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UQ researchers reveal three-dimensional structure of important enzyme

Advanced herbicides and treatments for infection may result from the unravelling of a 50-year-old mystery by University of Queensland researchers.

11 Jul 2020

Study shows how plants operate on a molecular level

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals how plants create the load-bearing structures that let them grow - much like how building crews frame a house.

10 Jul 2020

WHO confirms 'emerging evidence' of airborne coronavirus

Scientists from around the world wrote a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), urging the agency to acknowledge that the novel coronavirus is airborne. More than 230 scientists presented evidence that people can catch the virus from droplets floating in the air.

9 Jul 2020

Pigs and chickens not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2

A team of researchers in Germany aimed to investigate the susceptibility of potential animal hosts and the risk of zoonosis spill-over infections, which are illnesses transmitted to humans from animals. On the other hand, reverse zoonosis pertains to infections in humans that jump to animals.

9 Jul 2020

Structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein provides clues to its evolution

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have characterized the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as well as its most similar relative in a bat coronavirus. The structures provide clues about how the spike evolved and could help inform vaccine design.

9 Jul 2020

Researchers map RNA structure throughout SARS-CoV-2 genome

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is currently at the heart of a pandemic that has cost the world more than 550,000 lives, 12 million infections, and uncounted years of productivity, is an RNA virus with the largest genome among all such viruses. This 30 kb size virus has caused many difficulties for scientists in search of a vaccine.

9 Jul 2020

A biomaterial vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 - quick and scalable

A recent 'tour-de-force' research endeavor, led by scientists from Harvard University, explored the propensity of a biomaterial vaccine based on mesoporous silica rods to spawn highly protective humoral responses against relevant antigens of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

8 Jul 2020

Characterizing Polymorphs and Amorphous Form

Dr. Matteo Daldosso and Dr. Sebastian Wegner discuss novel solutions for the characterization of polymorphs and amorphous form APIs.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 8 Jul 2020

Evolutionary snapshot reveals genetic stability of SARS-CoV-2

A multinational study currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server shows that in the early large genome of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) only a handful of amino acids are exchanged, implying a relatively low mutation rate and selection pressure.

7 Jul 2020

Spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 covered by mobile glycans that shield its surface

A new study of the structural dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein published in the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports on the epitopes that could be possible immune targets for the development of vaccines.

7 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein hidden as pH changes

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 reports the role of pH in helping the virus escape neutralization by antibodies, by inducing a key conformational switch.

7 Jul 2020

SARS-CoV-2 detected in Santiago, Chile wastewater with very little loss of viral RNA

A preliminary report from Chile describes the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in sewage as a sensitive method to assess the circulation of viruses within a community.

7 Jul 2020

Viral and bacterial co-infections are pervasive in severe COVID-19 patients

A large group of researchers from China recently characterized microbial co-infections in the respiratory tract of hospitalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and demonstrated a high prevalence of both viral and bacterial co-infections – particularly in individuals presenting with severe disease.

6 Jul 2020

Study reveals key role of a protein in regulating scar tissue growth after heart attacks

New UCLA research conducted in mice could explain why some people suffer more extensive scarring than others after a heart attack.

6 Jul 2020

WHO urged to recognize airborne transmission of COVID-19

Now, a team of international scientists, including 239 health experts from 32 countries, has written an open letter to the WHO urging the organization to revise its recommendations for the spread of SARS-CoV-2, due to mounting evidence that the disease is airborne for more extended periods than the WHO advisory.

6 Jul 2020

Research suggests protective effect of influenza vaccine against COVID-19 severity and mortality

A new study involving over 92,000 patients with COVID-19 in Brazil shows that the odds of severe disease, ventilatory support requirement, and death are reduced with a recent trivalent flu vaccine. This seems to indicate that these vaccines should be used as widely as possible to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, especially among high-risk groups. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020.

5 Jul 2020

Toxic metallic air pollution nanoparticles found inside myocardial mitochondria of city dwellers

Toxic metallic air pollution nanoparticles are getting inside the crucial, energy-producing structures within the hearts of people living in polluted cities, causing cardiac stress - a new study confirms.

3 Jul 2020

Researchers isolate protective antibodies for rare, polio-like disease in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have isolated human monoclonal antibodies that potentially can prevent a rare but devastating polio-like illness in children linked to a respiratory viral infection.

3 Jul 2020

Mutated European strain of coronavirus more contagious but less potent

The coronavirus pandemic is far from over as it actively spreads across the globe. The infection toll has reached a staggering 10.84 million people since it emerged in late December 2019 in Wuhan City, China. The virus that has left the city has now spread to 188 countries and territories and has mutated, becoming more infectious.

3 Jul 2020

More evidence on vitamin D deficiency and death rates from COVID-19

Physicians at the Complete Med Care clinic in Dallas, Texas, have conducted a study showing that the prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency is strongly correlated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rate in European countries.

2 Jul 2020