Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Genome-scale CRISPR screens pinpoint promising antiviral compounds against SARS-CoV-2

In a recent research paper currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, scientists in the US used genome-scale CRISPR knockout screens to identify factors that promote infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), revealing the potential for broad-spectrum activity across the coronavirus family.

7 Jun 2021

mRNA vaccines shown to be 97% protective against COVID-19 in working-age population

Researchers in the United States have demonstrated the effectiveness of messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccination at protecting against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among almost 47,000 healthcare workers.

7 Jun 2021

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission aboard aircraft is low: A review of evidence

Researchers in Romania, the UK, and Canada have systematically reviewed the evidence available on the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) aboard aircraft.

7 Jun 2021

Study observes broad and invariable memory B cell response following SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in the USA goes far in answering this question by showing the presence of memory B cells that react to the original SARS-CoV-2 as well as VOCs.

7 Jun 2021

Study offers overview of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children

A new study by researchers in the USA summarizes what is known about the prevalence of the infection, the viral load and transmissibility in children.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers identify a bacterium with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro: Dolosigranulum pigrum

As intensive efforts are on to counter the virus, a new study by an international team of researchers reports the unexpected success of a bacterium in modulating the immune response in the airway and protecting the cells against infection with this virus.

7 Jun 2021

Could sustained inflammation following mild to moderate COVID-19 be a driver of long COVID?

A new study describes the discovery of sustained though low-level rises in inflammatory mediators and immune cells, as well as the loss of some subsets of naïve un-activated cells. This may indicate a widespread though muted immune-mediated inflammatory response in these patients.

7 Jun 2021

The great promise of antiviral peptides against SARS-CoV-2

A new study, recently published in the journal Viruses, describes the impressive evidence for the role of antimicrobial peptidse (AMPs) in the treatment of COVID-19.

7 Jun 2021

Plant-based and fish-based diets reduce the odds of severe COVID-19

Plant-based and pescatarian diets reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 infection by 73% and 59%, respectively.

7 Jun 2021

Seroprevalence study of SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic cats

To monitor the occurrence of trans-species transmission, researchers from the Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Germany, conducted a survey of seroprevalence in domestic cats.

7 Jun 2021

Patients hospitalized with active cancer are more likely to die from COVID-19

New research indicates that patients hospitalized with active cancer were more likely to die from COVID-19 than those with a history of cancer or those without any cancer diagnosis.

7 Jun 2021

Researchers create cellular and spatial “atlas” of the choroid plexus during different life stages

Once viewed merely as a producer of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) bathing the brain and spinal cord, the choroid plexus is now known to be a key player in brain development and immunity.

7 Jun 2021

Global land-use changes increase risk of zoonotic coronavirus transmission from bats

Global land-use changes — including forest fragmentation, agricultural expansion and concentrated livestock production — are creating “hotspots” favorable for bats that carry coronaviruses and where conditions are ripe for the diseases to jump from bats to humans, finds a new analysis by researchers at the Politecnico di Milano, University of California, Berkeley and Massey University.

7 Jun 2021

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 with a single dose skin patch

Researchers from Australia recently reported a high-density microarray patch used to deliver a SARS-CoV-2 spike subunit vaccine to the skin directly. They used a combination of a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein vaccine candidate and the high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) vaccine delivery platform.

7 Jun 2021

COVID-19 symptoms in the feet

In a review paper recently uploaded to the Journal of Clinical Medicine by Jimenez-Cebrian et al. (May 19th, 2021), the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in feet, in particular, are reviewed, finding that vascular, dermatological, and neurological symptoms have been widely reported.

6 Jun 2021

Standardizable assay detects T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers in the UK have developed a high-throughput standardizable assay that accurately detects T cell responses to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

6 Jun 2021

New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers in the United States have conducted a study demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines at preventing infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

6 Jun 2021

Metformin potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine release in monocytes

An interesting new bioRxiv* preprint reports the suppression of monocyte glycolysis and cytokine production when exposed to the virus, following pretreatment with the commonly used drug, metformin.

6 Jun 2021

New approach to a wastewater system speeds up detection and tracing of COVID-19

Math continues to be a powerful force against COVID-19. Its latest contribution is a sophisticated algorithm, using municipal wastewater systems, for determining key locations in the detection and tracing of COVID-19 back to its human source, which may be a newly infected person or a hot spot of infected people.

5 Jun 2021

Missing antibody molecule may predict disease severity in secondary dengue infection

A first encounter with the dengue virus typically causes very mild symptoms; however, a subsequent infection is a different story.

5 Jun 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Genome-scale CRISPR screens pinpoint promising antiviral compounds against SARS-CoV-2

mRNA vaccines shown to be 97% protective against COVID-19 in working-age population

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission aboard aircraft is low: A review of evidence

Study observes broad and invariable memory B cell response following SARS-CoV-2 infection

Study offers overview of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children

Researchers identify a bacterium with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro: Dolosigranulum pigrum

Could sustained inflammation following mild to moderate COVID-19 be a driver of long COVID?

The great promise of antiviral peptides against SARS-CoV-2

Plant-based and fish-based diets reduce the odds of severe COVID-19

Seroprevalence study of SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic cats

Patients hospitalized with active cancer are more likely to die from COVID-19

Researchers create cellular and spatial “atlas” of the choroid plexus during different life stages

Global land-use changes increase risk of zoonotic coronavirus transmission from bats

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 with a single dose skin patch

COVID-19 symptoms in the feet

Standardizable assay detects T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection

New data from CDC on effectiveness of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Metformin potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine release in monocytes

New approach to a wastewater system speeds up detection and tracing of COVID-19

Missing antibody molecule may predict disease severity in secondary dengue infection

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

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