Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Researchers use new approach to detect high-risk Human Papilloma Virus

A study led by Queen Mary University of London researchers has compared the performance and acceptability of a urine test and four different vaginal self-sampling collection devices to detect high risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

2 Apr 2021

Study investigates the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines over longer term

COVID-19 vaccines were designed to reduce the likelihood that infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus would lead to severe outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. In that sense, all of the currently approved vaccines -- Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson -- have proven comparably effective.

2 Apr 2021

Researchers use new way to detect high-risk Human Papilloma Virus

2 Apr 2021

COVID-19: Several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic

When Australia, India, Japan and the US — countries strategically allied under the so-called Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) — switched focus to fighting COVID-19, it was seen as one more of the several 'proxy wars' spawned by the pandemic.

1 Apr 2021

Backed by millions in public and private cash, rapid Covid tests are coming to stores near you

Scientists and lawmakers agree that over-the-counter Covid tests could allow desk workers to settle back into their cubicles and make it easier to reopen schools and travel.

1 Apr 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Planning for round two

Congress is out of session, but that hasn't stopped Democrats from planning their next round of health legislation.

1 Apr 2021

Study discovers new target on SARS-CoV-2 spike for protective antibodies

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute, USA, have described a potential target for COVID-19 vaccines. Dubbed as CC40.8 bnAb, it exhibited broad reactivity with human beta coronaviruses.

1 Apr 2021

Research finds possible explanation for why many cancer drugs don't work in human trials

A possible explanation for why many cancer drugs that kill tumor cells in mouse models won't work in human trials has been found by researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Biomedical Informatics and McGovern Medical School.

1 Apr 2021

Can asymptomatic COVID-19 confer long-term immunity?

Researchers examined the antibody responses in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals recovered from COVID-19 to see if there was a discernable difference in their humoral immune responses and long-term protection from reinfection with SARS-CoV-2.

1 Apr 2021

Glycans influence SARS-CoV-2 spike–ACE2 binding affinity, finds study

A study conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, and Concordia University, Canada, has explored the impact of different types of glycans on the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and human ACE2 receptor.

1 Apr 2021

Could a flavonoid found in common fruit and vegetables combat COVID-19?

Researchers in India have gathered and presented a large body of evidence highlight quercetin – a flavonoid molecule found in many common fruits and vegetables – may be developed into drug therapies used to combat COVID-19.

1 Apr 2021

Fight for Sight funds research to explore gene editing as treatment for inherited retinal diseases

Fight for Sight is funding cutting-edge research at UCL, which will explore whether gene editing could be used to repair faults in genes for some inherited retinal diseases.

1 Apr 2021

COVID-19 surges are driven by appearance of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, genome sequencing shows

Genome sequencing of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples shows that surges of COVID-19 cases are driven by the appearance of new coronavirus variants, according to new research from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis published April 1 in Scientific Reports.

1 Apr 2021

Asymptomatic COVID-19 screening at UK universities is haphazard and messy, say experts

The costly rollout of asymptomatic screening for covid-19 at UK universities has found very few positive cases following its launch in December as part of the Government’s ambitious £100bn Moonshot program, finds an investigation published by The BMJ today.

1 Apr 2021

Researchers develop a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain trimer vaccine candidate

New research deals with the development of RBD trimer as a potent target for SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccines. This study revealed the development of a trimeric RBD subunit vaccine candidate that could induce strong humoral and cellular immune responses in nonhuman primates (NHPs), namely, rhesus macaques.

1 Apr 2021

Temperature difference in the upper and lower respiratory tract influences SARS-CoV-2 replication

A team of researchers from the Institute for Infectious Diseases (IFIK) at the University of Bern and the Federal Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) have assessed virus growth and activation of the cellular defense mechanisms in the respiratory tract.

1 Apr 2021

Discovery of cryptic pocket in SARS-CoV-2 may lead to pan-coronavirus therapies

A new research paper published in the Biophysical Journal describes a novel binding pocket used by a viral non-structural protein (nsp) to form an activated complex with its partner nsp. In so doing, it may have revealed a common target that may be useful in the development of a broad-spectrum antiviral drug against all coronaviruses.

1 Apr 2021

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in pregnancy

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv* server shows that while pregnant women are seriously worried about their risk of contracting the infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but are also hesitant to take the vaccine.

1 Apr 2021

Antibodies produced from infection with SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 protect against other variants

A recent paper in the journal Nature shows that while earlier lineages do not elicit antibodies capable of efficiently neutralizing the newly emerged South African variant, SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 (B.1.351), the converse does occur.

31 Mar 2021

Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine effective against B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant

Published in The Lancet, the study explores if the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine works well in protecting against the B.1.1.7 variant, otherwise known as the U.K. variant.

31 Mar 2021