Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

How SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over the course of the pandemic

In an effort to understand the ongoing evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, researchers constructed a phylogenetic tree of all available SARS-CoV-2 genomes.

7 Jul 2021

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible than B.1.526

A new paper available on the medRxiv* preprint server presents evidence that the B.1.1.7 VOC is more transmissible than the B.1.526 strain.

7 Jul 2021

B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralization via disulfide bond rearrangement

A new paper discusses an intriguing new mechanism of immune evasion traceable to specific mutations in the B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

7 Jul 2021

Can memory T cell responses to seasonal coronaviruses protect against severe COVID-19?

In a recent study published in the journal Science Immunology, scientists have revealed that the presence of CD8+ T cells against conserved epitopes of seasonal coronaviruses is associated with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These immune cells exhibit a memory phenotype and provide protection against severe disease.

7 Jul 2021

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

A new meta-analysis, released on the medRxiv* preprint server, suggests that, though possible, the virus is rarely transmitted to the newborn in real life. A scientific brief from the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2021 describes three mechanisms by which the virus might be transmitted from the mother to the fetus or newborn.

7 Jul 2021

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Researchers examined cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully and partially vaccinated healthcare workers, finding that vaccination provided strong immunity to the virus even though VOCs are on the rise in the non-vaccinated community at large.

7 Jul 2021

Will the US’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign be undermined by novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern?

New research from Arizona State University, USA, uses a novel mathematical model to predict the impact of vaccination and vaccine-induced cross-protection on the B.1.1.7 variant and other SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the US as of June 2021. The study has been published in medRxiv* preprint server, while it undergoes peer review.

7 Jul 2021

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways uncovers groundbreaking drug repurposing strategies

A new study has been published in Science Advances that exploits proteomics datasets to develop an agnostic network for SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways, thereby unveiling novel targets and potential repurposing strategies.

7 Jul 2021

Study explores the prevalence of long COVID in England

A review of long COVID studies conducted in March 2021 summarized the available literature on the persistent symptoms after acute COVID-19. The review also reported that most studies included hospitalized patients who had a higher prevalence of persistent symptoms compared to two community-based studies.

7 Jul 2021

Real-world evidence for effectiveness of vaccination against 4 SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in Canada

Toronto-based researchers recently conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), and ChAdOx1 (AstraZeneca) vaccines against symptomatic COVID-19 infection caused by the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants between December 2020 to May 2021.

7 Jul 2021

Vaccinate big cats? New report shows SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infecting endangered lions

There is evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infecting animals such as ferrets, fruit bats, and cats. New research led by Vijendra Pal Singh from the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Disease in India suggests it might be time to vaccinate the big cats as well. Their report details SARS-CoV-2 infection in nine Asiatic lions caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2).

7 Jul 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant spreading rapidly in South America, report reveals

A new research paper by researchers in Peru describes a new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) known as the Lambda variant (C.37). The Lambda variant was first reported in Lima, Peru, in December 2020, and from April 2021, nearly all the coronavirus infections in the country are caused by it.

7 Jul 2021

Study shows antibody titers after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection last longer than previously thought

A recent study by researchers from the United Kingdom (UK) revealed that antibody levels associated with protection against reinfection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are likely to last from 1.5 to 2 years on average and that the protection from severe infection may be present for several years.

7 Jul 2021

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers in the United States and India have presented the first known evidence that the rollout of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is restricting the evolutionary and immune escape pathways accessible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jul 2021

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine elicits durable T cell memory and antibody responses

Researchers in the United States have shown that Moderna’s mRNA-1273 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine induces durable antibody and T cell responses to the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that are comparable to those seen in cases of COVID-19 caused by natural SARS-CoV-2 infection.

6 Jul 2021

Plant compounds inhibit Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E in vitro

A group of researchers recently discussed their findings that a group of plant flavonols and dihydroflavonols exhibit antiviral efficacy against both SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E.

6 Jul 2021

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor-targeting autoantibodies may increase COVID-19 severity

A team of US-based scientists recently demonstrated that pro-thrombotic autoantibodies that target angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) may be associated with endothelial complications observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jul 2021

Study examines evolution and avidity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies after mRNA vaccination

New research released on the medRxiv* preprint server has measured antibody responses in 71 mRNA vaccinated adults (54 vaccinated with Pfizer and 17 vaccinated with Moderna).

6 Jul 2021

Study explores the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (and other betacoronaviruses) on cellular mRNA processing

A new study has been released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, which deals with a comprehensive survey on alternative splicing concerning SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study has also included two other betacoronavirurses (SARS-CoV and MERS), a control set of unrelated viruses, and a bacterium, namely, Streptococcus pneumonia. The study findings suggest that several cellular parameters are affected owing to a betacoronavirus infection, which in turn affects some genes and invariably various biological functions.

6 Jul 2021

COVID-19 recovered vaccinated individuals more protected from Delta variant

The B.1.617 lineage of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first detected in October 2020, has led to new outbreaks of the infection and new waves of the pandemic. This infectious lineage has resulted in the generation of sub-lineages such as B.1.617.1 (Kappa), B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.617.3.

6 Jul 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

How SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over the course of the pandemic

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible than B.1.526

B.1.427/B.1.429 variant of SARS-CoV-2 evades neutralization via disulfide bond rearrangement

Can memory T cell responses to seasonal coronaviruses protect against severe COVID-19?

Mother-to-baby SARS-CoV-2 transmission in pregnancy possible but rare, says study

New study reports low SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers

Will the US’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign be undermined by novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern?

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways uncovers groundbreaking drug repurposing strategies

Study explores the prevalence of long COVID in England

Real-world evidence for effectiveness of vaccination against 4 SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in Canada

Vaccinate big cats? New report shows SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infecting endangered lions

SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant spreading rapidly in South America, report reveals

Study shows antibody titers after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection last longer than previously thought

COVID-19 vaccination may be stemming evolution of “fitter” SARS-CoV-2 variants

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine elicits durable T cell memory and antibody responses

Plant compounds inhibit Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E in vitro

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor-targeting autoantibodies may increase COVID-19 severity

Study examines evolution and avidity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies after mRNA vaccination

Study explores the effects of SARS-CoV-2 (and other betacoronaviruses) on cellular mRNA processing

COVID-19 recovered vaccinated individuals more protected from Delta variant

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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

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Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

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