Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Latest Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

Experimental cancer drug AR-12 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 virus

Nine months into the global pandemic, which has infected more than 32 million people, there is still no approved effective and safe drug or vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

24 Sep 2020

Linoleic acid binds SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Now, a team of researchers at the Max Planck-Bristol Center for Minimal Biology and Bristol's School of Biochemistry has identified a druggable pocket in the virus's spike protein that can be used to prevent the infection of cells. The study findings, published in the journal Science, are a groundbreaking discovery that will help develop new therapies and drugs to stem the growing pandemic.

24 Sep 2020

School re-openings in US may increase COVID-19 spread unless targeted interventions are in place

In a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv, a team of researchers on behalf of the Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team used longitudinal and age-specific population mobility and COVID-19 mortality data to model and predict SARS-CoV-2 spread in the US.

24 Sep 2020

Cold plasma inactivates SARS-CoV-2

In one such effort, Zhitong Chen et al., in a recent medRxiv* preprint paper find that by employing an efficient cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) with argon feed gas on different surfaces inactivates the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus.

24 Sep 2020

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 with D614G mutation in a second wave infection in Houston

A recent study reveals that the genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detected in the initial phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic differ from the variants detected in a massive second wave of infection in Houston, Texas. The study is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

24 Sep 2020

Ethnic minority groups disproportionally affected by COVID-19

The study, which assessed the clinical records of more than 17 million adults, also identified inequalities in the risk of needing admission to ICU and the risk of COVID-19-related death.

24 Sep 2020

Tokyo citizens may have developed COVID-19 herd immunity, say researchers

Researchers in Japan and the United States have conducted a study showing that herd immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may have developed among the citizens of Tokyo during the summer.

24 Sep 2020

Automated computational protocol identifies potential SARS-CoV-2 MPro inhibitor

As scientists race to discover new and effective antiviral drugs against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), many novel approaches are being utilized. Now, a new study published on the preprint bioRxiv in September 2020 reports on the discovery of a potentially beneficial enzyme blocker that could inhibit SARS-CoV-2 viral replication.

24 Sep 2020

AI used to define the cytokine storm implicated in fatal COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 reports the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify an invariant or universal host immune response found in all viral pandemics so far. The association of this response with severe COVID-19 phenotypes indicates a new understanding of the human immune response in viral pandemics.

24 Sep 2020

Research says in SARS-CoV-2 canine infection, transmission unlikely

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 shows that pet dogs have been falling sick and dying of a mysterious respiratory infection, often showing the presence of anti- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies, even though in many cases they do not test positive for COVID-19.

24 Sep 2020

Aerosol-based study of COVID-19 risk indoors, and the impact of preventive measures

A recent study describes the estimated risk of COVID-19 transmission via aerosols in many different situations, as well as the expected reduction in risk associated with the use of various preventive measures.

24 Sep 2020

NeutrobodyPlex nanobodies help monitor SARS-CoV-2 immune responses

Researchers recently described a set of 11 Nbs derived from an immunized alpaca which showed high-affinity binding to the glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor domain (RBD) in a study published in the preprint server bioRxiv.

23 Sep 2020

Most people with COVID-19 develop symptoms, study says

A new study by researchers at the University of Bern and published in the journal PLOS Medicine reports that while some people never experience any symptoms, most of those infected with the novel coronavirus do develop symptoms.

23 Sep 2020

Elegant, efficient way to find recombinant SARS-CoV-2 viruses from >85,000 genomes

The low divergence of near-identical genomes that are sequenced in short periods presents a statistical challenge that is not addressed by methods available currently. In a recent bioRxiv** paper, Ales Varabyou et al. from John Hopkins University present an efficient method designed to detect recombination and reassortment events between clades of viral genomes – a new algorithm called ‘Bolotie’.

23 Sep 2020

Study on domestic cats and dogs in COVID-19+ households

A recent survey conducted by a team of scientists from France reveals that pets living with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have a high prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

23 Sep 2020

No discernable difference in SARS-CoV-2 viral loads of young children versus older children and adults

Sharline Madera et al. , in a recent medRxiv* preprint paper, show a detailed investigation of viral nucleic acid among young children and adults, involving over 5,000 cases confirmed by RT-PCR (Reverse Transcriptase – Polymerase Chain Reaction) assay.

23 Sep 2020

Bat and pangolin coronavirus structure sheds light on SARS-CoV-2 evolution

Researchers at Tsinghua University, Beijing, have conducted a study providing possible new insights into the evolution and cross-species transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

23 Sep 2020

UV-C irradiation rapidly inactivates SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces

Researchers at University Hospital Tübingen, Germany, have shown that ultraviolet C (UV-C) irradiation effectively inactivates surface-dried preparations of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Sep 2020

Bioinformatics analysis reveals genes and pathways shared in COVID-19 disease and comorbidities

Using bioinformatics approaches, researchers have identified genes and pathways shared among patients with comorbidities and having severe COVID-19. The research is published on the preprint server bioRxiv in September 2020.

23 Sep 2020

Shielding strategy could be ineffective in reducing COVID-19 prevalence and mortality

With the recognition that certain subgroups of the population seemed to have a higher risk of developing severe disease following infection, some countries put shielding policies into place to protect them from infection.

23 Sep 2020