Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

In a recent brief report published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Rockefeller University in New York described a case of two fully vaccinated individuals in whom they found subsequent breakthrough infections with variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), carrying a number of substitutions of interest.

25 Apr 2021

Study focuses on SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in Wuhan and COVID-19 controls

Since the emergence in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide via transmission among close human contacts. Early on, several public health interventions were implemented in Wuhan city and Hubei Province, including lockdowns, social distancing, traffic restrictions, stay-at-home policies, face mask requirements, building temporary hospitals, and centralized quarantine. There were 50,355 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan as of 28 January 2021.

25 Apr 2021

Single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces immunity in CML patients

Researchers in the UK have shown that a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced antibody and cellular responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who were taking tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

25 Apr 2021

Researchers create a cell library to study how various sugars bind to and interact with receptors

Most infectious bacteria and viruses bind to sugars on the surface of our cells. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have created a library of tens of thousands of natural cells containing all the sugars found on the surface of our cells.

23 Apr 2021

FDA, CDC lift recommended pause on the use of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.

Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume.

23 Apr 2021

Only one vaccine is OK for older teens. It’s also the hardest to manage in rural America.

As states expand covid-19 vaccine eligibility to allow shots for 16- and 17-year-olds, teens in rural America may have trouble getting them.

23 Apr 2021

Michigan’s outbreak worries scientists. Will conservative outposts keep pandemic rolling?

When Kathryn Watkins goes shopping these days, she doesn't bring her three young children. There are just too many people not wearing masks in her southern Michigan town of Hillsdale.

23 Apr 2021

NIH to conduct large trial for COVID-19 polyclonal antibody therapies

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA are to conduct a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate a new fully-human polyclonal antibody therapy targeted at severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Apr 2021

Ongoing testing of immunized individuals will be key to mitigate future COVID-19 outbreaks

In rare cases, people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID and are immune to the virus can nevertheless develop the disease.

23 Apr 2021

Researchers identify natural molecule that blocks the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have found that a natural molecule can effectively block the binding of a subset of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The discovery may help explain why some COVID-19 patients can become severely ill despite having high levels of antibodies against the virus.

23 Apr 2021

DNA vaccine candidate induces potent immunity, offers protective efficacy in non-human primate models

A synthetic DNA vaccine candidate for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) developed at The Wistar Institute induced potent immune responses and afforded protective efficacy in non-human primate (NHP) models when given intradermally in abbreviated, low-dose immunization regimen.

23 Apr 2021

COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of death for at least six months

As the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed, it has become clear that many survivors - even those who had mild cases - continue to manage a variety of health problems long after the initial infection should have resolved.

23 Apr 2021

Celastrol shows potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server focuses on the in-silico predictions to repurpose existing drug compounds, that may have the ability to reverse the SARS-CoV-2 gene expression induced in host cells.

23 Apr 2021

Artificial intelligence helps identify new key-lock pairs against coronavirus

The human immune defense is based on the ability of white blood cells to accurately identify disease-causing pathogens and to initiate a defense reaction against them.

23 Apr 2021

Striking difference identified between mRNA vaccination vs. SARS-CoV-2 infection immune responses

A team of scientists from the United States has recently compared the immune response elicited by natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Their findings reveal that, unlike vaccination, natural SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a robust interferon response together with an induction of cytotoxic gene expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

22 Apr 2021

Preclinical study from NIH/Moderna: Correlates of SARS-CoV-2 immunity in non-human primates

Researchers in the United States have shown that the antibody response induced by the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a correlate of immune protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in non-human primates.

22 Apr 2021

Study finds higher mortality rate among pregnant women affected by COVID-19

In a worldwide study of 2,100 pregnant women, those who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy were 20 times more likely to die than those who did not contract the virus.

22 Apr 2021

New Phase 3 trial of therapeutics begins enrolling severely ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients

A new Phase 3 trial to test the safety and efficacy of therapeutics for COVID-19 has begun enrolling patients hospitalized with life-threatening cases of COVID-19, including those with acute respiratory failure.

22 Apr 2021

House flies can carry SARS-CoV-2 up to 24 hours after exposure, study finds

A team of researchers in the USA – at Kansas State University and Agricultural Research Service – found that house flies can acquire and harbor infectious SARS-CoV-2 for up to 24 hours after exposure.

22 Apr 2021

Can SARS-CoV-2 host factor protein interactions help identify antiviral drug targets?

In a new study proteomic peptide-phage display is utilized to profile the novel SLiM-based interactions that mediate host factor interactions in 229 RNA viruses, with a special focus on SARS-CoV-2, to reveal mechanistic insights and identify drug targets.

22 Apr 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A detailed look at two cases of symptomatic COVID in vaccinated individuals

Study focuses on SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in Wuhan and COVID-19 controls

Single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induces immunity in CML patients

Researchers create a cell library to study how various sugars bind to and interact with receptors

FDA, CDC lift recommended pause on the use of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.

Only one vaccine is OK for older teens. It’s also the hardest to manage in rural America.

Michigan’s outbreak worries scientists. Will conservative outposts keep pandemic rolling?

NIH to conduct large trial for COVID-19 polyclonal antibody therapies

Ongoing testing of immunized individuals will be key to mitigate future COVID-19 outbreaks

Researchers identify natural molecule that blocks the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

DNA vaccine candidate induces potent immunity, offers protective efficacy in non-human primate models

COVID-19 survivors have increased risk of death for at least six months

Celastrol shows potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

Artificial intelligence helps identify new key-lock pairs against coronavirus

Striking difference identified between mRNA vaccination vs. SARS-CoV-2 infection immune responses

Preclinical study from NIH/Moderna: Correlates of SARS-CoV-2 immunity in non-human primates

Study finds higher mortality rate among pregnant women affected by COVID-19

New Phase 3 trial of therapeutics begins enrolling severely ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients

House flies can carry SARS-CoV-2 up to 24 hours after exposure, study finds

Can SARS-CoV-2 host factor protein interactions help identify antiviral drug targets?

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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