Interferons News and Research

RSS

Researchers discover how oral bacteria increase vulnerability to infection

Researchers from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and their colleagues have discovered details of how proteins produced by oral epithelial cells protect humans against viruses entering the body through the mouth.

5 Jan 2022

Novel insight into the immune characteristics of bats

Many studies have indicated that bats are significant reservoirs of innumerable viruses, such as influenza, coronaviruses, and rabies. These studies have also reported that bats predominantly remain asymptomatic or develop mild diseases during viral infections caused by henipaviruses, Ebola virus, coronaviruses, etc.

4 Jan 2022

Exploring why children have milder COVID-19 infections compared to adults

A new study has revealed that an activated pre-exposure innate interferon response in airways together with significantly reduced systemic interferon-stimulated populations are associated with relatively milder severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children.

23 Dec 2021

11 exceptional recipients of the 2021 Lupus Innovation Award announced

The Lupus Research Alliance proudly announced today 11 research grant recipients in the U.S. and around the world of the 2021 Lupus Innovation Award which will fund wide ranging areas from probing the development and progression of lupus to pointing to potential personalized therapies.

14 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 ORF10 degrades mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein to suppress immune response

A novel mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the innate immune response; that is, ORF10 induces mitophagy-mediated MAVS degradation by binding to NIX.

5 Dec 2021

Role of interferon type I-driven responses associated with disease control in COVID-19

New research suggests that treatment with type I interferons in the early stage of COVID-19 may supress disease progression by limiting SARS-CoV-2 in hosts.

1 Dec 2021

Human LRRC15 protein is an inhibitory receptor for SARS-CoV-2 spike-mediated entry

In a recent study, published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers identified human LRRC15 as an inhibitory receptor for SARS-CoV-2 entry, which directly binds to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein with a moderate affinity and inhibits spike-mediated entry.

29 Nov 2021

Study shows plasmacytoid dendritic cells may be a viable target for protection against SARS-CoV-2

A recent research paper by scientists from Denmark reveals that circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells may be a potential therapeutic target to maintain desired levels of an antiviral compound known as interferon, allowing for the mitigation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) severity. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server while it undergoes peer review.

28 Nov 2021

Immune response to influenza virus influenced by genetic ancestry

New research at the University of Chicago has found differences in immune pathway activation to influenza infection between individuals of European and African genetic ancestry.

25 Nov 2021

Study finds rhinovirus reduces SARS-CoV-2 replication in airway epithelial cells

A recent study has demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces a significantly lower interferon response than rhinovirus infection.

24 Nov 2021

Discovery of a broad-spectrum antiviral activity in self-assembling immunostimulatory duplex RNAs

A new study, published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, has discovered a class of new immunostimulatory RNAs while studying influenza infection-associated host genes in human lung epithelial cells using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Scientists revealed that these short duplex RNAs could induce type I and type III interferons (IFN-I/III) in a wide variety of cells.

23 Nov 2021

Interferon beta versus the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant

In a study recently published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers investigated the difference in replication efficiency or IFN sensitivity of the four VOCs.

22 Nov 2021

Comparing effectiveness of virus and patients-centered strategies to reduce COVID-19 mortality

Researchers from Sorbonne Université have been reviewing papers exploring different anti-COVID-19 drugs.

19 Nov 2021

Newly discovered RNA molecule protects mice from emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered that an RNA molecule that stimulates the body's early antiviral defense system can protect mice from a range of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

10 Nov 2021

Cell-based viral replication system for screening of SARS-CoV-2 drugs

The current study reports a SARS-CoV-2 replicon system within stable cell lines that can be cultured with ease in a standard biosafety level 2 laboratory.

10 Nov 2021

How long does natural or vaccine-induced immunity to COVID last?

Researchers present a comprehensive assessment on SARS-CoV-2 induced immunity.

28 Oct 2021

Interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir not superior to remdesivir alone in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

A clinical trial has found that treatment with the immunomodulator interferon beta-1a plus the antiviral remdesivir was not superior to treatment with remdesivir alone in hospitalized adults with COVID-19 pneumonia.

18 Oct 2021

The role of ZBP1 in promoting SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine expression

A new study reported that the ZBP1-induced inflammatory signaling pathway is dependent on ubiquitination and RIPK3’s scaffolding ability, independent of cell death.

5 Oct 2021

Defect in the interferon system associated with more severe COVID-19

A component of the human interferon system that activates SARS-CoV-2 cellular defenses appears to be defective in a proportion of humans, new research reports. COVID-19 outcomes were more severe in hospitalized patients who exhibited this immune system deficit, the study shows.

29 Sep 2021

Caspase-11 identified as regulator of inflammatory pathology in SARS-CoV-2 infections

New findings identify CASP4/11 as detrimental to inflammation and coagulopathy associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

28 Sep 2021