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Humoral immunity developed by DNA vaccine INO-4800 is effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

A team of international scientists recently demonstrated that antibodies generated in response to the DNA vaccine INO-4800 can effectively neutralize some of the recently emerged variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), such as G614, 501Y.V1, and 501Y.V2.

20 Apr 2021

Could virosome-based nanovaccines be a promising new approach to preventing viral diseases?

A recent review in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules provides a novel overview of 'virosome'-based nanovaccine production, its properties, and its application in viral diseases, emphasizing its importance in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine discovery.

20 Apr 2021

Occurrence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater

Researchers review the utilities of wastewater epidemiology in assessing the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a given community as well as the risks of wastewater viral transmission.

19 Apr 2021

Researchers develop computational model to predict changes in SARS-CoV-2’s viral fitness

Two researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, Fabrizio Pucci and Marianne Rooman, recently built a simplified computational model, called SpikePro, to predict the SARS-CoV-2 fitness from the amino acid sequence and structure of the spike protein. This study focuses on the spike protein’s stability and the binding affinity to the host receptor.

19 Apr 2021

Could a tuna-derived protein inhibit SARS-CoV-2?

A recent study in the journal Food Chemistry draws attention to the need for finding nutritional supplements with potential SARS-CoV-2 inhibition effects in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 Apr 2021

Plant-derived compound isorhamnetin may have antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2

The lack of new or repurposed drugs to treat patients with severe or critical COVID-19 has been one of the biggest hurdles to reducing mortality rates in the ongoing pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. A new study describes the potential for the use of the plant molecule isorhamnetin in the management of this virus.

19 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein can trigger α-synuclein amyloid fibril formation

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, casts some light on the pathogenesis of acute and subacute neurological complications associated with COVID-19.

19 Apr 2021

Researchers identify risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

A team of scientists from the Capital Medical University and Peking University, China, has recently explored the factors responsible for the reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 infection among individuals who have recently recovered from COVID-19. The findings reveal that individuals with lower lymphocyte count or with two or fewer symptoms during the first COVID-19 episode are at higher risk of recurrent infection.

16 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 can alter bone marrow macrophage (BMM)-to-osteoclast differentiation, study finds

Now, a team of researchers in China and Australia has shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection can affect bone marrow macrophage (BMM)-to-osteoclast differentiation, which may impact the skeletal system.

16 Apr 2021

Rapid mRNA vaccination effectively controls SARS-CoV-2 transmission in long-term care facilities

Vaccine rollouts all over the world are aimed at cutting short the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic by inducing antibody-mediated immunity to the virus. A new study, recently released on the medRxiv* preprint server, addresses the successful reduction in viral spread and case incidence among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF).

16 Apr 2021

COVID-19 vaccination of lactating mothers elicits specific IgA antibodies in breast milk

A new study, released on the medRxiv* preprint server, examines the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA in human milk and its association with the protection of breastfed infants against the disease.

16 Apr 2021

Curcumin nanosystems could be powerful COVID-19 therapeutics

With new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerging, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. While the global vaccine rollout has moved at an impressive speed, the search for new safe, effective, and targeted therapies is still on. Now, a new study reviews the potential for curcumin, a natural alkaloid derived from turmeric, and nanosystems to treat COVID-19.

16 Apr 2021

Researchers develop “Nano-Glue” with therapeutic potential against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent study, researchers target the electropositive receptor-binding domain (RBD) on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with the abundant β-sheet structure as a novel COVID-19 therapeutic drug design.

15 Apr 2021

Can biomaterials offer novel therapeutic strategies against COVID-19?

A team of scientists reviews the current and potential impact of the biomaterial sciences on the COVID-19 pandemic.

15 Apr 2021

Allometric model shows human travel is closely related to spread of COVID-19

A new study indicates that the spread of COVID-19 is governed by power-law dynamics, suggesting that alternative modeling approaches need to be used to understand and predict its propagation.

15 Apr 2021

Early monoclonal antibody therapies beneficial for COVID-19, finds study

A team of scientists recently conducted a large-scale study at Northwell Health, New York, USA, to evaluate the efficacy of neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAB) therapies in preventing disease progression among patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. The findings reveal that the timing of initiating MAB therapy is a crucial factor in determining its efficacy against COVID-19.

14 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

Miscellaneous News

Humoral immunity developed by DNA vaccine INO-4800 is effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Could virosome-based nanovaccines be a promising new approach to preventing viral diseases?

Occurrence and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater

Researchers develop computational model to predict changes in SARS-CoV-2’s viral fitness

Could a tuna-derived protein inhibit SARS-CoV-2?

Plant-derived compound isorhamnetin may have antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein can trigger α-synuclein amyloid fibril formation

Researchers identify risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection

SARS-CoV-2 can alter bone marrow macrophage (BMM)-to-osteoclast differentiation, study finds

Rapid mRNA vaccination effectively controls SARS-CoV-2 transmission in long-term care facilities

COVID-19 vaccination of lactating mothers elicits specific IgA antibodies in breast milk

Curcumin nanosystems could be powerful COVID-19 therapeutics

Researchers develop “Nano-Glue” with therapeutic potential against SARS-CoV-2

Can biomaterials offer novel therapeutic strategies against COVID-19?

Allometric model shows human travel is closely related to spread of COVID-19

Early monoclonal antibody therapies beneficial for COVID-19, finds study

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

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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