Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

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