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Large SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on a fishing boat - neutralizing antibodies prevent infection

Now, a team of researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine has found evidence that SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies can prevent infection in people, as they conducted a study before and after a COVID-19 outbreak on a fishing vessel.

19 Aug 2020

Cryo-EM experiments offer important clues to chicken pox infection

Despite decades of study, exactly how herpesviruses invade our cells remains something of a mystery. Now researchers studying one herpesvirus, the varicella zoster virus (VZV) that causes chicken pox, may have found an important clue: A key protein the virus uses to initiate infection does not operate as previously thought, researchers at Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory report August 18 in Nature Communications.

18 Aug 2020

Number of children contracting SARS-CoV-2 steadily increasing, CDC says

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance revealing that the number and infection rate of COVID-19 cases among children have steadily increased between March and July, which may worsen as schools start to re-open.

18 Aug 2020

Multiplication of ecDNA genes present in many cancer types, drives poor patients outcomes

The multiplication of genes located in extrachromosomal DNA that have the potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes across many cancer types, according to a Nature Genetics study published Aug. 17, 2020 by a team of researchers including Professors Vineet Bafna and Dr.Paul Mischel of the University of California San Diego and Professor Roel Verhaak of Jackson Laboratories.

17 Aug 2020

Cashew shell compound may help repair damaged nerves

In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

17 Aug 2020

Pre-COVID-19 coronavirus immunity does not protect against SARS-CoV-2

A recent study by researchers in France that's currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server claims that having previous immunity against common coronaviruses (alpha and beta) cannot protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

17 Aug 2020

New technique enables real-time observation of influenza A hemagglutinin during viral entry

Unlike living organisms, to avoid extinction, viruses need to hijack living host machineries to generate new viruses.

17 Aug 2020

Deciphering the largest CRISPR system

Professor Guillermo Montoya spoke to News-Medical on his research that involved visualizing the largest and most complex CRISPR system.

17 Aug 2020

Cyborg technology: Researchers take new step toward integrating electronics with the body

Although true "cyborgs" -; part human, part robotic beings -; are science fiction, researchers are taking steps toward integrating electronics with the body.

17 Aug 2020

Can the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 be spread through frozen food?

It is well-known that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can spread through respiratory droplets when people sneeze, cough, or talk. Recent evidence has also shown that the virus can hang in the air for hours, hinting at the possibility of airborne transmission.

17 Aug 2020

Scientists reveal most likely order of COVID-19 symptoms

Now, a team of researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) has revealed the order of symptoms often experienced by those who infected with SARS-CoV-2. Knowing the order of the symptoms may help the patients seek medical help immediately. The research is published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

16 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike pocket is a putative target for antiviral design

In a methodologically rigorous study, researchers from the University of Oxford have recently shown how the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein harbors a lipid-binding pocket which modulates the stability of the prefusion trimer and provides conformational shielding from antibodies. Their findings are currently freely available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

16 Aug 2020

Influenza-virus-based vaccine platform another viable option against SARS-CoV-2

In a novel proof of concept study, published on the bioRxiv preprint server, U.S. researchers used attenuated influenza viral particles that express severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain to induce neutralizing antibodies in mice – unveiling another viable vaccine candidate for preventing coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

14 Aug 2020

Membrane nanoparticles acts as a bait to trap SARS-CoV-2

In an exciting new bioRxiv preprint research paper, Chinese researchers describe the development of membrane nanoparticles from ACE2-rich cells with a potent capacity to block the adherence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

13 Aug 2020

Synthetic nanobodies prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers from the University of California San Francisco has created a powerful nasal spray or inhaler that can provide high-grade protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The report is presently available on the bioRvix* preprint server.

13 Aug 2020

Study shows how viruses operate and evade the immune system

University of Otago researchers have learnt more about how viruses operate and can evade the immune system and are now using their discovery to help learn more about COVID-19.

13 Aug 2020

Thermo Fisher Scientific launches two breakthrough imaging filters that take cryo-EM to a new level

Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today introduced two breakthrough imaging filters, the Thermo Scientific Selectris Imaging Filter and the Thermo Scientific Selectris X Imaging Filter, taking cryo-electron microscopy to a new level, making it possible to view proteins at true atomic resolution.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 13 Aug 2020

SARS-CoV-2 viral load predicts risk of death

As the coronavirus pandemic evolved, there have been many developments in testing for the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in patients. Now, a team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, has found that the SARS-CoV-2 viral load can predict mortality in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

13 Aug 2020

A triplex SARS-CoV-2 assay based on nanopore sequencing is accurate, rapid and scalable

A novel breakthrough by a research group from Oxford Nanopore Technologies is a rapid way of testing and screening large numbers of samples for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

12 Aug 2020

C-type lectin receptors play a role in SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in August 2020 confirms and extends earlier findings showing that a type of sugar-based receptor on innate immune cells promotes the entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into other cells that carry the viral receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

12 Aug 2020