Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 News and Research

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Promising nanobodies against COVID-19 produced by llamas

News-Medical speaks to Dr. David Brody about his latest research that involved discovering nanobodies produced by llamas that could help combat coronavirus.

25 Jan 2021

Transcriptional regulator BRD2 as a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19

A team of international scientists has demonstrated that therapeutic inhibition of a transcriptional regulator BRD2, required for the endogenous expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), can potentially suppress severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

24 Jan 2021

Experts advise disaggregating data on COVID-19 patients by sex

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine have highlighted the importance of ensuring studies of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) report data in a sex-disaggregated manner.

24 Jan 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

Researchers update automated computation tool for SARS-CoV-2 genome analysis

Researchers updated a previous version of an automated tool to include SARS-CoV-2 genome analysis. Genome analysis using the freely available software could help track the evolution of the virus and promptly identify variants that increase viral transmission or virulence.

22 Jan 2021

Does hypertension always lead to severe COVID-19?

Researchers have developed some prognostic factors to predict the severity of COVID-19 among hypertensive patients.

22 Jan 2021

A traditional Chinese medicine could help treat COVID‐19 symptoms

A team of researchers in China – at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine – recently explored the therapeutic properties of Yinqiao powder in treating COVID-19 symptoms. Their findings were recently published in Phytotherapy Research.

22 Jan 2021

Researchers use SARS-CoV-2 to bioengineer universal vaccine platform

Using SARS-CoV-2, a team of scientists from the United States has recently developed a bioengineered bacteriophage T4 nanoparticle structure using CRISPR technology that can be used as a universal platform to produce vaccines.

21 Jan 2021

Blood group associated with cardiovascular events in COVID-19 patients

An illuminating new study by scientists at Harvard Medical School, USA, describes the correlation of such conditions with the ABO blood group. The team's findings may help assess the risk of COVID-19 patients for such complications, promoting early diagnosis and underscoring potential needs for preventive and therapeutic care where possible.

21 Jan 2021

ACE2 and furin levels linked to inflammation in smokers with COVID-19

A new study reports the level of ACE2 and furin, two enzymes that are intimately linked to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19.

21 Jan 2021

How does SARS-CoV-2 infect brain cells?

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco, Gladstone Institutes in the USA, and The Aga Khan University in Pakistan investigated if human neural cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2.

20 Jan 2021

Over 100 million in India may have been infected by SARS-CoV-2

A large new study posted on the preprint server medRxiv describes the seropositivity rate to this virus, as well as the persistence of antibodies over time, both neutralizing and others.

19 Jan 2021

Large study finds SARS-CoV-2 viral load is lowest in children

A new study by researchers in the Netherlands confirms the hypothesis that for SARS-CoV-2 infection, higher age is associated with increased viral loads.

19 Jan 2021

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Now, researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom, reveal that engineered closed S constructs may be valuable immunogens that can induce neutralizing antibodies against a different pattern of epitopes. This allows for the flexibility of vaccines at both the individual and population levels.

18 Jan 2021

Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in China have conducted a study showing that a carbohydrate found in the seaweed Ecklonia kurome blocks the activity of an enzyme that is essential for the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Two common blood pressure drugs are not tied to increased risk of COVID-19

Research published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Digital Health and co-led by a UCLA Fielding School of Public Health faculty member has found that two widely used types of blood pressure drugs are not tied to an increased risk of COVID-19 infection or complications.

18 Jan 2021

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new study suggests that modified natural killer cells, which express a chimeric antigen receptor using S309 antibody, can bind to and inactivate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro.

18 Jan 2021

Can transgenic mice studies illuminate neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 in humans?

The potentially deadly COVID-19 has not affected animals with corresponding severity. To understand the mechanism of severe disease, animal models have been used. This includes a mouse model that expresses human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) under the cytokeratin 18 promoter (K18-hACE2). A new study indicates that this may not be a faithful model of human lethal infection with SARS-CoV-2.

18 Jan 2021

A high-temperature tolerant SARS-CoV-2 derived immunogen as a potential vaccine candidate

There have been significant efforts worldwide to combat COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One prominent strategy has been to develop vaccines against the virus. Numerous vaccine candidates are under development, and a handful have now been approved for use by several countries.

17 Jan 2021