Reverse Transcriptase News and Research

RSS

Urban and deprived individuals are disproportionately afflicted by COVID-19

In a recent study, scientists at the University of Oxford investigate the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection in various populations.

13 Sep 2021

SARS-CoV-2 may have consequences to host cells beyond evoking an immune response

A recent study examined the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to impact DNA damage response and telomere stability in Vero E6 cells.

13 Sep 2021

Third vaccine dose reduces transmission and severe COVID-19 nationwide in Israel

A new preprint investigates the efficacy of a booster vaccine on a nationwide scale in reducing viral spread and the number of severe COVID-19 cases.

3 Sep 2021

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

A new study details the genomic characteristics and descent of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of interest.

23 Aug 2021

Study suggests Harmony COVID-19 assay is superior to laboratory-based tests

A new study suggests a new coronavirus test developed by scientists from the University of Washington and the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine produces faster and more sensitive results than conventional PCR tests to measure severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral RNA.

18 Aug 2021

Ten-fold reduced risk of workplace SARS-CoV-2 infection in seropositive essential workers

A reassuring new study supports the opening of workplaces to seropositive workers in view of the extremely low risk of reinfection observed in this cohort.

11 Aug 2021

Flavonoid-based inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV 3CL protease for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study has explored a series of potential flavonoid inhibitors targeting 3CL protease of SARS-CoV.

9 Aug 2021

New DNA writing technique can precisely and efficiently edit bacterial genomes

Biological engineers at MIT have devised a new way to efficiently edit bacterial genomes and program memories into bacterial cells by rewriting their DNA.

5 Aug 2021

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breast milk: Study

A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server explores the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) antibodies IgA and IgG against SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk secreted by women with confirmed infection. The scientists also delineated the specific antigens targeted by the antibodies.

26 Jul 2021

Study examines asymptomatic, presymptomatic and symptomatic transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2

A new preprint, available on the medRxiv* server, describes how researchers found at least a third of infected individuals to be asymptomatic, but that a fifth of them successfully passed on the virus to others. In comparison, about a quarter of symptomatic cases did so, especially when the symptoms included fever, cough and shortness of breath. In these circumstances, up to 30% of them transmitted the virus.

13 Jul 2021

Colonization by SARS-CoV-2 not synonymous with infection, screening study highlights

A new study released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server throws cold water on this notion, however, by demonstrating that in a set of asymptomatic cases, less than a tenth actually had evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This finding has serious implications for the practices mentioned above, since they may be neither justifiable nor cost-effective as means to break the chain of viral transmission.

13 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 immunity due to prior infection or vaccination is similar, study says

A new study finds that the rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfection is low following one episode of the infection.

11 Jul 2021

Antigen testing identifies PCR-positive children with live SARS-CoV-2

A recent study finds that antigen-based testing can reliably identify children who are infectious for SARS-CoV-2.

11 Jul 2021

Kids misusing soft drinks to corrupt SARS-CoV-2 tests

A group of collaborating researchers systematically tested a variety of different soft drinks to determine their ability to create false-positive results.

8 Jul 2021

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

A new meta-analysis, released on the medRxiv* preprint server, suggests that, though possible, the virus is rarely transmitted to the newborn in real life. A scientific brief from the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2021 describes three mechanisms by which the virus might be transmitted from the mother to the fetus or newborn.

7 Jul 2021

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

A face mask has been developed that can detect COVID-19. News-Medical spoke to the researchers behind this idea to find out more about how it works.

6 Jul 2021

Dimeric IgA antibodies help identify recent SARS-CoV-2 infection

A fascinating new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, adds a highly appealing tool to the armory of detection techniques for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Its validation could allow the early and accurate detection of recent or active infection, which is valuable in tracing contacts and preventing forward transmission of the virus.

5 Jul 2021

Varenicline blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells and animal models

A new paper released on the bioRxiv* preprint server suggests that the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nACHR) agonist, varenicline tartrate, has antiviral activity against the virus.

5 Jul 2021

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

Researchers from the UK recently compared the performance of 4 different random priming amplification methods to recover SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In method 1 (H-P), the reverse transcriptase (RT) step included random hexamers, whereas, in methods 2-4, RT incorporated an octamer primer with a known tag. This study is published on the bioRxiv preprint server.

5 Jul 2021

Salivary markers of oxidative stress during severe COVID-19

An interesting study from researchers at the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, presents evidence that an elevated level of expression of oxidant molecules may be correlated with severe infection and lung injury.

2 Jul 2021

Reverse Transcriptase News and Research

Urban and deprived individuals are disproportionately afflicted by COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 may have consequences to host cells beyond evoking an immune response

Third vaccine dose reduces transmission and severe COVID-19 nationwide in Israel

The emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Lambda (B.1.621) variant

Study suggests Harmony COVID-19 assay is superior to laboratory-based tests

Ten-fold reduced risk of workplace SARS-CoV-2 infection in seropositive essential workers

Flavonoid-based inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV 3CL protease for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection

New DNA writing technique can precisely and efficiently edit bacterial genomes

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breast milk: Study

Study examines asymptomatic, presymptomatic and symptomatic transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2

Colonization by SARS-CoV-2 not synonymous with infection, screening study highlights

SARS-CoV-2 immunity due to prior infection or vaccination is similar, study says

Antigen testing identifies PCR-positive children with live SARS-CoV-2

Kids misusing soft drinks to corrupt SARS-CoV-2 tests

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

Developing a face mask that can detect COVID-19

Dimeric IgA antibodies help identify recent SARS-CoV-2 infection

Varenicline blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells and animal models

Researchers develop random priming amplification method for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1

Salivary markers of oxidative stress during severe COVID-19

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

Latest News