Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Study explains the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 virus

As COVID-19 sweeps the world, related viruses quietly circulate among wild animals. A new study shows how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-1, which caused the 2003 SARS outbreak, are related to each other.

26 Feb 2021

CRISPR screen identifies clinically approved immunosuppressants that could treat coronavirus infections

Researchers in Switzerland and Germany have identified host cell factors required for coronavirus replication that could serve as targets for treatment with clinically-approved drugs.

25 Feb 2021

Have a case of a Covid variant? No one is going to tell you

Covid-19 infections from variant strains are quickly spreading across the U.S., but there's one big problem: Lab officials say they can't tell patients or their doctors whether someone has been infected by a variant.

25 Feb 2021

People with absence of natural killer cell receptor are likely to develop severe COVID-19

The course and severity of COVID-19 in individual patients are largely influenced by the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the human immune system.

23 Feb 2021

An overview of spike protein antigen COVID-19 vaccine candidates

A new paper in the journal Reviews in Medical Virology provides a perspective on current vaccine development strategies and tools, which may allow the production of safe and effective vaccines.

22 Feb 2021

Disinfectants could be helping bacteria to become resistant

News-Medical speaks to Professor Robert Bragg about disinfectants and how they could be helping bacteria to become resistant.

22 Feb 2021

Research shows how chemicals in the tumor microenvironment enable cancer to evade attack

A paper published today in Nature shows how chemicals in the areas surrounding tumors--known as the tumor microenvironment--subvert the immune system and enable cancer to evade attack. These findings suggest that an existing drug could boost cancer immunotherapy.

15 Feb 2021

New technology can help develop diagnostic tests for multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease in young adults, affecting more than 2 million individuals worldwide, with about 1500 cases in Estonia. About 20% of MS patients experience optic neuritis (ON) as the presenting symptom, but not all ON patients develop MS.

12 Feb 2021

Researchers identify a pathway used by filoviruses to enter cells

It was once thought that Ebola and related filoviruses were more or less contained to Central Africa.

11 Feb 2021

HIV: New therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells

Prompted by the need to improve conventional treatments for people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), a team from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique has identified a therapeutic approach to restore the effectiveness of immune cells.

8 Feb 2021

Natural reinfection with respiratory syncytial virus varies based on antibody response

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine found that while most individuals responded to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) natural reinfection with a typical sustained antibody response associated with protection, a few individuals surprisingly responded atypically, not being able to sustain the antibody response, which declined to levels that made the individuals susceptible to RSV reinfection.

5 Feb 2021

Study shows how SARS-CoV-2 evades immune responses

In a recurring pattern of evolution, SARS-CoV-2 evades immune responses by selectively deleting small bits of its genetic sequence, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

4 Feb 2021

CoCID project aims to develop soft X-ray microscope for visualizing cellular origin of diseases

CoCID (Compact Cell Imaging Device), a €5.7 million, four-year, pan-European research and innovation project, funded through Horizon 2020, has officially commenced.

2 Feb 2021

New COVID-19 variant identified in Brazilian Amazon spreads faster

A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, identified in Brazil, is likely more transmissible than its parent strain because of mutations in the spike protein, according to researchers.

1 Feb 2021

When your chance for a covid shot comes, don’t worry about the numbers

When getting vaccinated against covid-19, there's no sense being picky. You should take the first authorized vaccine that's offered, experts say.

1 Feb 2021

Study finds locations of early prion protein accumulation in the eye

The earliest eye damage from prion disease takes place in the cone photoreceptor cells, specifically in the cilia and the ribbon synapses, according to a new study of prion protein accumulation in the eye by National Institutes of Health scientists.

29 Jan 2021

Study finds surprising defensive functions of the immune system against new viral attacks

Scientists are opening new windows into understanding more about the constantly shifting evolutionary arms race between viruses and the hosts they seek to infect.

29 Jan 2021

Ebola survivors experienced a resurgence in antibody levels after recovery

A high proportion of survivors of Ebola experienced a resurgence in antibody levels nearly a year after recovery, a new University of Liverpool study has found.

27 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation

Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US found that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to Vero E6 cell culture propagation and that this can be prevented by using cell lines with an active serine protease-mediated entry pathway.

26 Jan 2021

Scientists call for strict control measures to reduce the spread of new COVID-19 variants

A group of scientists is calling on governments to consider the continued use of strict control measures as the only way to reduce the evolution and spread of new COVID-19 variants.

25 Jan 2021