Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

Latest Coronavirus Disease COVID 19 News and Research

A new system for detecting antibodies within minutes

To defend the body, the immune system makes proteins known as antibodies that latch onto the perceived threat, be it HIV, the new coronavirus or, as is the case in autoimmune disease, part of the body itself.

17 Jun 2020

Benefits of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients still remain unclear

With vaccines and therapeutic drugs for COVID-19 still under development, doctors are wondering whether antibody-rich plasma infusions from the blood of recovered patients could be a more immediate way to keep hospitalized patients alive and off ventilators.

17 Jun 2020

Highly conserved RNA structures are essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication and pathogenesis

A recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill revealed how selective pressure helps in preserving secondary RNA structures in coronavirus genomes, unveiling a pivotal role of these elements in viral replication and pathogenesis. The paper is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

17 Jun 2020

Trump’s take on COVID testing misses public health realities

President Donald Trump sought to downplay the numbers associated with COVID-19 in the United States — which have passed 2 million confirmed cases and are nearing 120,000 lives lost — by arguing that the soaring national count was simply the result of superior testing.

17 Jun 2020

“Catch and kill” ventilation device destroys SARS-CoV-2, potential for airplanes - cruise ships

Researchers in Texas have developed an air conditioning system that can “catch and kill” severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) in an effort to help both essential works and the public combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

17 Jun 2020

Scientists examine SARS-CoV-2 cell entry in different species

Researchers in China have demonstrated the ability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to interact with the host cell receptors of multiple species of animals.

17 Jun 2020

UVA doctors and students launch 12-part COVID-19 podcast series

UVA School of Medicine physicians and students have launched a COVID-19 podcast series that includes advice to protect your health along with a behind-the-scenes look at UVA Health's patient care and research.

17 Jun 2020

California taps libraries and tax offices to recruit 20,000 new disease detectives

After more than two months at home, librarian Lisa Fagundes misses managing her sci-fi book collection so much, she feels she’s in withdrawal, longing to see new books, touch them, smell them. “It’s like a disease,” she said, laughing.

17 Jun 2020

NTU researchers develop a sustainable way to extract high-quality antimicrobial compounds

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed a sustainable and green way to extract high-quality antimicrobial compounds from seeds.

17 Jun 2020

Nanosponges could attack and neutralize SARS-COV-2 virus

Nanoparticles cloaked in human lung cell membranes and human immune cell membranes can attract and neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in cell culture, causing the virus to lose its ability to hijack host cells and reproduce.

17 Jun 2020

Pandemic upends the lives of people with disabilities — and of their caregivers

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Stacy Ellingen, 34, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, lost two of the three caregivers she depends on to dress, shower, eat and use the bathroom. The caregivers — both University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh students — returned to their parents’ homes when the university canceled in-person classes.

17 Jun 2020

Danish pipetting robot automates COVID-19 testing processes in hospitals

A Danish pipetting robot is automating Covid testing processes in hospitals around Europe. The robot, called flowbot ONE, significantly reduces the time it takes for laboratories to produce results for patients to tell them whether they are infected with Covid-19.

17 Jun 2020

Celltrion announces plans to launch COVID-19 point-of-care antigen testing kit

Celltrion Group today announced plans to expand its diagnostic portfolio for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, in its efforts to improve access to COVID-19 testing and help prevent the further spread of coronavirus infection worldwide.

17 Jun 2020

Canadian coalition prepares to share research that could help against COVID-19

A Canadian group of companies is sharing their results with the scientific community in the hopes of accelerating the development of tests for COVID-19.

From SignalChem Biotech Inc. 17 Jun 2020

Specialist medical recruiter offers free open access to COVID Tracker and Digital Staff Bank for all NHS trusts

ID Medical is giving open access to its award-winning Digital Staff Bank and new COVID Tracker technology to all NHS trusts in the UK until October 2020.

17 Jun 2020

Researchers take actions to reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19

Infectious disease experts from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and UW Medicine are advocating for earlier actions to reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

17 Jun 2020

An improved tetravalent antibody blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows the potential of a new fusion molecule called a biparatopic protein to inhibit viral interaction with the host cell ACE2 receptor. This could lead to therapeutic applications.

17 Jun 2020

Mapping RNA sequences of therapeutic value in the SARS-CoV-2 genome

Now, in new research published on the preprint server bioRxiv European scientists have performed RNA structure probing to obtain a single-base resolution secondary structure map of the full SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus genome.

17 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 mutated spike proteins show variations in cell entry

A new study by Japanese scientists published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows that the D614g mutation in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein can enhance the infectivity of the virus while leaving it vulnerable to neutralization by antibodies.

17 Jun 2020

Novel ACE2-antibody fusion molecules show anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Now, in a new study published on the preprint server, bioRxiv researchers in the U.S. investigated a soluble version of ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 viral neutralization activity.

17 Jun 2020