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Could portable air filters promote clearance of SARS-CoV-2-contaminated aerosols indoors?

A new study shows that inexpensive portable air cleaners may boost the removal of aerosols containing the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from indoor spaces by as much as three times, compared to conventional Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

30 Apr 2021

Study develops COVID-19 pandemic reopening strategies in California

A working paper from researchers at the RAND corporation explores the various options to come up with a proposed robust plan for reopening up regions where vaccines have not yet been deployed across the entire population.

30 Apr 2021

Researchers characterize a large set of therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of scientists from A-Alpha Bio., USA, has recently conducted a large-scale screening of 33 therapeutic antibodies to examine their binding affinity to a number of SARS-CoV-2 variants. The team analyzed the impact of potential mutations in the spike RBD on antibody efficacy.

29 Apr 2021

COVID-19 vaccination willingness in Australia hinges on public perception of health threat

A new study reports the results of a survey in Australia on vaccine willingness at two points: the first wave in April 2020, and during November of the same year, when cases had dropped significantly.

29 Apr 2021

Study observes increase in Lyme disease-causing ticks across California’s woodlands and beaches

US-based researchers – at Colorado State University and the Northern Arizona University – have discovered that disease-causing ticks are finding their way onto beachfront properties, including infestations in woodlands and beaches around North California.

28 Apr 2021

Can control theory explain differences in virulence and transmission of SARS-CoV-2?

A new study discusses variations in viral pathogenicity and in transmission, which are responsible for asymptomatic infection and for superspreading events. The ability to understand this would open the way to understand how this virus behaves the way it does, in terms of its virulence, its spread, and its emergent variants of concern.

28 Apr 2021

COVID-19 donor antibodies show broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related viruses

A new study reports on a set of antibodies from COVID-19 donor serum, which seems to be cross-reactive across multiple Sarbecoviruses, including the very similar SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV.

28 Apr 2021

Peptide nucleocapsid vaccine candidate elicits protective T cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

A new study describes a synthetic peptide used as a platform to generate protective adaptive cellular immunity to the virus in rhesus macaques, which are the gold standard for preclinical testing in humans.

28 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 clade linked to disease severity in the early phase of the pandemic

A new study in the journal JAMA Network reports on the disease severity associated with some clades of the virus, from an analysis of genomes from specimens isolated in the initial phase of the pandemic.

27 Apr 2021

Some heart medications may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection through increasing ACE2 receptor levels

An interesting poster, just presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2021, reports an association between the use of certain heart medications and the risk of COVID-19.

27 Apr 2021

Nucleocapsid-based vaccines may prevent SARS-CoV-2 dissemination to distal organs

A team of scientists recently investigated and compared the efficacy of spike-based and nucleocapsid-based COVID-19 vaccines in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Their findings reveal that nucleocapsid-based vaccines are effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in distal organs, such as the brain.

27 Apr 2021

Researchers develop eleven SARS-CoV-2 RBD nanobodies using computational design

To develop therapeutics that block this binding process, a team of researchers recently used an integrated computational approach to design nanobodies (Nbs) against the SARS-CoV-2 RBD, using neutralizing/monoclonal antibodies specific to RBD of the spike protein.

27 Apr 2021

Researchers characterize India’s devastating second wave of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on human health worldwide. The second wave in India has caught everyone by surprise, showing up the total lack of foresight or precautions. With well over 0.2 million deaths in India, and infections raging out of control, a new study predicts 0.35 million daily cases at the peak of the second wave.

26 Apr 2021

Host cell transmembrane protein MARCH8 targets lysine residues to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses

A new study deals with the inhibitory activity of a membrane protein that has broad-spectrum activity against multiple viruses, showing that this is due to its effect on cytoplasmic lysine residue incorporation into replicating virions.

26 Apr 2021

Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with more adverse events following mRNA vaccination

The phase 3 trials of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines did not include those with a known previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recent evidence indicates that mRNA vaccines may induce more adverse events in these individuals. In a recent study, 947 individuals, 265 of which have previously reported SARS-CoV-2 infection, were monitored post-vaccination for adverse events, finding that there could be a link between previous infection and greater incidence of these events.

26 Apr 2021

Researchers examine potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals using a drug repurposing library

A new study deals with the screening of the Drug Repurposing Hub (DRH) library for identifying small compounds which are capable of inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 using both in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. These molecules could be used for designing a novel therapeutic system against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

26 Apr 2021

Study reports on safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pregnancy

Researchers used different surveillance systems in the United States to track adverse outcomes after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in pregnant people and found no major safety flags.

23 Apr 2021

House flies can carry SARS-CoV-2 up to 24 hours after exposure, study finds

A team of researchers in the USA – at Kansas State University and Agricultural Research Service – found that house flies can acquire and harbor infectious SARS-CoV-2 for up to 24 hours after exposure.

22 Apr 2021

Can SARS-CoV-2 host factor protein interactions help identify antiviral drug targets?

In a new study proteomic peptide-phage display is utilized to profile the novel SLiM-based interactions that mediate host factor interactions in 229 RNA viruses, with a special focus on SARS-CoV-2, to reveal mechanistic insights and identify drug targets.

22 Apr 2021

How effective is the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccine? A real-world study in Sweden

Investigating a population in southern Sweden, a new study has found that a single dose of the vaccine is only about 42% effective in preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). But seven days after the second dose, the vaccine can prevent COVID-19 in 86% of the population.

22 Apr 2021

Miscellaneous News

Could portable air filters promote clearance of SARS-CoV-2-contaminated aerosols indoors?

Study develops COVID-19 pandemic reopening strategies in California

Researchers characterize a large set of therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants

COVID-19 vaccination willingness in Australia hinges on public perception of health threat

Study observes increase in Lyme disease-causing ticks across California’s woodlands and beaches

Can control theory explain differences in virulence and transmission of SARS-CoV-2?

COVID-19 donor antibodies show broad cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related viruses

Peptide nucleocapsid vaccine candidate elicits protective T cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in vivo

SARS-CoV-2 clade linked to disease severity in the early phase of the pandemic

Some heart medications may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection through increasing ACE2 receptor levels

Nucleocapsid-based vaccines may prevent SARS-CoV-2 dissemination to distal organs

Researchers develop eleven SARS-CoV-2 RBD nanobodies using computational design

Researchers characterize India’s devastating second wave of COVID-19

Host cell transmembrane protein MARCH8 targets lysine residues to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses

Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with more adverse events following mRNA vaccination

Researchers examine potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals using a drug repurposing library

Study reports on safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pregnancy

House flies can carry SARS-CoV-2 up to 24 hours after exposure, study finds

Can SARS-CoV-2 host factor protein interactions help identify antiviral drug targets?

How effective is the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccine? A real-world study in Sweden

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