Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Antiviral COVID-19 drug shows no benefit for Long COVID

Results from a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published today in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases show that the antiviral drug, PAXLOVID, commonly prescribed to treat acute COVID-19, does not have an impact on Long COVID symptoms when compared to placebo.

1 Sep 2026

Seminal fluid facilitates monkeypox virus entry into human cells

Monkeypox virus used to be transmitted predominantly from animals to humans. In recent years, however, new virus variants have become increasingly capable of spreading from person to person.

31 Aug 2026

Mathematical model shows combined strategies greatly reduce Mpox transmission

Mpox (formerly Monkeypox), a viral zoonotic disease, remains a global public health concern because it can spread between animals and humans and among people.

31 Aug 2026

Newly discovered lung immune cells could transform future flu vaccine design

Influenza continues to cause major illness each year in the United States, leading to more than 35,000 deaths annually. Children, older adults, pregnant individuals, people with weakened immune systems, and those with chronic conditions such as heart disease, metabolic disorders, and cancer are especially vulnerable.

31 Aug 2026

Stanford scientists develop an ultracompact gene activation tool

The ability to precisely adjust the expression of genes inside the human body - ramping up protective ones and tamping down harmful ones - holds enormous potential for treating and preventing disease.

28 Aug 2026

Virginia Tech virologist wins federal award to study cellular virus battles

Every time your body fights a virus, cells are making split-second decisions that determine whether an infection spreads or stops.

28 Aug 2026

African Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidate to be advanced to clinical trials

Leading African biopharmaceutical company Minapharm Group, headquartered in Egypt with subsidiaries in Berlin, will receive up to US$16.5 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance the development of a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidate, strengthening efforts to develop vaccines to combat the fastest-growing and second-largest Ebola outbreak on record affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

28 Aug 2026

The US switch in shingles vaccines revealed an unexpected heart health pattern

In a natural experiment involving 72,920 propensity-matched US adults aged 60 years and older, recombinant shingles vaccination was associated with a 9% lower cardiovascular disease burden over seven years compared with the live attenuated vaccine. Lower burdens of ischemic heart disease and heart failure were seen in both sexes, while ischemic stroke was significantly lower only among men, supporting further clinical trials and mechanistic studies

27 Aug 2026

Experimental vaccine protects against Zika virus through T cells alone

Zika virus has been spreading for decades, but it first grabbed worldwide headlines in 2016. That February, with an outbreak sweeping the Americas, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the surge in Zika-linked birth defects a "public health emergency of international concern"-a designation which lasted until that November.

26 Aug 2026

New artificial lung mimics breathing and alveolar movement

Almost everyone has blown a soap bubble through a straw at least once. Inspired by this thin soap bubble film, an "artificial lung that breathes" like a real lung has been developed.

25 Aug 2026

Visual storytelling transforms scientific evidence into meaningful public health action

Even as the scientific community has reached broad consensus that infectious pathogens, such as viruses, can spread through airborne transmission in virus-laden aerosols, one fundamental challenge remains.

25 Aug 2026

Yeast-based nanoparticle vaccine could make annual flu shots obsolete

The world mostly relies on an 80-year-old method for producing flu vaccines from chicken eggs - a slow, costly process that struggles to quickly adapt to new, mutant strains.

24 Aug 2026

Nanoparticle vaccine offers long-lasting protection against multiple flu strains

A new, nanoparticle vaccine could one day grant patients immunity to the flu with fewer trips to the doctor and without health officials correctly guessing which flu strains will become dominant each year.

24 Aug 2026

AI predicts vaccine response based on pre-existing antibody patterns

Vaccines protect most people from serious illness, but the strength of that protection can vary considerably from one person to another. A new study led by Arizona State University helps us understand why.

20 Aug 2026

First 24 hours shape the body's antiviral defense response

Age, genetics and lifestyle are known to influence how people respond to viral infections. Scientists also know that differences in immune response play an important role, but exactly how these factors shape the course of an infection has remained unclear.

19 Aug 2026

Novel norovirus vaccine approach may be adaptable for other RNA viruses

Every RNA virus — from stomach bugs and influenza to chickenpox and the common cold — has its own story to tell, with a unique combination of symptoms, rates of transmission, duration, and chemical blueprint.

19 Aug 2026

New optical control platform blocks and restores neural signaling

DGIST (President Kunwoo Lee) announced that a research team led by Professor Ji Won Um of the Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, Department of Brain Sciences, in collaboration with a research team led by Professor Alice Ting at Stanford University, has developed LATeNT, a novel optical control platform that uses light to block signal transmission between neurons and subsequently restore normal signaling.

19 Aug 2026