Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Researchers uncover hidden roles of accessory genes in SARS-CoV-2

Viruses are lean, mean, infection machines. Their genomes are tiny, usually limited to a handful of absolutely essential genes, and they shed extra genomic deadweight extremely fast.

20 Nov 2024

New approach to stabilize RSV protein could lead to better vaccines

In most people, the lung-infecting pathogens known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) trigger mild cold-like symptoms. But in infants and seniors, these viruses can cause severe pneumonia and even death.

20 Nov 2024

SARS-CoV-2 hijacks cholesterol trafficking to fuel infection and evade immune responses

SARS-CoV-2 disrupts cholesterol metabolism by using its ORF3a protein to sequester cholesterol in lysosomes, reducing BMP levels and optimizing viral survival. This novel mechanism offers insights into long-term metabolic complications of COVID-19.

19 Nov 2024

WHO grants Emergency Use Listing for LC16m8 mpox vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted Emergency Use Listing (EUL) for the LC16m8 mpox vaccine, making it the second mpox vaccine to be supported by WHO following the Director-General's declaration of an mpox public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 14 August 2024.

19 Nov 2024

New cell model reveals how hepatitis E viruses affect nerve cells

Using a new cell model, researchers can for the first time study how hepatitis E viruses affect nerve cells.

19 Nov 2024

Nationwide IV fluid shortage could change how hospitals manage patient hydration

Hospitals around the country are conserving critical intravenous fluid supplies to cope with a shortage that may last months. Some hospital administrators say they are changing how they think about IV fluid hydration altogether.

19 Nov 2024

Rising temperatures fuel global spread of dengue infections

Climate change is having a massive global impact on dengue transmission, accounting for 19% of the current dengue burden, with a potential to spark an additional 40%-60% spike by 2050 - and by as much as 150%-200% in some areas - according to a new study presented today at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

18 Nov 2024

Study uncovers key mechanism behind HIV latency

An immune response that likely evolved to help fight infections appears to be the mechanism that drives human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) into a latent state, lurking in cells only to erupt anew, researchers at Duke Health report.

18 Nov 2024

Engineered virus-like particles evolve for superior gene delivery efficiency

Researchers developed a barcoded directed evolution system for engineered virus-like particles (eVLPs), creating a fifth-generation (v5) eVLP with enhanced production, transduction, and gene-editing efficiency. This system could pave the way for improved gene delivery vehicles in therapeutic applications.

17 Nov 2024

Pulses of light show promise in controlling seizures

In what could one day become a new treatment for epilepsy, researchers at UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley have used pulses of light to prevent seizure-like activity in neurons.

15 Nov 2024

Genomic surveillance could revolutionize the fight against antimicrobial resistance

During the COVID-19 pandemic, genomic surveillance proved vital in helping understand the evolution and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

15 Nov 2024

Duke-NUS team develops test to monitor engineered T cells in cancer treatment

A novel test developed by Duke-NUS researchers enables real-time monitoring of T cells that have been engineered to fight cancer, after re-introduction into the body of a cancer patient.

15 Nov 2024

New insights into how IFITM3 protein protects against severe flu

Researchers have identified new roles for a protein long known to protect against severe flu infection – among them, raising the minimum number of viral particles needed to cause sickness.

15 Nov 2024

Air pollution linked to head and neck cancer risk

Increased PM2.5 levels are linked to higher head and neck cancer risk, particularly in disadvantaged communities, highlighting urgent public health measures.

15 Nov 2024

Pandemic linked to 16% rise in babies born with heart defects

The proportion of babies born with a congenital heart abnormality increased by 16 per cent after the first year of the pandemic, according to research at City St George's, University of London and published today in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

15 Nov 2024

Futuristic AI-powered virtual lab designs potent SARS-CoV-2 nanobodies

AI-human collaboration in a "Virtual Lab" successfully designs and experimentally validates nanobodies with enhanced binding to SARS-CoV-2 variants, offering a novel approach to interdisciplinary research.

14 Nov 2024

New biosensor technology could revolutionize mpox diagnosis

A new variant of human mpox has claimed the lives of approximately 5% of people with reported infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2023, many of them children. Since then, it has spread to several other countries.

14 Nov 2024

StitchR technology delivers large genes for muscular dystrophy treatment

Gene therapy can effectively treat various diseases, but for some debilitating conditions like muscular dystrophies there is a big problem: size.

14 Nov 2024

Measles outbreaks increase worldwide with inadequate immunization coverage

Worldwide, there were an estimated 10.3 million cases of measles in 2023, a 20% increase from 2022, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Inadequate immunization coverage globally is driving the surge in cases.

14 Nov 2024

Study shows RSV’s severe impact on US adults, urging more testing and vaccination

RSV hospitalizations in US adults reached high levels pre-vaccine, especially impacting those 75 and older, underscoring the need for awareness and prevention efforts.

14 Nov 2024