The structure of a 3’ stimulatory pseudoknot in the viral genome or by itself has been proposed recently. Researchers report the structure and mechanisms of mammalian ribosomes during translation of the -1 frameshifting of the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome in a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

28 Oct 2020

Advanced model reveals dynamic motions of SARS-COV-2 spike-shielding glycans

A recent paper published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 discusses the dynamic interactions of the spike protein glycan shield, which may be of great value in developing therapeutic compounds to fight severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

5 Oct 2020

Molecular dynamic simulations reveal detailed spike-ACE2 interactions

The current COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world. Caused by a single-stranded RNA betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is closely related to but much more infectious than the earlier highly pathogenic betacoronaviruses SARS and MERS-CoV, has impacted social, economic, and physical health to an unimaginable extent.

23 Sep 2020

Lopinavir-ritonavir does not suppress SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

Among them is the combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, which have been in use in an attempt to reduce the severity of the disease. However, a new South Korean study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 shows that this combination is ineffective against the virus.

20 Sep 2020

Adaptations found in RNA secondary structure in genes of two proteins of SARS-CoV-2

To investigate mutations in coronaviruses, a new study by scientists at Duke University and published on the preprint server bioRxiv, used a computational methodology, adaptiPhy, which identifies extra nucleotide substitutions in certain parts of the viral genome compared to mutations that have no effect on the genome.

18 Sep 2020

Glucagon resistance: A new biological concept in the fight against diabetes

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen are introducing a new biological concept in the fight against diabetes: glucagon resistance.

17 Sep 2020

SPT enzyme can be used as metabolically responsive “switch” to slow tumor growth

The enzyme serine palmitoyl-transferase can be used as a metabolically responsive "switch" that decreases tumor growth, according to a new study by a team of San Diego scientists, who published their findings Aug. 12 in the journal Nature.

12 Aug 2020