Assay News and Research

RSS

Testing settled solids in sewage for SARS-CoV-2 more sensitive approach than testing influent

Many studies on the containment of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have dealt with the possible role of wastewater in predicting and detecting future outbreaks and understanding the epidemiology of COVID-19 disease. A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 shows that solid waste in sewage is a better substrate for testing than influent.

17 Sep 2020

Optimal antibody combinations and Fc binding inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

A recent study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Rockefeller University and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 shows that a combination of neutralizing antibodies with intact Fc effector function can effectively reduce the viral load and prevent infection.

17 Sep 2020

ERS Genomics and Applied StemCell sign agreement on commercialization of CRISPR gene editing tools

ERS Genomics Limited, which was formed to provide broad access to the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property (IP) co-owned by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, today announced it has signed an agreement with Applied StemCell, Inc., a leading provider of stem cell, animal model, antibody discovery services and reagents.

17 Sep 2020

Point-of-care biomarker assay predicts traumatic brain injury in minutes

Intracranial abnormalities on CT scan in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be predicted by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels in the blood.

16 Sep 2020

Pfizer's anti-viral 3CL protease inhibitor shows antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2

Now, a new study by researchers from Pfizer, University of Arizona, Purdue University, The Scripps Research Institute, and UC San Diego School of Medicine and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020 reports that an enzyme inhibitor may act in synergism with the approved antiviral remdesivir to suppress viral replication in COVID-19.

16 Sep 2020

Can amodiaquine short circuit this pandemic?

A recent study by the US researchers highlights the value of the human organ chip technology as a more robust and physiologically relevant platform for rapid drug repurposing, and suggest that amodiaquine may be used to prevent the infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

15 Sep 2020

Aigenpulse launches data analysis suite to automate flow cytometry

Aigenpulse is launching its CytoML Experiment Suite specifically aimed at streamlining and automating cytometry analysis at scale.

15 Sep 2020

New antibody assay for COVID-19 promises sensitive mass-scale detection

A new paper by researchers at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020, reports on the development of a serologic assay that is suitable for sensitive high-throughput antibody testing for COVID-19.

15 Sep 2020

3D printed nanoparticle biosensing platform detects SARS-CoV-2 antibodies within seconds

Pandemics caused by novel infectious agents like the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Zika, or Ebola virus seriously impact human health and lives while also overwhelming health care systems all over the world. Early detection and diagnosis allow isolation of the infected patients and contact tracing, which can mitigate the spread of the virus and save lives, especially when a significant number of the patients are asymptomatic.

14 Sep 2020

RUDN geneticist finds a bifidobacterial protein that can reduce inflammation in COVID-19

A geneticist from RUDN University studied the effect of Bifidobacterium (intestinal bacteria) on the inflammatory process and discovered that their surface protein is capable of stopping excessive or uncontrollable inflammation, like the one observed in COVID-19 patients.

14 Sep 2020

Circadian rhythm affects SARS-CoV-2 infection and host immune response

In an interesting bioRxiv preprint paper, French researchers show that the time day can affect infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as guide subsequent host immune response – implying that circadian rhythm may well be a novel target for managing viral progression.

14 Sep 2020

Toyonaka Municipal Hospital reports successful control of COVID-19

Researchers at Toyonaka Municipal Hospital in Japan have shown that the rate of subclinical infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among staff at the hospital is no higher than among the general population in the same area.

14 Sep 2020

Detecting SARS-CoV-2 in 30 seconds with cheap and sensitive nanotubes

In a fascinating new medRxiv preprint paper, researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno demonstrate the power of cobalt-functionalized titanium dioxide nanotubes by selectively detecting the spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in less than 30 seconds.

10 Sep 2020

Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection varies across bat species

A recent study by researchers at Wuhan University, China, reveals that many bat species are not potential carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) because of genetic mutations in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) that prevent the entry of viruses inside bat cells. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

9 Sep 2020

Study reveals complex immunology behind MIS-C in children with COVID-19

In a recent paper published in the prestigious journal Cell, researchers from Sweden and Italy show that inflammatory response in Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) differs from the cytokine storm found in severe acute illness, involving autoantibodies at the same time and sharing several features with Kawasaki disease.

8 Sep 2020

The T cell responses in COVID-19 recovered individuals

A recent study demonstrates that functional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells specifically targeting the entire proteome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain active in individuals who have recovered from severe or mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Moreover, the magnitude of T cell response is correlated with the antibody response. The study is published in the journal Nature Immunology.

8 Sep 2020

Consortium compiles recommendations for measuring HIV reservoir size in cure-directed studies

Spearheaded by scientists at The Wistar Institute, top worldwide HIV researchers from the BEAT-HIV Martin Delaney Collaboratory to Cure HIV-1 Infection by Combination Immunotherapy compiled the first comprehensive set of recommendations on how to best measure the size of persistent HIV reservoirs during cure-directed clinical studies.

7 Sep 2020

Using proteins to track SARS-CoV-2 infections through wastewater

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in September 2020 describes the measurement of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins in wastewater as a reliable way to track the virus in the community.

6 Sep 2020

Antibody responses against seasonal common cold coronaviruses may protect against SARS-CoV-2

With the use of an accurate high throughput assay, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Magen David Adom Blood Services in Israel showed substantial inter-individual variability and antibody cross-reactivity against seasonal coronaviruses upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, with important implications for immune surveys and vaccines. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

6 Sep 2020

Research compares T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 and influenza

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, scientists are focusing on understanding how the host immune system responds to the virus in order to better shape public health responses and develop effective vaccines. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in September 2020 reports the T cell memory response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, recombinant nucleocapsid protein, and other pooled peptides derived from convalescent patients.

3 Sep 2020