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SARS-CoV-2 spike deletion mutations may evade current vaccine candidates, study finds

A thought-provoking new study reports that the anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike antibodies elicited by natural infection may not be able to neutralize emerging strains that display deletion mutations in their genomic RNA.

23 Nov 2020

Start Codon closes venture fund at £15 million to support start-up companies in life sciences, healthcare space

Start Codon, a life science and healthcare business accelerator based in Cambridge, UK, today announced that it has closed Start Codon Fund I LP at £15 million.

From Start Codon Ltd 17 Nov 2020

Start Codon closes venture fund at £15 million to support start-up companies in life sciences, healthcare space

Start Codon, a life science and healthcare business accelerator based in Cambridge, UK, today announced that it has closed Start Codon Fund I LP at £15 million.

17 Nov 2020

Antimalarials could disrupt SARS-CoV-2’s Nsp1 translation termination

A research team from the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology in Russia have shown that Nsp1 – a non-structured protein present in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen – stimulates translation termination in the stop codon recognition stage. Studying and developing drugs that compete with Nsp1 for binding with the termination complex could therefore be a potential strategy for fighting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Nov 2020

Spike-based DNA vaccine shows excellent protection against SARS-CoV-2 in a hamster model

A study conducted at the United States Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases shows how a relatively simple full-length DNA vaccine against spike glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can elicit neutralizing antibody response in an animal model – even after a single shot with simple jet injection technique.

11 Nov 2020

Immune-evading variants can emerge in SARS-CoV-2, researchers warn

An international team of researchers has shown that a mutation within severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – enables the pathogen to evade antibody-mediated immunity while maintaining replication fitness and increasing viral loads.

9 Nov 2020

Rapid generation of divergent synthetic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a cell-free engineering platform

In a groundbreaking bioRxiv paper, a research group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the US engineered antibodies against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein by using a novel approach. In doing so, they also identified more than 800 predicted binder families.

3 Nov 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

New inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 RNA translation

As the search for effective severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) inhibitors continues, a recent study by Yale University School of Medicine researchers published on the preprint server bioRxiv in October 2020 reports the inhibitory effect of the drug merofloxacin on frameshifting during SARS-CoV-2 replication.

26 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 hijacks mitochondria

An important phase of the viral protein translation relies on the mitochondrial translation machinery. Towards this goal, the molecular mechanism involved in the SARS-CoV-2 entry into human cells is studied by Zhenguo Cheng et al.

21 Oct 2020

Rapid, low-cost test for potential universal COVID-19 monitoring

An international team of researchers has presented a convenient, low-cost serology test to detect antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could potentially be made available universally.

7 Oct 2020

Newly developed fusion protein could improve COVID-19 research

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland have developed a high-quality recombinant virus protein that could be applied in the development of vaccines against the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and in the detection of novel viruses or antibodies.

30 Sep 2020

S-pseudotyped VLPs offer promising COVID-19 vaccine platform

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 reports on a Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) platform that produces VLPs expressing the important spike antigen of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

18 Sep 2020

Engineered, high-affinity ACE2 receptors neutralize SARS-CoV-2

In a study published in the preprint server bioRxiv, researchers from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and Osaka University Japan, discuss how they engineered ACE2 to enhance its affinity to RBD in human cells.

17 Sep 2020

TTP plc partners with Start Codon to support life science and healthcare start-ups

TTP plc, a leading independent technology and product development company, has today announced a new partnership with Start Codon, the life science and healthcare business accelerator.

From TTP plc 8 Sep 2020

Large-scale analysis of Alport syndrome reveals the effectiveness of existing treatments

A large-scale analysis of the clinical characteristics of Alport syndrome in Japanese patients has revealed that the effectiveness of existing treatment with ACE inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers (RAS inhibitors) varies depending on the type of mutation in the syndrome's causal gene (COL4A5).

7 Aug 2020

Structure of the full SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome in infected cells

The current COVID-19 pandemic caused by a single-stranded RNA virus, thought to have jumped across species barriers to infect humans, has spread rapidly across the globe infecting over 10 million individuals. The virus, now known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the causative agent of COVID-19 disease. COVID-19 disease is a respiratory illness where symptoms can range from very mild to severe and include fever, coughing, a sore throat, and shortness of breath.

2 Jul 2020

Similarities between coronaviruses and human genes promote infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows that the proportion of A/T pairing in viral genomes may increase the tendency to infect humans because of the matching molecular features in some host genes, that increases the susceptibility of the host to the virus.

28 Jun 2020

Growth, adaptation and neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 with acute-phase serum

One recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports the results of growing and characterizing the virus, as well as the development of neutralizing antibodies in the serum of acutely infected hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

22 Jun 2020

Viruses can steal genetic signals from hosts to expand their own genomes

Like a scene out of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," a virus infects a host and converts it into a factory for making more copies of itself.

19 Jun 2020

Codon News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 spike deletion mutations may evade current vaccine candidates, study finds

Start Codon closes venture fund at £15 million to support start-up companies in life sciences, healthcare space

Start Codon closes venture fund at £15 million to support start-up companies in life sciences, healthcare space

Antimalarials could disrupt SARS-CoV-2’s Nsp1 translation termination

Spike-based DNA vaccine shows excellent protection against SARS-CoV-2 in a hamster model

Immune-evading variants can emerge in SARS-CoV-2, researchers warn

Rapid generation of divergent synthetic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a cell-free engineering platform

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

New inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 RNA translation

SARS-CoV-2 hijacks mitochondria

Rapid, low-cost test for potential universal COVID-19 monitoring

Newly developed fusion protein could improve COVID-19 research

S-pseudotyped VLPs offer promising COVID-19 vaccine platform

Engineered, high-affinity ACE2 receptors neutralize SARS-CoV-2

TTP plc partners with Start Codon to support life science and healthcare start-ups

Large-scale analysis of Alport syndrome reveals the effectiveness of existing treatments

Structure of the full SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome in infected cells

Similarities between coronaviruses and human genes promote infection

Growth, adaptation and neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 with acute-phase serum

Viruses can steal genetic signals from hosts to expand their own genomes

E-Cigarettes and Ethanol: A forensic Perspective on Vaping

Understanding Consumer-Consented Data to Optimize Digital Health Programs

The Future is Wearable: Advancing Human Health Through Portable Spectroscopy

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