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NIH researchers find that the SARS-CoV-2 Nsp15’s uridine cleavage can evade the immune response

Research conducted by scientists at the National Institutes of Health in the USA shows that Nsp15 targets uridines (U). Following detection of U, Nsp15 can then further cleave a broad spectrum of RNA substrates.

8 Jun 2021

New favipiravir derivative is a potent SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor

In a new study recently published in Chemical Papers by Dr. Amgad Rabie (May 16th, 2021), a high potency derivative of favipiravir towards SARS-CoV-2 is engineered and investigated.

27 May 2021

Study sheds new light on complex dynamics involved in microbial infections

Included in the vast fallout stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are paying closer attention to microbial infections and how life forms defend against attacks from pathogens.

27 May 2021

Blocking folate metabolism could reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral replication in infected cells

The novel beta-coronavirus virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and coronaviruses, in general, alter the host's cellular metabolism to support massive production of ~30 kB viral genomes and subgenomic viral RNAs. However, how this is achieved is largely unknown.

21 Mar 2021

Genome-wide CRISPR screens reveal resistance and sensitization mechanisms of drugs used in COVID-19

By leveraging nucleotide triphosphate analog-induced cell death, Chinese researchers unveiled genes that affect the import, export, and metabolism of pervasively used antiviral drugs in the treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This exciting study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

28 Oct 2020

Study suggests new approach to make radiation therapy more effective for glioblastoma patients

Many modern cancer drugs target a specific genetic mutation that is driving a particular cancer's runaway growth and division -- such as the HER-2 protein in some breast cancers or EGFR in certain lung cancers.

30 Jul 2020

New genome-editing technologies can help understand disease-associated genetic mutations

New genome-editing technologies developed by researchers in J. Keith Joung's laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have the potential to help understand disease-associated genetic mutations that are based on C-to-G (cytosine to guanine) single base changes.

24 Jul 2020

Mysterious enzyme inhibits inflammation in blood vessels, LJI study shows

Scrape your knee, and you'll see some red puffiness appear around the injury. This is inflammation, and it is driven by the immune system.

23 Jul 2020

Specific SARS-CoV-2 genetic elements found in different insect species

In a recent bioRxiv paper, researchers from Norway and the US demonstrate the presence of a highly conserved, mobile genetic element (thus far with unknown function) in genomes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and a large number of insects – opening the door for hitherto unexplored treatment opportunities.

30 Jun 2020

Chronic kidney disease medication doesn’t work, shows study

A major clinical trial from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) reports that a medication called allopurinol, which is prescribed to about 20% of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), doesn’t work as expected. The results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 25, 2020.

28 Jun 2020

Brazilian startup to develop a low-cost high-performance COVID-19 diagnostic test

Researchers at Biolinker, a biotech startup based in São Paulo, Brazil, are developing a low-cost high-performance COVID-19 diagnostic test using only locally sourced inputs.

26 Jun 2020

Study reveals biochemical alterations in patients with Lesch-Nyhan disease

An international study by the Institute of Neuroscience of the UAB, Emory University and Hospital Universitario La Paz, published in the PNAS journal, shows that patients suffering from Lesch-Nyhan, a rare neurological disease, present biochemical alterations in skin cells (fibroblasts), urine and cerebrospinal fluid.

4 Jun 2020

Study reveals SARS-CoV-2 RNA cap structure

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in April 2020 reports the discovery of the structure of the cap created by the novel coronavirus on virally encoded mRNAs. The finding could help create new antiviral strategies.

29 Apr 2020

The cost of excessive sugar in the diet

A new study from the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, in the UK, reports that while eating foods rich in sugar does not necessarily make you fat, they can make you very sick. They do this by increasing the level of a compound called uric acid in the blood. The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism in March 2020.

19 Mar 2020

Dietary sugar has negative impact on health independent of obesity

Sugar-rich diets have a negative impact on health independent of obesity reports a new study led by the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, UK.

19 Mar 2020

Gut bacteria may predict risk of pulmonary hypertension

A team of researchers has found that the microflora of bacteria within the gut of humans could be a contributor to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The study titled, "Altered Gut Microbiome Profile in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension," in the latest issue of the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

24 Feb 2020

Salivary uric acid found to be a good predictor of body fat percentage in adolescents

In addition to helping us chew and swallow, keeping the mouth moist and protecting us against germs, saliva can also be used for early detection of the risk of developing diseases associated with surplus body fat.

18 Feb 2020

Key component of immune response is activated by short RNAs, shows study

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers report that a central component of the innate immune response is activated by two short RNAs which are produced by site-specific cleavage of a precursor RNA molecule - and both derivatives are generated by the same enzyme.

3 Dec 2019

New wearable sensor for non-invasive gout detection

Biomedical scientists are working hard to create more pain-free methods of disease detection and treatment. A simple blood test is highly informative but arouses intense anxiety in many people. Now a new paper published in the journal Nature Biotechnology on November 25, 2019, reports on a new wearable sensor that can be successfully adapted to mass production, is flexible, and can be used to produce readouts of metabolites and nutrients in the blood based on a sweat analysis.

26 Nov 2019

Research may help explain how liquid organelles in cells coexist without merging

New research may help to explain an intriguing phenomenon inside human cells: how wall-less liquid organelles are able to coexist as separate entities instead of just merging together.

10 Oct 2019