Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

$3.7 million NIH grant supports development of biosensor technology for diagnosing viral diseases

For over ten years, Ali Yanik has been working to develop novel biosensor technology to provide rapid, low-cost testing for disease diagnostics and precision medicine.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

While participating in the SPHERES Consortium project, US researchers sequenced 2,726 clinical patient specimens gathered in March 2020 and identified eight unique ORF7a deletion variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Their results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

15 Dec 2020

UK government declares identification of a “new variant” of coronavirus

The UK government has released a statement that a “new variant” of coronavirus that could be causing a faster spread of the virus has been identified.

15 Dec 2020

Eureka's InvisiMask human antibody nasal spray offers protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice

Eureka Therapeutics, Inc. announced today successful preclinical results from its InvisiMask™ Human Antibody Nasal Spray in mice, which offers protection against SARS-CoV-2 S pseudotyped virus infection for up to 10 hours.

14 Dec 2020

£453,000 grant awarded to boost research and development for COVID-19 antibodies

Fusion Antibodies, pre-clinical antibody discovery, engineering and supply experts, and Queen’s University Belfast, leader in innovation and impact, have been awarded a £453,000 grant from Invest Northern Ireland to further expand their COVID-19 targeted research and development efforts.

14 Dec 2020

WVU, DHHR team up to create new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Morgantown

To address the challenges of COVID-19 testing shortages and lagging turnaround times, West Virginia University and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources have teamed up to create a new testing laboratory at the Health Sciences Center thanks to funding made possible by Gov. Jim Justice.

11 Dec 2020

Research shows how epithelial cells ward off viruses

A team led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich Researcher Veit Hornung has shown that a protein found in skin cells recognizes a specific nucleic acid intermediate that is formed during virus replication. This recognition process subsequently induces a potent inflammatory response.

11 Dec 2020

IGC researchers receive three out of six European Research Council grants

Since the establishment of the European Research Council in 2008, the IGC has secured 17 of their competitive grants (7 Starting, 8 Consolidator and 2 Advanced).

10 Dec 2020

Researchers present new project for detection of SARS-COV-2 virus in indoor air

Researchers at the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of Valencia Region (FISABIO) and the Universitat de València (UV) have presented the AIRCOV project for the detection of the SARS-COV-2 virus in indoor air.

9 Dec 2020

New consortium aims to understand principles underlying the formation of coronaviruses

The University of California, Riverside, is the recipient of a 2021 UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives, or MRPI, award allowing the campus to put together a UC Coronavirus Assembly Research Consortium.

9 Dec 2020

Virginia Tech researchers awarded NIH grant to develop Zika virus vaccine

Flaviviruses -- a group of viruses transmitted by ticks or mosquitoes -- infect an estimated 400 million people annually with diseases like yellow fever, Dengue fever, West Nile virus, and, most recently, Zika virus.

9 Dec 2020

Scientists determine key molecular processes used by coronavirus to infect human cells

When a coronavirus--including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19--infects someone, it hijacks the person's cells, co-opting their molecular machinery for its own survival and spread.

9 Dec 2020

Researchers address variability of disease severity in respiratory tract infections

Is it possible to predict the course of a viral respiratory tract infection - for instance one caused by a coronavirus - based on individual patient characteristics? This question will be addressed by Dr. Victor Corman and his junior research group at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

8 Dec 2020

CRISPR-based test could provide rapid, low-cost testing to help control COVID-19 spread

Imagine swabbing your nostrils, putting the swab in a device, and getting a read-out on your phone in 15 to 30 minutes that tells you if you are infected with the COVID-19 virus.

5 Dec 2020

Researchers shed light on the role of antibodies and immune cells in protection against COVID-19

Since the novel coronavirus emerged at the end of last year, scientists around the world -- including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) immunologist Dan Barouch, MD, PhD -- have been developing vaccines to protect against COVID-19 and to put an end to the global pandemic.

5 Dec 2020

Repurposed mouse model sheds light on spectrum of COVID-19 disease symptoms

A repurposed mouse model can develop symptoms of both severe COVID-19 (lung damage, blood clots, abnormal blood vessels, and death) and also of milder disease, including loss of the sense of smell, according to a recent University of Iowa study published in Nature.

1 Dec 2020

Researchers reveal how SARS-CoV-2 reaches the brain

Using post-mortem tissue samples, a team of researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have studied the mechanisms by which the novel coronavirus can reach the brains of patients with COVID-19, and how the immune system responds to the virus once it does.

30 Nov 2020

Experimental vaccine protects cynomolgus macaques against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

An experimental vaccine developed in Europe to prevent infection by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) has protected cynomolgus macaques in a new collaborative study from National Institutes of Health scientists.

30 Nov 2020

Asymptomatic patients have higher SARS-CoV-2 viral loads than symptomatic patients, study says

Now, a surprising new study shows that asymptomatic COVID-19 patients have greater viral loads than those with symptoms.

29 Nov 2020

Asian countries need support to get equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines

As three pharma majors, Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc announced this month the effectiveness of their experimental vaccines in preventing COVID-19, there were no guarantees that developing countries will get their fair share.

27 Nov 2020

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

$3.7 million NIH grant supports development of biosensor technology for diagnosing viral diseases

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

UK government declares identification of a “new variant” of coronavirus

Eureka's InvisiMask human antibody nasal spray offers protection against SARS-CoV-2 in mice

£453,000 grant awarded to boost research and development for COVID-19 antibodies

WVU, DHHR team up to create new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Morgantown

Research shows how epithelial cells ward off viruses

IGC researchers receive three out of six European Research Council grants

Researchers present new project for detection of SARS-COV-2 virus in indoor air

New consortium aims to understand principles underlying the formation of coronaviruses

Virginia Tech researchers awarded NIH grant to develop Zika virus vaccine

Scientists determine key molecular processes used by coronavirus to infect human cells

Researchers address variability of disease severity in respiratory tract infections

CRISPR-based test could provide rapid, low-cost testing to help control COVID-19 spread

Researchers shed light on the role of antibodies and immune cells in protection against COVID-19

Repurposed mouse model sheds light on spectrum of COVID-19 disease symptoms

Researchers reveal how SARS-CoV-2 reaches the brain

Experimental vaccine protects cynomolgus macaques against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

Asymptomatic patients have higher SARS-CoV-2 viral loads than symptomatic patients, study says

Asian countries need support to get equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Shaping the future of lab automation through AI and robotics