Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New tests may help reveal the transcriptome of SARS-CoV-2 and predict disease course

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to infect people in their hundreds of thousands around the world, a new study describes a panel of novel tests for genomic (g) and subgenomic (sg) mRNAs generated by SARS-CoV-2. Most assays in use at present are either qualitative or semi-quantitative, and cannot evaluate the transcription molecules in detail.

14 Jan 2021

A snake venom enzyme shows anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

A new study reports the virucidal and fusion-inhibiting attributes of snake venom against the COVID-19 agent SARS-CoV-2.

14 Jan 2021

No inflammation of cerebrospinal fluid in COVID-19 patients with neurological features, study finds

Many patients with COVID-19 have shown neurological complications, leading to scientific interest in the role played by its causative pathogen, SARS-CoV-2, in brain inflammation. A new study has described the absence of neuroinflammation in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

14 Jan 2021

MVA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows strong immunogenicity in preclinical trials

A new study reports the preclinical testing of a recombinant MVA (rMVA) candidate vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the agent that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic.

14 Jan 2021

Could intranasal SARS-CoV-2 vaccines be a practical alternative to intramuscular shots?

The unchecked advance of COVID-19 has made it a top public health priority to produce a vaccine capable of inducing a safe and powerful protective response against its causative pathogen: SARS-CoV-2. An encouraging new study shows the immunogenicity, safety, and protective efficacy, of a Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-based intranasal vector vaccine in animal studies.

14 Jan 2021

Researchers discover antibody that blocks the spread of dengue virus

A team of researchers led by the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan has discovered an antibody that blocks the spread within the body of the dengue virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that infects between 50 and 100 million people a year.

14 Jan 2021

New genomics resource details the small RNA transcriptomes of four mosquito species

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine provide a new genomics resource that details the small RNA transcriptomes (gene expression) of four bio-medically important mosquito species.

13 Jan 2021

Influenza drug enisamium a potential COVID-19 treatment

Researchers in Europe and the United States have demonstrated the potential of the influenza drug enisamium as a treatment for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Jan 2021

How has the UK-derived SARS-CoV-2 mutant strain spread internationally?

Researchers analyzed Facebook-based mobility data and found that travelers from UK may have spread the new SARS-CoV-2 strain that originated in the UK to at least 16 countries by the beginning of December 2020.

13 Jan 2021

COVID-19 survivors can show persistent symptoms six months after recovery, study finds

A team of researchers conduct a large study exploring the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms in recovered patients.

13 Jan 2021

Moderna to develop three new mRNA-based vaccines against HIV, influenza, and the Nipah virus

Morderna has announced plans to develop a range of new mRNA-based vaccines against other viruses, including the influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the Nipah virus.

13 Jan 2021

Researchers map genetic changes that may have facilitated SARS-CoV-2’s jump from bats to humans

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Pirbright Institute in the UK have identified key genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 that may be responsible for the virus’s jump from bats to humans. The team also determined which animals contain cellular receptors that allow the virus to enter cells more effectively, zoning in on potential animals that acted as an intermediary host in facilitating SARS-CoV-2’s zoonosis.

13 Jan 2021

New N501 SARS-CoV-2 mutation may have been circulating in Italy since August 2020

A recent study shows that mutated SARS-CoV-2 strains with a substitution at position 501 might have circulated unnoticed even before the end of September 2020, when the rapid emergence of B.1.1.7 lineage (carrying the N501Y mutation) was initially reported.

13 Jan 2021

Hospitals’ rocky rollout of covid vaccine sparks questions of fairness

Last week, after finishing inoculations of some front-line hospital staff, Jupiter Medical Center was left with 40 doses of precious covid vaccine. So, officials offered shots to the South Florida hospital’s board of directors and their spouses over age 65.

13 Jan 2021

New UK-derived SARS-CoV-2 variant does not affect neutralizing antibodies efficiency, study says

A team of scientists conducted structural analysis of a newly emerged UK variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). They present evidence that suggests that while the new variant has increased infectivity it is not resistant to neutralizing antibodies.

13 Jan 2021

College campuses at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders, study shows

College campuses are at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders for their entire county, according to a new vast study which shows the striking danger of the first two weeks of school in particular.

13 Jan 2021

Could fenofibrate be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

The resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has led to renewed efforts to find effective antivirals, both newly developed or repurposed drugs. A study reports the efficacy of the cholesterol-reducing drug fenofibrate in reducing infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 in cultured cells.

13 Jan 2021

Social media can be a useful tools for diagnosing dermatological conditions, indicates study

At the start of the pandemic, many doctors on the front lines turned to Twitter and other social media platforms to find guidance and solace directly from their peers. In early 2020, information on COVID-19 had yet to be studied and published in peer-reviewed journals or printed in medical textbooks.

13 Jan 2021

New technology could protect against different coronavirus variants

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that is causing the COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many different viruses in the coronavirus family.

13 Jan 2021

SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses

What is the endgame for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is causing worldwide devastation? If it becomes endemic -- circulating in the general population -- and most people are exposed in childhood, SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses that currently circulate in humans, according to a model developed by Emory and Penn State scientists.

13 Jan 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New tests may help reveal the transcriptome of SARS-CoV-2 and predict disease course

A snake venom enzyme shows anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro

No inflammation of cerebrospinal fluid in COVID-19 patients with neurological features, study finds

MVA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate shows strong immunogenicity in preclinical trials

Could intranasal SARS-CoV-2 vaccines be a practical alternative to intramuscular shots?

Researchers discover antibody that blocks the spread of dengue virus

New genomics resource details the small RNA transcriptomes of four mosquito species

Influenza drug enisamium a potential COVID-19 treatment

How has the UK-derived SARS-CoV-2 mutant strain spread internationally?

COVID-19 survivors can show persistent symptoms six months after recovery, study finds

Moderna to develop three new mRNA-based vaccines against HIV, influenza, and the Nipah virus

Researchers map genetic changes that may have facilitated SARS-CoV-2’s jump from bats to humans

New N501 SARS-CoV-2 mutation may have been circulating in Italy since August 2020

Hospitals’ rocky rollout of covid vaccine sparks questions of fairness

New UK-derived SARS-CoV-2 variant does not affect neutralizing antibodies efficiency, study says

College campuses at risk of becoming COVID-19 superspreaders, study shows

Could fenofibrate be an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2?

Social media can be a useful tools for diagnosing dermatological conditions, indicates study

New technology could protect against different coronavirus variants

SARS-CoV-2 may join the ranks of mild cold-causing coronaviruses

A paper-based sensor for detecting COVID-19

Cadmium linked to more severe flu and pneumonia infections

Could neurological complications be common even in mild COVID-19?

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Newsletters you may be interested in