Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines boost SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses

Researchers in the United States and Chile have provided preliminary evidence that individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – mount a robust neutralizing antibody response against the virus that can be significantly boosted by two doses of Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac vaccine or one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s BNT162b2 vaccine.

21 May 2021

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Recently, a team of researchers from various countries analyzed the unique variants of S proteins across six continents, including Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, South America, and North America. They wanted to characterize the unique S protein variants embedded in SARS-CoV-2 genomes infecting millions of people globally.

20 May 2021

Researchers speculate the low prevalence of COVID-19 in Japan

Protective immune memory--through B cells, which make antibodies, and/or T cells, which in the case of CD8+ T cells can kill virus-infected cells--can be induced by identical but also by related viruses.

20 May 2021

COVID-19 cases in summer 2020 was not as low as previously thought, new genome-based model suggests

Many have attributed the low number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the summer of 2020 to hot weather or increased outdoor activities. But a new study from researchers in Germany suggests this might not have been the case.

20 May 2021

Does cross-immunity exist between SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.28 and P.1 variants?

A team of researchers recently cross-tested severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies to assess their neutralization activity against different variants. The team recently released their findings as a preprint on the medRxiv* server.

20 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 variant spread study in France shows B.1.351/V2 variant outgrowing B.1.1.7/V1 variant

A recent study by researchers in France has compared the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern. The team found a significant transmission advantage of V2 (from lineage B.1.351) over V1 (from lineage B.1.1.7). A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server.

20 May 2021

Despite pandemic, Newsom declines to boost local public health budgets — again

In spite of a pandemic that has killed about 62,000 Californians — more than enough to pack Dodger Stadium — Gov. Gavin Newsom has again declined to boost the budgets of the state's underfunded and understaffed local public health departments.

20 May 2021

Could graphene oxide nanosheets be an effective SARS-CoV-2 antiviral in PPE?

A new study has been published in Small, which has combined in silico and in vitro analysis to examine if graphene oxide (GO) sheets have an inhibitory effect against SARS‐CoV‐2 surface proteins.

20 May 2021

A SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate based on B.1.351 spike trimer shows broad neutralizing capability

Researchers tested the vaccine candidate in mice with up to three doses and found it produces high levels of antibodies against both SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and the original virus strain.

20 May 2021

Tokyo sees rapid rise of SARS-CoV-2 R.1 lineage

A new research paper posted to the preprint server medRxiv* reports the rise of a new lineage in Tokyo, Japan, bearing a combination of two biologically important mutations.

20 May 2021

Are COVID-19-related complications in children explained by abnormal immune responses?

A common theme in reports on COVID-19 around the world has been the large number of children who have not been infected or shown signs of disease. However, though the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes less acute infection in this age group, it is associated with a severe immune-mediated multisystemic illness called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

20 May 2021

FDA reminds the public about the limitations of COVID-19 antibody

The following quote is attributed to Tim Stenzel, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

20 May 2021

Plant-produced COVID-19 vaccine shows potent immunogenic profile in humans

An interim report on a phase 2 clinical trial indicates both the safety and efficacy of a plant-produced virus-like particle vaccine candidate against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The vaccine candidate has shown an acceptable safety profile and high potency in inducing humoral and cellular immune responses in adults (18 – 64 years) and elderly (65 years and above) individuals. The report is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

20 May 2021

Four months of multi-drug therapy for tuberculosis is as effective as standard regimen

Four months of multi-drug therapy that included rifapentine and moxifloxacin treated active tuberculosis (TB) as effectively as the standard six-month regimen in a multinational study, cutting treatment time by a third.

20 May 2021

Monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab reduces hospitalization and death in moderate-to-severe COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that monoclonal antibodies, a COVID-19 treatment administered early after infection, reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 60 percent in people at high risk of suffering complications from the condition.

20 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca reduce mortality among the elderly

Researchers in the UK have demonstrated the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines against severe acute respiratory virus coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at preventing death among older individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 May 2021

Protein-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 may provide advantages over mRNA-based vaccines

Researchers in the UK have developed a protein-based subunit vaccine directed against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could serve as an alternative to the mRNA-based vaccines currently approved for protecting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

20 May 2021

Antithrombotic endothelial dysfunction is prevented by Tie2 activation in severe COVID-19

Researchers from the US recently assessed if severe COVID-19 is linked to procoagulant dysfunction of the endothelium and changes in the Tie2-angiopoietin axis. They assessed circulating endothelial markers in a study cohort of 98 patients with mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19. This study is published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

19 May 2021

Working conditions and non-workplace factors affect COVID-19 mortality in England

Researchers from England recently estimated occupational variations in COVID-19 mortality in England and Wales during 2020 and examined how these differences changed post adjustment for non-workplace factors.

19 May 2021

Human monoclonal antibodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in an Fc-independent manner

Researchers from Israel recently isolated a set of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies from blood samples of patients with severe COVID-19. They were the first to show that transgenic K18-hACE2 mice infected with lethal doses of SARS-CoV-2 can be fully protected by administering antibodies even 3 days after infection

19 May 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines boost SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses

North America has 87% of all unique SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants in the NCBI database among six continents

Researchers speculate the low prevalence of COVID-19 in Japan

COVID-19 cases in summer 2020 was not as low as previously thought, new genome-based model suggests

Does cross-immunity exist between SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.28 and P.1 variants?

SARS-CoV-2 variant spread study in France shows B.1.351/V2 variant outgrowing B.1.1.7/V1 variant

Despite pandemic, Newsom declines to boost local public health budgets — again

Could graphene oxide nanosheets be an effective SARS-CoV-2 antiviral in PPE?

A SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate based on B.1.351 spike trimer shows broad neutralizing capability

Tokyo sees rapid rise of SARS-CoV-2 R.1 lineage

Are COVID-19-related complications in children explained by abnormal immune responses?

FDA reminds the public about the limitations of COVID-19 antibody

Plant-produced COVID-19 vaccine shows potent immunogenic profile in humans

Four months of multi-drug therapy for tuberculosis is as effective as standard regimen

Monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab reduces hospitalization and death in moderate-to-severe COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca reduce mortality among the elderly

Protein-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 may provide advantages over mRNA-based vaccines

Antithrombotic endothelial dysfunction is prevented by Tie2 activation in severe COVID-19

Working conditions and non-workplace factors affect COVID-19 mortality in England

Human monoclonal antibodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in an Fc-independent manner

Industry Focus eBook - Infectious Diseases (3rd Edition) eBook

Voltammetry and machine learning for real-time neurotransmitter detection

How real-time off-gas analysis improves fermentation process control

Advancing Drug Safety Assessment With AI, Predictive Modeling, and Human-Relevant Data

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Industry Focus eBook - Infectious Diseases (3rd Edition) eBook

Voltammetry and machine learning for real-time neurotransmitter detection

How real-time off-gas analysis improves fermentation process control

Advancing Drug Safety Assessment With AI, Predictive Modeling, and Human-Relevant Data

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