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Broadly cross-reactive antibody to SARS-CoV-2 RBD with robust resistance to mutational escape

A new study addresses an urgent need – namely, a therapeutic antibody directed specifically against a key SARS-CoV-2 antigen which is highly conserved among similar viruses, and is not easily bypassed by viral escape mutations.

12 Apr 2021

Small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 identified by screening

A new study describes the identification of small molecule inhibitors that block the catalytic activity of the crucial viral non-structural protein 5 (nsp5), using a large-scale screening method.

12 Apr 2021

P681 mutation has little impact on transmissibility in the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, finds study

A new preprint, recently released on the bioRxiv* server, explores the impact of a single mutation, the P681H mutation, on the transmissibility of the virus.

12 Apr 2021

Current hygiene guidelines appropriate for UK and SA variants of SARS-CoV-2, study finds

Many different variants and lineages have arisen from the ancestral Wuhan-Hu1 strain of the SARS-CoV-2. This requires careful attention to control measures since many are more infective and transmissible than the older strains. A recent study compares the UK variant of this virus with the wildtype in terms of susceptibility to routine cleaning and disinfection measures.

12 Apr 2021

Researchers provide ultrastructural details of SARS-CoV-2-infected respiratory epithelial cells

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom recently investigated the ultrastructural details of the attachment, entry, and budding processes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the human airway epithelium. They have used a highly differentiated air-liquid interface cultures of airway epithelium to thoroughly investigate the viral infection cycle. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

12 Apr 2021

Researchers explore an inhalable SARS-CoV-2 nanobody therapy

Even as vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed and administered at an unprecedented pace, treating this infection remains a challenge. To address this, researchers from China have used nanobodies (Nb) as a possible therapeutic approach. They reported Nb phage display libraries derived from four camels immunized with the SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD.

12 Apr 2021

Imbalanced bacterial community in the gums linked to Alzheimer's disease biomarker

Older adults with more harmful than healthy bacteria in their gums are more likely to have evidence for amyloid beta--a key biomarker for Alzheimer's disease--in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), according to new research from NYU College of Dentistry and Weill Cornell Medicine.

12 Apr 2021

A shared set of systems in the brain may be vital for controlling the retrieval of facts and memories

A shared set of systems in the brain may play an important role in controlling the retrieval of facts and personal memories utilized in everyday life, new research shows.

12 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization

Researchers at the Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, USA, showed that the SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization.

12 Apr 2021

Researchers work to develop dual antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidate

A new study has been published on the medRxiv* preprint server, which focuses on the development of a dual-antigen COVID-19' T cell' vaccine. This vaccine is developed based on the expression of both S protein and nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2, using a next-generation human adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) platform.

12 Apr 2021

Could N protein-based COVID-19 vaccines hinder SARS-CoV-2's NK cell inhibition?

Upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, what are the changes occurring on the surface of the host cell? To address this, and a team of researchers undertook a study exploring the natural killer (NK) cells and their role during a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

12 Apr 2021

Tapeworm infection drug blocks SARS-CoV-2 damage in the lungs

New research published in the journal Nature found the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs resulted in abnormal pneumocytes and spike protein-mediated cell fusion. Their findings also showed that TMEM16F protein activation induces cell fusion. Therefore, drugs inhibiting the TMEM16F/Anoctamin6 calcium-activated ion channel, such as niclosamide, could serve as potential treatments for reducing the severity of COVID-19 infection.

12 Apr 2021

COVID19's cytokine storm ushers in a local complement storm in the lungs

A new study published in the journal Science Immunology analyzed lung epithelial cells from patients infected with COVID-19 and found the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces the complement system as a dangerous weapon for viral infection.

12 Apr 2021

Screening for SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 inhibitors

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Diffley et al. (April 8th, 2021), inhibitors of one essential SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein are explored, with four compounds, in particular, identified as potential antiviral leads that exhibit synergistic effects with antiviral drug remdesivir.

12 Apr 2021

Commercial assays detect mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in most vaccinated participants

A recent study by researchers from Canada aimed to examine the ability of commercial assays to detect vaccine-induced antibodies and recognize the vaccination response.

12 Apr 2021

The role and ancestry of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycan shield

In a research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv by Harbison et al. (April 1st 2021) a set of multi-microsecond long molecular dynamics simulations study the effects of altering glycosylation at sites N234, N165, N343, and the newly identified ancestral site N370, uncovering the influence of these sites on infectivity.

12 Apr 2021

CD40 drug before surgery can benefit patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer

Giving early-stage pancreatic cancer patients a CD40 immune-stimulating drug helped jumpstart a T cell attack to the notoriously stubborn tumor microenvironment before surgery and other treatments, according to a new study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) at the University of Pennsylvania.

12 Apr 2021

Medical Research News

Broadly cross-reactive antibody to SARS-CoV-2 RBD with robust resistance to mutational escape

Small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 identified by screening

P681 mutation has little impact on transmissibility in the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant, finds study

Current hygiene guidelines appropriate for UK and SA variants of SARS-CoV-2, study finds

Researchers provide ultrastructural details of SARS-CoV-2-infected respiratory epithelial cells

Researchers explore an inhalable SARS-CoV-2 nanobody therapy

Imbalanced bacterial community in the gums linked to Alzheimer's disease biomarker

A shared set of systems in the brain may be vital for controlling the retrieval of facts and memories

SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralization

Researchers work to develop dual antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Could N protein-based COVID-19 vaccines hinder SARS-CoV-2's NK cell inhibition?

Tapeworm infection drug blocks SARS-CoV-2 damage in the lungs

COVID19's cytokine storm ushers in a local complement storm in the lungs

Screening for SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 14 inhibitors

Commercial assays detect mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in most vaccinated participants

The role and ancestry of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein glycan shield

CD40 drug before surgery can benefit patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer

Lung microbiome predicts COVID-19 disease severity

Study reveals new insights into the effects of chemotherapy on tumor microenvironment

Mutant KRAS and P53 promote growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer

Advancing Drug Safety Assessment With AI, Predictive Modeling, and Human-Relevant Data

AI-powered analytics and experimental validation

Membrane proteins in focus: Turning high-risk targets into routine workflows

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