Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Alterations in vaginal microbiota among pregnant women with COVID-19 increase preterm birth risk

A new study conducted by researchers from Koç University İsbank Center for Infectious Diseases (KUISCID) reveals crucial data on the risk of preterm birth caused by the change in vaginal microbiota due to COVID 19.

11 Nov 2022

High-quality reference genome assembly of the Nile rat facilitates diabetes research

Model organisms are essential for biomedical research and have enabled many important scientific discoveries. The ability to sequence the genomes of these models is a powerful tool to study the genetic factors that impact human health.

9 Nov 2022

Specific mutations in the monkeypox virus contribute to its continued infectiousness

Monkeypox has infected more than 77,000 people in more than 100 countries worldwide, and - similar to COVID-19 - mutations have enabled the virus to grow stronger and smarter, evading antiviral drugs and vaccines in its mission to infect more people.

4 Nov 2022

IHV researchers receive $7.5 million to control cancer among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa

Institute of Human Virology researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have received two five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a total of $7.5 million.

31 Oct 2022

New approach to immunotherapy provokes a robust anti-tumor immune response in preclinical models

A new approach to cancer immunotherapy that uses one type of immune cell to kill another - rather than directly attacking the cancer - provokes a robust anti-tumor immune response that shrinks ovarian, lung, and pancreatic tumors in preclinical disease models, according to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

25 Oct 2022

Heart attack death rates took a sharp turn and increased during the pandemic, study shows

New data analysis from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that deaths from heart attacks rose significantly during pandemic surges, including the COVID-19 Omicron surges, overall reversing a heart-healthier pre-pandemic trend.

24 Oct 2022

Study uses pluripotent stem cell models to investigate stress response in PTSD patients

Stem cell-derived neurons from combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) react differently to a stress hormone than those from veterans without PTSD, a finding that could provide insights into how genetics can make someone more susceptible to developing PTSD following trauma exposure.

20 Oct 2022

Scientists map structure of the hepatitis C virus E1E2 glycoprotein complex

A team led by scientists at Scripps Research and the University of Amsterdam has achieved an important goal in virology: mapping, at high resolution, critical proteins that stud the surface of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and enable it to enter host cells.

20 Oct 2022

Study shows how brain's sensitivity to regret may be altered in mood disorders

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have learned that the way the brain processes the complex emotion of regret may be linked to an individual's ability to cope with stress, and altered in psychiatric disorders like depression.

19 Oct 2022

Researchers develop a causal model to assess the dependence of viral loads of patients infected with COVID-19 on age

Researchers developed a causal model to analyze SARS-CoV-2 viral load distribution as a function of patients’ age.

12 Oct 2022

Researchers explore drug-repurposing candidates acting against nucleotide-binding pockets of multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins

In a new study, researchers pursued direct-acting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 drugs that compete for nucleotide-binding pockets (NBPs) of SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

11 Oct 2022

Scientists discover a promising strategy for development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies

Researchers have identified a promising strategy for development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies that centers around promoting a strong immune response capable of stopping a number of viruses in their infectious tracks.

10 Oct 2022

Independent Task Force report outlines a One Health approach to address risk factors for future pandemics

The Independent Task Force on COVID-19 and other Pandemics (www.independentcovidtaskforce.org) announced that their report "Pandemic Origins and a One Health Approach to Preparedness and Prevention: Solutions Based on SARS-CoV-2 and Other RNA Viruses" has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Oct 2022

Specific brain circuit initially implicated in animals found to be impaired in people with cocaine or heroin addiction

White matter in the brain that was previously implicated in animal studies has now been suggested to be specifically impaired in the brains of people with addiction to cocaine or heroin, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Baylor College of Medicine.

6 Oct 2022

Researchers create a clinical scoring system to predict viable viral shedding after COVID-19 infection

A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Virology developed an individualized scoring system to predict the shedding of viable SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 positive patients, which would help to determine personalized isolation strategies.

6 Oct 2022

COVID-19 booster shots essential for maintaining long-term immunity against infection in older adults

In a study of more than 80 men and women from Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins researchers have added to evidence that COVID-19 booster shots are essential for maintaining long-term immunity against infection, particularly among older adults.

29 Sep 2022

Study compares monkeypox PCR testing protocols and efficiency at two U.S. reference labs

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers examined sample collection practices, epidemiological characteristics, and cycle threshold (Ct) values for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests used in two reference laboratories in the United States (U.S.) to detect monkeypox virus (MPXV).

25 Sep 2022

Virology of the human monkeypox virus

A new review to be posted in the Virus Research journal aims to provide an overview of the recent advances reported concerning hMPXV virology.

21 Sep 2022

Bivalent recombinant vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza in animal models

In a new study, researchers developed a recombinant bivalent vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses.

15 Sep 2022

SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibody detection in infected mothers’ breast milk

In a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Virology, Italian researchers investigated the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ribonucleic acid (RNA) and antibodies (Abs) in the milk of breastfeeding mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infections.

14 Sep 2022