Capsid News and Research

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New research explains how large virus shells are formed

A virus, the simplest physical object in biology, consists of a protein shell called the capsid, which protects its nucleic acid genome -- RNA or DNA. The capsid can be cylindrical or conical in shape, but more commonly it assumes an icosahedral structure, like a soccer ball.

5 Nov 2018

Study reveals how Seneca Valley Virus interacts with tumor receptors

Seneca Valley Virus sounds like the last bug you’d want to catch, but it could be the next breakthrough cancer therapy.

30 Oct 2018

Research reveals new details of HIV life cycle

Research by a multi-institutional team, including two members from the University of Delaware, has revealed new details about the HIV virus capsid structure and how it develops.

5 Oct 2018

Genomic ‘islands’ evolved from viruses can be converted into ‘anti-bacterial drones’

Genomic "islands" that evolved from viruses can be converted into "drones" that disable Staphylococcus aureus, bacteria that are often resistant to antibiotics and pose a threat to safe hospital care, a new study finds.

25 Sep 2018

Mechanical properties of viral DNA influence the course of infection, study finds

A new study reveals a previously unknown mechanism that governs whether viruses that infect bacteria will quickly kill their hosts or remain latent inside the cell. The discovery, reported in the journal eLife, also may apply to viruses that infect humans and other animals, the researcher said.

5 Sep 2018

Pfizer terminates clinical studies evaluating domagrozumab for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Pfizer Inc. announced today that it is terminating two ongoing clinical studies evaluating domagrozumab (PF-06252616) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): a Phase 2 safety and efficacy study (B5161002) and an open-label extension study (B5161004).

30 Aug 2018

Promising data supports development of AAVhu37-based gene therapy for hemophilia A

Gene therapy using an optimized adeno-associated virus to deliver the human factor VIII gene to cynomolgus macaques showed a substantial increase in hFVIII expression and no detectable antibody response for 30 weeks in some animals.

21 Aug 2018

Supercomputer simulations reveal potential therapeutic target in HIV-1 replication

HIV-1 replicates in ninja-like ways. The virus slips through the membrane of vital white blood cells. Inside, HIV-1 copies its genes and scavenges parts to build a protective bubble for its copies.

10 Aug 2018

New way of delivering gene therapy shows promise in treating brain conditions

Researchers from the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences have engineered a novel way of delivering gene therapy that they hope will mean scientists and doctors can target areas of the brain that were previously difficult to reach.

5 Jun 2018

Researchers gain new insights into hepatitis B virus

Researchers at the University of Delaware, working with colleagues at Indiana University, have gained new insights into the virus that causes hepatitis B -- a life-threatening and incurable infection that afflicts more than 250 million people worldwide.

4 Jun 2018

Researchers lab-test molecule that may combat common cold virus

Researchers have lab-tested a molecule that can combat the common cold virus by preventing it from hijacking human cells.

15 May 2018

IU scientists take important step to fight against hepatitis B with 'virus-cracking' molecules

Indiana University researchers have made an important step forward in the design of drugs that fight the hepatitis B virus, which can cause liver failure and liver cancer.

7 Feb 2018

UCLA researchers describe herpes virus structure associated with Kaposi's sarcoma

UCLA researchers have provided the first description of the structure of the herpes virus associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, a type of cancer.

19 Jan 2018

Common fungus has significant impact on mosquitoes' ability to transmit dengue virus

A species of fungus that lives in the gut of some Aedes aegypti mosquitoes increases the ability of dengue virus to survive in the insects, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

7 Dec 2017

Researchers discover ‘brake’ that interferes with HIV's development into infectious agent

Viewed with a microscope, the virus faintly resembles a pineapple--the universal symbol of welcome. But HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is anything but that. It has claimed the lives of more than 35 million people so far.

1 Dec 2017

Virus Painting, Lipids and Single Particle Charge

Various viral infections still pose a great threat to human and animal health. A wide range of viral species are surrounded by a lipid shell, the envelope, containing viral and cellular proteins.

From Izon Science 27 Nov 2017

Northwestern Medicine scientists develop novel method to track HIV infection

Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed a novel method of tracking HIV infection, allowing the behavior of individual virions -- infectious particles -- to be connected to infectivity.

18 Aug 2017

TMDU-led researchers identify protein critical to early stages of cellular HIV infection

When a virus enters a cell, one of the first steps in the process of infecting that cell is removal of the protein coat that surrounds the virus's genetic material.

8 Aug 2017

Spanish scientists develop promising gene therapy method to treat Wilson's disease

Scientists at the Center for Applied Medical Research at the University of Navarra have designed a promising gene therapy method to treat Wilson's disease, a rare pathology caused by the lack of or malfunction of a gene.

16 May 2017

Study reveals high-resolution view of Zika viral life cycle within infected cells

New research reveals a high-resolution view of the Zika viral life cycle within infected cells and shows dramatic changes in the cell's architecture throughout the infection process. This novel perspective may lead to the development of new vaccines and treatments.

30 Mar 2017