Spike Protein News and Research

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Study shows chloroquine does not prevent SARS-CoV-2

More than 600,000 people worldwide have fallen victim to the lung disease COVID-19 so far, which is caused by the SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).

22 Jul 2020

Scientists isolate potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients

Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center have isolated antibodies from several COVID-19 patients that, to date, are among the most potent in neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

22 Jul 2020

Scientists report two new cryo-EM structures of SARS-Cov-2 spike protein

Scientists report two new cryo-EM structures representing the pre- and postfusion conformations of the full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, an essential viral component responsible for host cell entry and the spread of infection.

22 Jul 2020

Study captures unexpected features of SARS-Cov-2 spike protein

The rod-like spike proteins on the surface of SARS CoV-2 are the tip of the spear of the COVID-19 pandemic.

22 Jul 2020

Lab-made virus infects cells, interacts with antibodies just like SARS-CoV-2

Airborne and potentially deadly, the virus that causes COVID-19 can only be studied safely under high-level biosafety conditions.

21 Jul 2020

New tools developed to test the ability of anti-coronavirus antibodies

Researchers at The Rockefeller University in New York have developed new tools to rapidly test the ability of antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Jul 2020

Antibody profile and estimated seroprevalence in COVID-19 infection

A new Swedish study published on the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 describes the results of using highly sensitive and specific anti-spike antibody tests in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 over a range of disease severity.

21 Jul 2020

Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 proteome via visual tools

Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in July 2020 shows how this can be advanced at a greater speed by combining experimental results with homology models obtained by high-throughput pipelines. This will help produce new hypotheses that will show novel druggable targets for effective drug development.

21 Jul 2020

New nanoparticle vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 shows protective traits in preclinical study

A new nanoparticle vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has shown hints of protection and immunity in a preclinical study, safely eliciting the production of antibodies and antiviral T cell responses in mice and pigtail macaques.

20 Jul 2020

Involvement of nicotine receptors in COVID-19

Researchers from the University of Bristol, Oxford Brookes University and the University of California San Diego neatly demonstrated how the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits high affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), with significant implications for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pathology and infectivity. Their findings are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

20 Jul 2020

UC Davis Health evaluates new antibody cocktail as a possible treatment for COVID-19

Timothy Albertson, chair of internal medicine and specialist in pulmonary and critical care, is leading efforts at UC Davis Health to test a new antibody cocktail (REGN-COV2) as a prevention and treatment for COVID-19.

20 Jul 2020

China's Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine safe and induces immune response

A phase 2 trial of an Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine candidate, conducted in China, has found that the vaccine is safe and induces an immune response, according to new research published in The Lancet.

20 Jul 2020

Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 safe and induces immune response

Promising early stage results from a phase 1/2 clinical trial of the UK's vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) are published today in The Lancet.

20 Jul 2020

Examining cardiovascular injuries in patients who recovered from COVID-9 infection

The coronavirus disease is wreaking havoc on the health of communities throughout the world and may have lasting cardiac effects on those who have recovered from the virus.

19 Jul 2020

Researchers are producing COVID-19 spike proteins to prevent future infections

On July 1, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station's National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing received funding from the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals to help find a way to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from binding to cells, protecting people from future infections.

19 Jul 2020

Researchers detect positive COVID-19 cases in 20 minutes using blood samples

World-first research by Monash University in Australia has been able to detect positive COVID-19 cases using blood samples in about 20 minutes, and identify whether someone has contracted the virus.

17 Jul 2020

Game-Changer: A SARS-CoV-2 serological test for 50-cents per sample!

A recent study published in the preprint server medRxiv in July 2020 shows that this is indeed possible. The development of this inexpensive but reliable and sensitive test could change the face of preventive measures for COVID-19 in low-resource settings.

17 Jul 2020

New insight into the SARS-CoV-2 infection process

Canadian researchers from the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be using a unique method to gain entry into the cells.

16 Jul 2020

Study shows fused lung cells are pervasive in severe COVID-19

In a recent bioRxiv paper, scientists from Institut Pasteur and other research centers in France demonstrated how pathological effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are modulated by cellular proteins that can either inhibit or facilitate cell fusion and subsequent syncytia formation.

16 Jul 2020

Compelling study shows heparin may protect against COVID-19

A compelling new study conducted by an international team of researchers has demonstrated that the widely used blood-thinning medication - heparin - can block infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

16 Jul 2020