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RNA editing within host linked to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, has undergone several mutations.

14 Dec 2020

Guidelines for accurate amplicon-based sequencing of SARS-CoV-2

A new study describes much-needed guidelines for reliable viral sequencing, validated in a large group of clinical samples.

3 Dec 2020

Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 mutations do not significantly increase transmissibility, says study

A team of researchers at the Genetics Institute, University College London, tested whether any homoplasies observed in SARS-Cov-2 to date are significantly linked to increased viral transmission.

26 Nov 2020

COVID-19: HLA class I genotypes and mortality

The study, published on the preprint server medRxiv, explores the ability of HLA class I molecules to mediate the outcome in COVID-19 patients.

24 Nov 2020

Anxiety may help to progress Alzheimer’s disease

The results of a new study reveal the link between increased levels of anxiety and an elevated rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease.

23 Nov 2020

Severe COVID-19 linked to age, body mass index and ABO blood group

With the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting over 50 million people worldwide with hundreds of thousands experiencing severe respiratory illness, researchers have been trying to find the factors associated with severe disease. From the start of the pandemic in March this year, several studies have indicated heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. could be linked to severe disease. Now German researchers have published a study on the association between severe respiratory infection caused by SARS CoV-2 and factors such as age, body mass index (BMI) and ABO blood group.

10 Nov 2020

Researchers identify a genetic basis for ANCA-associated vasculitis

Autoimmune disease is fundamentally a mystery: whyever should an organism systematically set out to harm itself?

4 Nov 2020

Researchers identify genetic basis for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis

Autoimmune disease is fundamentally a mystery: whyever should an organism systematically set out to harm itself?

4 Nov 2020

Precision epidemiology could help explain variability in COVID-19 symptoms

Researchers from National Taiwan University have presented a multi-omics view of how mutations in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) affect infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and progression of coronaviruses disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 Oct 2020

Concerti algorithm identifies intra-patient heteroplasmies in SARS-CoV-2 patients

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 has caused the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected more than 39.8 million lives globally and claimed over 1.11 million deaths to date.

18 Oct 2020

Exciting findings on CD8 T cell response in recovered COVID patients

An international team of scientists has identified novel T cell-recognized epitopes spanning different proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in COVID-19 recovered patients. The scientists have also revealed phenotypical characteristics of the T cell population.

11 Oct 2020

New findings could improve investigation of T cell response to COVID-19

Researchers in the United States have made an important discovery about the processing and presentation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral peptides that provides a better understanding of the immune response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and may help facilitate the design of improved vaccines.

5 Oct 2020

Challenges in High Complexity Flow Cytometry

In this interview, Dra. Mª José Marco from the Department of Hematology at Hopsital Dr. Peset talks to News-Medical Life Sciences about high complexity flow cytometry and the challenges they often face.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences - Flow Cytometry 24 Sep 2020

Genetic variants of human ACE2 are differentially recognized by SARS-CoV-2

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin reveals that the genetic variants of human angiotensin 2 (ACE2) receptors can have altered recognition by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

18 Sep 2020

Shedding light on altered blood cell traits involved in severe COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Georgia in the United States have shed light on the pathological mechanisms underlying the association between the genetic locus 3p21.31 and severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Sep 2020

A novel gene involved in primary lymphedema identified

The Human Molecular Genetics laboratory of the de Duve Institute (UCLouvain), headed by Professor Miikka Vikkula, recently identified mutations in a novel gene, ANGPT2, responsible for primary lymphedema.

10 Sep 2020

Scientists identify genetic risk factors underlying penicillin allergy

Penicillin, a life-saving medicine, is the most common cause of drug allergy, with clinical manifestations ranging from temporary skin reactions to life-threatening systemic syndromes.

3 Sep 2020

People with genetic risk for Alzheimer's have spatial navigation problems

An international research team headed by Anne Bierbrauer, Dr. Lukas Kunz, Dr. Carlos Gomez and Professor Nikolai Axmacher from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Universitätsklinikum Freiburg now reports that problems in spatial navigation can also be detected in people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's.

31 Aug 2020

Alzheimer's risk and navigation problems go hand in hand

Animals and humans have the ability to follow their own position in space through self-motion cues, even in the absence of any other sensory information.

31 Aug 2020

T cell epitopes from recovered COVID-19 patients identified for vaccine

A new study by researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 collates the available database of SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes gathered from 8 studies of COVID-19 patients who recovered. This could serve as a launchpad to fill in knowledge gaps regarding the immunological aspects of this disease, and drive towards an effective T cell vaccine.

31 Aug 2020