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Have scientists found SARS-CoV-2's Achilles' heel?

Have scientists uncovered the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Achille's heel? New preclinical research from Cell neutralizing antibodies targeting the N-terminal domain of the coronavirus could be a potential target for antibodies to bind and effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2.

29 Mar 2021

New study reports increased spread of B.1.1.7 variant in Houston, Texas

Research led by Jimmy Gollihar from the CCDC Army Research Laboratory-South in Austin, Texas found the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant B.1.1.7 —first detected last fall in England — increased in Houston, Texas. The B.1.1.7 variant is rapidly spreading with a case doubling time of 6.9 days.

29 Mar 2021

Emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants and co-mutations in India

The study "Genomic surveillance and phylodynamic analyses reveal the emergence of a novel mutation and co-mutation patterns within SARS-CoV2 variants prevalent in India" is available as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

29 Mar 2021

Varied physical activity can promote well-being and better mental health

The recommendations are clear: physical activity is good for mental health. But it also depends on how varied it is. That's what a new study by researchers at the University of Basel shows, pointing to one of the reasons why well-being suffers during the pandemic.

29 Mar 2021

Advanced technology provides a fine-grained picture of lung pathology in COVID-19

A team led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian has used advanced technology and analytics to map, at single-cell resolution, the cellular landscape of diseased lung tissue in severe COVID-19 and other infectious lung diseases.

29 Mar 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine causes steep drop in COVID-19 among healthcare workers

A team of scientists from Spain has recently evaluated the efficacy of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2). Their findings reveal that a 2-dose regimen of BNT162b2 vaccine is capable of providing almost 100% protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers.

29 Mar 2021

Corticosteroid therapy in pregnant women with COVID-19

A new study describes the outcome of corticosteroid use in pregnancy.

29 Mar 2021

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted birth statistics in the U.S.?

A new study examines national-level changes in fertility, preterm birth and other obstetric outcomes, in the U.S., over the period of the pandemic throughout 2020.

29 Mar 2021

Rare genetic variant may explain severe COVID-19 in young healthy male patients

A recent study describes the association of rare alleles in a specific gene with severe COVID-19 in young male patients.

29 Mar 2021

Researchers develop new rapid and highly sensitive SAR-CoV-2 RNA detection test

In an alternative approach to the PCR-based methods, CRISPR-Cas proteins have been employed by a large team of researchers to identify the SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA in patient samples with PCR-derived cycle threshold (Ct) values up to 22 - corresponding to ~1600 copies/µl in the assay.

29 Mar 2021

Researchers examine circRNAs encoded by MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2

New research published in Briefings in Bioinformaticsm has identified thousands of circRNAs in Betacoronaviruses, including MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-2, from the RNA-sequencing data of viral infections. These coronaviruses have a similar genomic structure with a diverse circRNA coding ability. Researchers have also systematically characterized circRNAs in coronaviruses, with regard to their size, sequence feature, expressions, genome, location preference, and functions. This opens the door to further explore and understand the mode of action of individual circRNAs in coronaviruses.

29 Mar 2021

Researchers develop novel nanoadjuvant COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Researchers at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), introduced a new vaccine, which compromises the spike protein’s receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the manganese nanoadjuvant (MnARK), inducing humoral and cellular responses.

29 Mar 2021

In his continued sparring with Fauci, Sen. Rand Paul oversimplified the science

That Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky often disagrees with infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is well known.

29 Mar 2021

Study identifies key features in SARS-CoV-2 genome essential for replication in respiratory cells

Researchers at the Institute of Medical Virology, the University of Zurich in Switzerland, have identified features in the SARS-CoV-2 genome that are important for human respiratory cell growth.

29 Mar 2021

Addressing the increasing plasticity of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers summarize what this rapid increase of plasticity of SARS-CoV-2 could mean for the future of the pandemic and anti-SARS-CoV-2 measures.

29 Mar 2021

Developing orally administrable drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in China have reported the successful design and synthesis of two antiviral compounds that target the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)’s main protease, essential in virus replication.

29 Mar 2021

Large U.S. study identifies sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 testing and positivity

The massive and continuing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), throughout the world, has led to a staggering toll of over 549,000 deaths in the USA, among over 30 million cases. A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server discusses the factors related to the chances of testing positive for this virus.

29 Mar 2021

Persistent impact on smell and taste in COVID-19 patients one year later

The presentation of the infection ranges from asymptomatic, through dry cough with fever, anosmia/dysgeusia, to shortness of breath with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server reports on the clinical progression of anosmia and dysgeusia, in particular, one year after the infection.

29 Mar 2021

Single Sputnik V vaccine dose elicits robust immune response in previously infected individuals

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server describes successful immunization of the vaccinated population with a single dose of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine.

29 Mar 2021

Linear epitope mapping of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

The spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been the primary target of many drug discovery efforts and is similarly utilized in each of the approved COVID-19 vaccines to elicit the generation of anti-spike protein antibodies, thereby granting immunity.

28 Mar 2021