Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Global Virus Network committed to the continued development of mRNA vaccines

The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading human and animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in more than 40 countries dedicated to advancing pandemic preparedness, is unequivocally committed to the continued development and deployment of mRNA vaccines and the global scientific collaboration that makes such innovation possible.

12 Aug 2025

Synthetic sugar-coated nanoparticle blocks Covid-19 from infecting human cells

Groundbreaking research led by a Swansea University academic has revealed a synthetic glycosystem - a sugar-coated polymer nanoparticle - that can block Covid-19 from infecting human cells, reducing infection rates by nearly 99%.

11 Aug 2025

New biomarker may be the first specific and quantifiable indicator for confirming long COVID

Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have identified a potential biomarker for long COVID.

11 Aug 2025

How early immune challenges influence oral and systemic health in children

Once viewed only as infectious invaders, bacteria are now understood to play an important role in overall health.

8 Aug 2025

Revolutionizing therapeutic protein design with synthetic biology

In medicine and biotechnology, the ability to evolve proteins with new or improved functions is crucial, but current methods are often slow and laborious.

8 Aug 2025

New research pipeline fuels the development of universal vaccines

Most vaccines are designed to provide immunity against just one pathogen. Vaccines for chicken pox (caused by varicella-zoster virus) were only developed to fight that one disease, for example.

7 Aug 2025

Immune surveillance in children sheds light on virus rebound after COVID

The first paper from a multi-year clinical research study has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Dynamics of Endemic Virus Re-emergence in Children in the USA Following the COVID-19 Pandemic (2022-2023): A Longitudinal Immunoepidemiologic Surveillance Study and demonstrates how the approach can improve modeling to better predict future outbreaks.

7 Aug 2025

New toolkit supports hepatitis prevention and care in European prisons

The new toolkit is designed to support the implementation and scale-up of hepatitis B and C interventions in prisons across Europe.

6 Aug 2025

Starfish compound overcomes drug resistance in prostate cancer models

Researchers identified that triterpene glycosides from the starfish Solaster pacificus can kill drug-resistant prostate cancer cells in vitro by bypassing common resistance pathways. CuC1 showed synergy with existing chemotherapies, though with only moderate selectivity for cancer cells.

5 Aug 2025

Gfi1 regulates exhausted CD8+ T cells to improve cancer immunotherapy

Killer immune cells destroy cancer cells and cells infected by virus. These CD8+ T cells are activated after detection of viral infection or growth of "non-self" tumor cells.

5 Aug 2025

HIV trial points to semaglutide as a new anti-aging contender

Once-weekly semaglutide significantly slowed epigenetic aging in adults with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, as measured by multiple DNA methylation clocks in a randomized controlled trial. These exploratory findings suggest GLP-1 receptor agonists could impact biological aging but require further validation in broader populations.

4 Aug 2025

New drug combo outperforms Tamiflu in fighting deadliest flu strains

A surprising new drug combo—including a compound found in chocolate—has outperformed Tamiflu in fighting the flu, according to a study published in PNAS.

4 Aug 2025

Metformin’s blood sugar control starts in the brain, not just the liver, study finds

Low, clinically relevant doses of metformin lower blood glucose by inhibiting the Rap1 protein in specific neurons of the hypothalamus, revealing a brain-first mechanism. This action is essential for metformin’s effect at therapeutic doses and highlights new directions for diabetes treatment.

3 Aug 2025

Study uncovers inflammatory pathways that contribute to asthma flare-ups in children

A recent multicenter clinical trial has uncovered inflammatory pathways that contribute to asthma flare-ups in children that occur despite treatment, according to findings published in JAMA Pediatrics.

1 Aug 2025

Unraveling the mysteries of post-acute infection syndromes

In recent years, doctors and scientists are increasingly studying long-lasting illnesses that begin after someone recovers from an infection.

1 Aug 2025

Efficacy of methylprednisolone doses in severe Mycoplasma Pneumonia

Investigators compare efficacy of low- versus high-dose of methylprednisolone in preventing pulmonary lesions in children with severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

1 Aug 2025

A tourist ended up with a wild bat in her mouth — and nearly $21,000 in medical bills

In retrospect, Erica Kahn realizes she made two big mistakes. The first was choosing to temporarily forgo health insurance when she was laid off from her job.

31 Jul 2025

Immunocompromised people are susceptible to skin cancer caused directly by beta-HPV

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown for the first time that a type of human papillomavirus (HPV) commonly found on the skin can directly cause a form of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) when certain immune cells malfunction.

30 Jul 2025

Respiratory infections can reactivate dormant breast cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), and Utrecht University have found the first direct evidence that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs, setting the stage for new metastatic tumors.

30 Jul 2025

Single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer lasting protection against HIV

A new study in Nature shows that delivering a single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer years-long protection against HIV, tapping into a critical window in early life that could reshape the fight against pediatric infections in high-risk regions.

30 Jul 2025