Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 with Pfizer vaccine is mediated by memory B cells

A reassuring study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, from a multi-institutional team of researchers in Italy suggests that with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, post-vaccination immunity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is both robust and durable.

14 Jun 2021

Intranasal monoclonal SARS-CoV-2 antibody therapy shows promise in preclinical trials

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, presents a new monoclonal antibody (MAb) called DZIF-10c that powerfully neutralizes SARS-CoV-2, including the current variants of concern (VOCs). With high bioavailability in the lungs and wide distribution in the body, the antibody was able to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice after intranasal administration.

14 Jun 2021

Fatty acid binding site on SARS-CoV-2 spike triggers spike monomer crosstalk that is key to infectivity

A new study, released as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, examines the role played by a fatty acid called linoleic acid (LA) that attaches at a binding site near the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. The spike exists as a homotrimer in open or closed conformations. In the former, at least one RBD points upwards.

14 Jun 2021

Can rapid antigen tests help screen for COVID-19?

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 is driven by the high proportion of asymptomatic and very mild infections, allowing people to move around and engage in public activity normally. There are many modeling studies that suggest that large-scale screening for the presence of this virus can help curb transmission at this point, from people with few or no symptoms. A new study points out the accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests for this purpose when used at the point-of-care.

14 Jun 2021

Delays and shortages hit SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program

A new study from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bengaluru, India, provides an overview of how well this important monitoring mechanism is functioning around the world. The team has released their findings as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server.

14 Jun 2021

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants contain mutations that interfere with genomic sequencing

A recent study by researchers in Canada shows how mutations in newly emerging lineages of SARS-CoV-2 may disrupt the sequencing process and thus interfere with this important area of research.

14 Jun 2021

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Surfaces with anionic block copolymers can inactivate different viruses within minutes by making the polymer-microbe interface very acidic. Such surfaces can continuously disinfect surfaces without the need for reapplication of disinfectant.

14 Jun 2021

Study suggests COVID-19 in children is milder than the flu

Researchers retrospectively analyzed the medical records of children in Turkey hospitalized because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or influenza and found COVID-19 to be milder than influenza in this group.

14 Jun 2021

Forkhead box O's potential therapeutic use in the treatment of COVID-19

In a recent study, Indian researchers from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi, reviewed a possible vital coalition of FoxOs - the Forkhead Box O subfamily of protein transcription factors, with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the etiological agent of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).

13 Jun 2021

Joint ICMRA and WHO statement explains how COVID-19 vaccines are regulated for safety, effectiveness

Healthcare professionals and public health authorities have a central role in discussing vaccination against COVID-19 with their patients.

13 Jun 2021

Teachers and school staff should be prioritised for COVID vaccines

In a communication paper recently published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health by Koirala et al. (June 8th, 2021), it is argued that Australian schools should remain open, with proper testing, tracing, and quarantine protocols in place.

13 Jun 2021

Philippines poorly prepared to deal with COVID-19, report says

In a recent study published in the WHO WPSAR journal, researchers described the challenges and early response of the Philippines to COVID-19.

13 Jun 2021

Role of traditional medicine against SARS-CoV-2

A group of researchers at Kannur University reviewed selected papers and in silico work on potential drug leads that could be used to manage COVID-19.

13 Jun 2021

Humoral innate pattern recognition molecules against SARS-CoV-2

In a paper recently uploaded to the preprint server medRxiv by Garlanda et al. (June 8th, 2021), humoral pattern recognition molecules are explored for affinity towards SARS-CoV-2, contributing to unraveling the role of these molecules in COVID-19 disease progression.

13 Jun 2021

Long-range airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

In an early release copy of a short commentary paper recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by Addleman et al. (June 8th, 2021), the impact of, and possible solutions to, the short- and long-range airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 are explored.

13 Jun 2021

An analysis links COVID-19 to brain microvascular injury and inflammation

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), an RNA virus that belongs to the family Coronaviridae. According to research, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients often suffer from neurological disorders like strokes, lost taste or smell, memory loss, confusion, and delirium.

13 Jun 2021

Study shows poor antibody response in naive elderly of nursing homes after mRNA vaccination

A new study describes inadequate antibody responses to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in elderly residents of a care home with no prior history of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), compared to those with such a history. This adds to the current understanding of vaccine efficacy against infection.

13 Jun 2021

AI identifies gene signatures to reveal patients’ immune responses to viral infection

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine used an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to sift through terabytes of gene expression data -- which genes are "on" or "off" during infection -- to look for shared patterns in patients with past pandemic viral infections, including SARS, MERS and swine flu.

11 Jun 2021

High single-dose efficacy of Pfizer vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in older adults

In British Columbia (BC), Canada, vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began with the Pfizer/Moderna mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines began with nursing home residents and frontline healthcare workers. These are known to have a high protective efficacy of 92-93% after a single dose, but this data comes from younger and healthy adults, for the most part.

11 Jun 2021

New Astra-Zeneca B.1.351 vaccine AZD2816 strongly immunogenic against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A new study, released on the bioRxiv* preprint server, supports the efficacy of the wildtype ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine against B.1.351, B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2, while showing that a booster dose of vaccine based on the B.1.351 spike induces further increase in antibody titers.

11 Jun 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 with Pfizer vaccine is mediated by memory B cells

Intranasal monoclonal SARS-CoV-2 antibody therapy shows promise in preclinical trials

Fatty acid binding site on SARS-CoV-2 spike triggers spike monomer crosstalk that is key to infectivity

Can rapid antigen tests help screen for COVID-19?

Delays and shortages hit SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants contain mutations that interfere with genomic sequencing

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Study suggests COVID-19 in children is milder than the flu

Forkhead box O's potential therapeutic use in the treatment of COVID-19

Joint ICMRA and WHO statement explains how COVID-19 vaccines are regulated for safety, effectiveness

Teachers and school staff should be prioritised for COVID vaccines

Philippines poorly prepared to deal with COVID-19, report says

Role of traditional medicine against SARS-CoV-2

Humoral innate pattern recognition molecules against SARS-CoV-2

Long-range airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

An analysis links COVID-19 to brain microvascular injury and inflammation

Study shows poor antibody response in naive elderly of nursing homes after mRNA vaccination

AI identifies gene signatures to reveal patients’ immune responses to viral infection

High single-dose efficacy of Pfizer vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in older adults

New Astra-Zeneca B.1.351 vaccine AZD2816 strongly immunogenic against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Does the number of siblings you have affect your health?

International Day of Action for Women’s Health: An Interview with Dame Claire Bertschinger

International Day of Action for Women’s Health: An Interview with UN Women

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