Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 N-protein and Parkinson's protein speeds up amyloid formation

Case reports of relatively young COVID-19 patients who developed Parkinson's disease within weeks of contracting the virus have led scientists to wonder if there could be a link between the two conditions.

14 Dec 2021

Omicron evades immunity more than other SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers find that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant shows a much more extensive escape from vaccine-elicited immunity.

14 Dec 2021

Correlation between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COVID-19

A new study investigates the genetic overlap between COVID-19 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to identify possible shared biological mechanisms.

14 Dec 2021

"Supermere" discovery may offer clues to earlier diagnoses and treatment of several diseases

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered a nanoparticle released from cells, called a "supermere," which contains enzymes, proteins and RNA associated with multiple cancers, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and even COVID-19.

14 Dec 2021

New drug combination may prevent GvHD after stem cell transplantation for blood cancers

A drug combination can safely prevent transplanted stem cells, known as a graft, from attacking the recipient's body, allowing them to develop into healthy new blood and immune cells, a new study shows.

14 Dec 2021

England's Chief Medical Officer calls on the public to get booster vaccination

Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty will call on the public to get a booster vaccination, in a nationwide advertising campaign launching today (Tuesday 14 December) to further galvanize the booster program.

14 Dec 2021

Nanotrap particles can improve current sequencing workflows of SARS-CoV-2

New research uses an affinity-based magnetic hydrogel particle enrichment technology (Nanotrap particle enrichment technology) that can concentrate viral particles, leading to improved detection of many viral agents including SARS-CoV-2

14 Dec 2021

Severity of SARS-CoV-2 compared to other human coronaviruses in children

Researchers observed that symptom presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infections at the community level was very similar to that of endemic human coronavirus infections.

14 Dec 2021

Timing of exposure critical for SARS-CoV-2 transmission according to animal study

In a new study, the researchers assessed the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in golden Syrian hamsters to get a perspective on spatio-temporal conditions impacting the transmission efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 through the air.

14 Dec 2021

Changes in trajectory of long COVID symptoms before vaccination

A new preprint describes the results of a study examining this aspect of the disease.

14 Dec 2021

Assay for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 Spike reactive T and B cells

An interesting new paper presents a new assay for B and T lymphocytes in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2.

14 Dec 2021

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in children compared to adults

The current study aimed to explore the rate and risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections in children.

14 Dec 2021

New mRNA vaccine platform provides stronger protection against SARS-CoV-2 delta variant

A group of researchers from various institutions developed a nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine that encodes the SARS-CoV-2 N protein (mRNA-N) and is formulated in lipid nanoparticles for this investigation (LNP).

14 Dec 2021

Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections tracked in large US study

Researchers from Microsoft Corporation, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, and the University of Washington recently published a report on the preprint server medRxiv* wherein they studied a de-identified cohort from the United States medical claims records from Change Healthcare to estimate the risk of hospitalization and death, by vaccine type and by previous SARS-CoV2 infection, among SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals.

14 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 transmission through indoor aerosols

A recent review published in the International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health presents the science behind the person-to-person transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an indoor environment.

14 Dec 2021

Trial in sub-Saharan Africa evaluates the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine in people living with HIV

A highly anticipated clinical trial in eight sub-Saharan countries is the first to specifically evaluate the efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine in people living with HIV, including those with poorly controlled infections.

13 Dec 2021

Omicron variant may strike double vaccinated

Largely, scientists are skeptical that the Omicron variant can infect vaccinated individuals. However, a new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server has conducted neutralization assays using an Omicron isolate obtained from patients residing in the United Kingdom.

13 Dec 2021

Determination of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination using T cell receptor repertoire

A new study published on the bioRxiv preprint server has hypothesized that T cell receptors (TCR) repertoire can measure the response to vaccines, as it would identify the TCR of clones that respond to the vaccination.

13 Dec 2021

Novel breathalyzer relies on viral RNA detection to diagnose SARS-CoV-2

In a new study in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, investigators report on the design and testing of a breathalyzer, known as the Bubbler, that relies on viral RNA detection to diagnose SARS-CoV-2.

13 Dec 2021

Hotel-based protective housing minimizes COVID-19 rates in vulnerable homeless population

Persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) who were at high risk of severe COVID-19 were 2.5 times less likely to contract SARS-CoV-2 if they were provided with individual hotel rooms and medical and social support compared to citywide rates in homeless shelters, according to new research from the University of Chicago Medicine, Lawndale Christian Health Center, and the Chicago Department of Public Health.

13 Dec 2021