Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Scientists receive NIH grant to monitor COVID-19 in wastewater

Everyone poops, and now scientists are using this bodily function to develop a detailed analysis of the virus that causes COVID-19, known as SARS-CoV-2.

31 Mar 2021

Development of a model of substrate coordination to Zn-bound ACE2

The ongoing coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has claimed more than 2.8 million lives worldwide. Authorities are facing difficulty in preventing the spread of disease due to the highly infectious nature of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, reducing the virus's ability to infect an individual's respiratory epithelial cells could prove an effective measure to prevent disease transmission.

31 Mar 2021

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the US: CDC report

The study, published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), underlies the importance of evaluating the impact of strategies addressing adult mental health status during the pandemic. This way, these can help plan strategies and interventions for the affected groups.

30 Mar 2021

New research shows how to make people follow pandemic restrictions without fear

Making people fear the coronavirus may motivate us to wash our hands, keep our distance and wear a face mask. But fear also takes a heavy toll on our mental health and is fertile ground for discrimination and prejudice.

30 Mar 2021

Comparing the transmission routes of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

The research team had previously identified the UK variant as having higher viral RNA shedding than the D614G variant. However here, they wanted to compare the transmission of such variants through different routes of potential infection: direct contact, aerosol (airborne droplets), and fomite (objects which may be contaminated and therefore spread infectious agents).

30 Mar 2021

Research finds key factors that could lead to further pandemics

Humans are creating or exacerbating the environmental conditions that could lead to further pandemics, new University of Sydney research finds.

30 Mar 2021

Microbiota-derived molecules do not change the entry or replication of SARS-CoV-2 in intestinal cells

A study conducted at the University of Campinas in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, shows that compounds produced by gut microbiota (bacteria and other microorganisms) during fermentation of insoluble fiber from dietary plant matter do not affect the ability of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 to enter and replicate in cells lining the intestines.

30 Mar 2021

Scientists launch clinical trial of CRISPR gene correction therapy in patients with sickle cell disease

Scientists at UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley and UCLA have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to jointly launch an early phase, first-in-human clinical trial of a CRISPR gene correction therapy in patients with sickle cell disease using the patient's own blood-forming stem cells.

30 Mar 2021

UCLA receives grant to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has received a $4.9 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers.

30 Mar 2021

Researchers examine the evolutionary race between SARS-CoV-2 and human defenses

Researchers have analyzed this evolution of the virus based on evolutionary ecology theory. Using the virus genomes available in the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) database, the researchers focused their inquiry on mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

30 Mar 2021

Researchers develop novel test that screens for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A team of scientists from the United States has recently developed a single-tube duplex molecular assay for rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants containing E484K and N501Y spike mutations.

30 Mar 2021

Imported COVID-19 cases responsible for spread of the UK and Brazil SARS-CoV-2 variants in Italy

A new study examines a major consequence of the second wave of COVID-19 infection—namely, the rapid emergence of new viral lineages and variants.

30 Mar 2021

Single dose of Pfizer and Oxford vaccines shows 60% efficacy in elderly care home residents

A new study deals with the effect of two widely used vaccines in eliciting humoral immunity against the virus in this group. These are the Oxford/AstraZeneca viral-vectored vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19), and the Pfizer/BioNTech’s messenger RNA-based vaccine (BNT162b2). Both express the viral spike antigen, and both are currently being employed in the UK’s vaccination program.

30 Mar 2021