Luciferase News and Research

RSS

Rare disease diagnosis by 100,000 genomes pilot

A team of researchers conducted a pilot study that enrolled families and undertook detailed clinical phenotyping of the proband to evaluate the effect of the whole genome sequencing approach on a genetic diagnosis of rare conditions by the NHS in the UK.

12 Nov 2021

The autoantibody profile in COVID-19 patients with MIS-C

A new study assessed the presence of autoantibodies against autoantigens associated with known autoimmune diseases in patients with COVID-19.

10 Nov 2021

Convalescent plasma post-vaccination increases binding and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

A recent study assesses the boost in antibodies against SARS-CoV-2)variants post-vaccination in plasma samples from previously infected COVID-19 patients.

7 Nov 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variants neutralized by camel nanobodies

Researchers from the US recently isolated two VHH nanobodies - 7A3 and 8A2 - from dromedary camels (Camelus dromedaries) using phage display. These nanobodies were found to have a high affinity for the spike RBD and broad neutralization abilities against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.

2 Nov 2021

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant A.30 efficiently evades vaccine-induced immunity

A recent study published in the journal Cellular & Molecular Immunology shows that a new A.30 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can evade vaccine-induced antibodies and might spread outside the lungs extraordinarily well, with important implications for our public health response.

1 Nov 2021

Cancer patients have impaired antibody responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines

A new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server studies the neutralizing antibody response in cancer patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), lung cancer, breast cancer, and various non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL), post-reception of two doses of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.

25 Oct 2021

Potent extended anti- SARS-CoV-2 effect of titanium dioxide surface coatings

A team of researchers has explored the possibility of coating surfaces with TiO2 as a tool to inactivate SARS-CoV-2.

7 Oct 2021

non-RBD mutation in SARS-CoV-2 variants enhances resistance to neutralizing antibodies

Researchers from Ohio State University have been investigating mutations in the rest of the spike protein, particularly the Q677H mutation.

7 Oct 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection aided by antibody-dependent enhancement

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised concerns about the detrimental effects of antibodies. Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection is one of the biggest concerns in terms of not only the antibody reaction to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) upon reinfection with the virus but also the reaction to COVID-19 vaccines.

30 Sep 2021

A novel FACS-based approach for SARS-CoV-2 serology

A recent study discusses a simple, sensitive, and quantitative serological test based on FACS assay to evaluate antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

20 Sep 2021

New vaccine platform can better induce anti-malaria immunity in the liver

Malaria remains a deadly disease that affects people worldwide, particularly in Africa. Caused by a parasite that can enter the human bloodstream via mosquito bite, the parasites can then infect and reproduce within the person's liver.

16 Sep 2021

Expansion of seasonal betacoronavirus antibodies post-vaccination is associated with reduction in neutralization of the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A new study determined the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal viruses induced by BNT162b2-Comirnaty vaccination in healthcare workers.

23 Aug 2021

New study identifies novel compound as promising pan-coronavirus drug candidate

A recent study describes a novel compound with frameshifting capability against MERS-CoV, inhibiting viral propagation within infected cells.

23 Aug 2021

Study investigates the effects of calycosin on breast cancer cell progression

Aging-US published "Calycosin inhibits breast cancer cell migration and invasion by suppressing EMT via BATF/TGF-β1" which reported that in this study, the authors investigated the effects of calycosin on breast cancer cell progression and their underlying mechanisms. Calycosin dose- and time-dependently inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion by T47D and MCF-7 breast cancer cells by downregulating basic leucine zipper ATF-like transcription factor expression.

23 Aug 2021

A new promising target for broad-spectrum therapeutics against coronaviruses

A recent study by Canadian and US researchers demonstrates how frameshift signals of coronaviruses represent a viable target for developing novel therapeutics with broad-spectrum activity – not only against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but also other constituents of the coronavirus family. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server while it undergoes peer review.

11 Aug 2021

Virus-like particles reveal unexpected mechanism for increased fitness and spread of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in the United States have developed a new model for testing mutations in the four structural proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

9 Aug 2021

A path to treat currently untreatable cases of cystic fibrosis is clearly achievable, study suggests

An experimental drug reported in Nature Communications suggests that a "path is clearly achievable" to treat currently untreatable cases of cystic fibrosis disease caused by nonsense mutations.

19 Jul 2021

Neutralizing aptamers block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

A new study describes the clinical utility of aptamers against SARS-CoV-2.

13 Jul 2021

Antibiotic clofoctol shows potential against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study, a group of French researchers aimed to reduce the regulatory preclinical development steps that potential candidates are normally subjected to.

5 Jul 2021

Engineered T cells prevent translational shutdown in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Schamel et al. (June 25th, 2021) engineered T cells against SARS-CoV-2 are tested against a range of cells in vitro, finding that the treatment could be used to restore cellular immune function and suppress SARS-CoV-2.

1 Jul 2021