Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

POSTECH research team develops plant-based, adjuvant-free avian influenza vaccine

The avian influenza, an acute viral infectious disease that occurs in poultry such as chickens, ducks, and migratory birds, has been reported to be transmittable to humans.

21 Jun 2021

Upper airway model derived from iPSCs paves the way for broader studies of viral lung infections

A team led by researchers at Newcastle University, UK has successfully created a model of the cells found in the lungs that can be used to replicate how COVID-19 infects the airways.

21 Jun 2021

New method accurately detects virulent infections in advance

When viruses infect cells, changes in the cell nucleus occur, and these can be observed through fluorescence microscopy.

21 Jun 2021

Study shows a robust immune response to COVID-19 vaccine in breastfeeding health workers

A recent study by researchers from Poland, published in the journal Vaccines, shows how levels of IgA and IgG antibodies specific to the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 increase in both breast milk and serum samples of mothers following vaccination against COVID-19 – with important implications for further vaccine planning endeavors.

21 Jun 2021

Could the European hedgehog be a sentinel for infectious agents and a harbinger of environmental pollution?

A recent review paper by Portuguese and Spanish authors, recently published in the journal Biologics, revealed the current state of knowledge regarding hedgehog health – most notably the presence of infectious agents, diseases and other threats that can affect the health of the population.

21 Jun 2021

Multivalent antibodies show high potency against SARS-CoV-2 in new study

A new study in the journal Nature Communications describes the process of converting a SARS-CoV-2 antibody into a multivalent form, thus enabling it to bind at various different points with its epitope.

21 Jun 2021

Study reviews natural drug candidates for potential treatment of COVID-19

A recent paper in the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences seeks to open up new approaches by reviewing a list of compounds derived from plants and other natural sources, which have potential inhibitory activity against the coronavirus.

21 Jun 2021

Viral phosphoesterases (including in CoVs) can restrict antiviral innate immunity

An interesting new study describes the activities of a family of viral enzymes called two-histidine-phosphoesterases (2H-PEs), found in coronaviruses (CoVs) and rotaviruses, as well as a mammalian A-kinase anchoring protein enzyme, AKAP7, that shares the same function. Together called 2’,5’-PEs, these enzymes all break down 2’,5’-oligoadenylate compounds that activate the antiviral enzyme ribonuclease L (RNase L).

21 Jun 2021

The importance of social distancing for COVID-19 recovery in the US

News-Medical spoke to researchers from Reykjavík University about their research that looked at the importance of social distancing in COVID-19 recovery.

21 Jun 2021

Researchers identify four substances that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in cells

Researchers from the German Center for Infection Research at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of Bonn have examined the way in which SARS-CoV-2 reprograms the metabolism of the host cell in order to gain an overall advantage.

21 Jun 2021

Research identifies SARS-CoV-2 cavities as potential drug targets

New research found the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein has druggable cavities with the best target being compatible with more than 1 billion compounds.

21 Jun 2021

Can a prior rhinovirus infection protect against COVID-19?

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found that rhinovirus accelerates interferon-stimulated genes.

21 Jun 2021

Strategies against the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine escape mutants

In a recent paper the impact of a number of vaccination strategies is assessed with regards to the probability of inducing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine escape mutants.

21 Jun 2021

Zinc inhibits SARS-CoV-2’s main protease in vitro

Zinc has antiviral properties. However, the detailed kinetics and the mechanism of zinc in the inhibition of viruses, particularly SARS-CoV-2 – the causative virus of COVID-19 – is unclear. To probe the role of zinc as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent at the structural and molecular level, researchers in India studied the binding kinetics and the inhibition mechanism of zinc with SARS-CoV-2’s viral proteins.

21 Jun 2021