Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Genomic surveillance can help identify how SARS-CoV-2 spreads in care homes

Care homes are at high risk of experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Older people and those affected by heart disease, respiratory disease and type 2 diabetes - all of which increase with age - are at greatest risk of severe disease and even death, making the care home population especially vulnerable.

3 Mar 2021

Pharmacists discover active substances that block SARS-CoV-2 replication

A research team of pharmacists at the University of Bonn has discovered two families of active substances that can block the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The drug candidates are able to switch off the the key enzyme of the virus, the so-called main protease.

3 Mar 2021

Vaccine candidate shows promise to protect against dozen-plus flu strains

Ask Eric Weaver about pandemics, and he's quick to remind you of a fact that illustrates the fleeting nature of human memory and the proximal nature of human attention: The first pandemic of the 21st century struck not in 2019, but 2009.

3 Mar 2021

Researchers develop ultrapotent miniproteins that target SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain

Researchers have investigated the effectiveness of a bioengineered miniprotein in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo. The researchers evaluated the miniprotein, LCB1, against SARS-CoV-2-mediated lung disease in human ACE2-expressing transgenic mice.

3 Mar 2021

Obesity may reduce COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, say researchers

A startling indicates that obesity may reduce the immune response to the current COVID-19 vaccines, along with other factors like age and sex. This could have significant implications for vaccination strategies in obese people.

3 Mar 2021

Delayed second dose strategy with mRNA vaccines may reduce COVID-19 mortality, say researchers

An interesting new preprint shows that even if countries are forced to delay the second dose of the current vaccines administered against SARS-CoV-2, to arrest the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the cumulative mortality would still fall significantly.

3 Mar 2021

Researchers examine long-term immune responses following COVID-19 across clinically diverse cohort

A new study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discusses the different aspects of long-term immune responses in a wide sample of patients, as well as how they vary in clinical severity and sequelae.

3 Mar 2021

Novel SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine candidate produces strong neutralizing response in vivo

A new study by researchers at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, reports a COVID-19 vaccine candidate called HexaPro in producing neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in an animal model.

3 Mar 2021

New tool can define how infectious pathogens transport in the air

In the 1995 movie "Outbreak," Dustin Hoffman's character realizes, with appropriately dramatic horror, that an infectious virus is "airborne" because it's found to be spreading through hospital vents.

3 Mar 2021

Aircraft cabins may have lowest levels of aerosol particles, show’s study

If you're looking for an indoor space with a low level of particulate air pollution, a commercial airliner flying at cruising altitude maybe your best option.

3 Mar 2021

COVID-19 disrupts heart muscle contraction, may lead to heart failure

Since early in the pandemic, COVID-19 has been associated with heart problems, including reduced ability to pump blood and abnormal heart rhythms.

3 Mar 2021

How SARS-CoV-2 proteins affect vascular functionality

The study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, can pinpoint and isolate how each of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins independently affects the endothelial response and directly gauge endothelial functionality.

3 Mar 2021

Study demonstrates long-term neuropsychological consequences following SARS-CoV-2 infection

The study, published in the pre-print server medRxiv, demonstrates the presence of long-lasting neuropsychological sequelae after COVID-19, regardless of the respiratory disease's severity.

2 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 viremia predicts severe COVID-19 disease outcomes

The SARS-CoV-2 plasma viremia has been linked to severe disease and death in COVID-19 cases in small-scale cohort studies. The current study, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, aimed to study the mechanisms behind this relationship.

2 Mar 2021

Early antibody response predicts COVID-19 outcome

To address this gap, researchers from the U.S. evaluated the timing of antibody production against SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients. They used a highly sensitive multiplexed bead-based immunoassay that allows for early detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv.

2 Mar 2021

Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 viral load in hospitalized patients

A new paper, published on the medRxiv preprint server, investigates the role of subgenomic RNA transcripts in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Earlier, scientists believed that subgenomic RNA could be traceable infective markers to monitor infectivity.

2 Mar 2021

Concerning mutation in New York SARS-CoV-2 should be monitored, warn researchers

Researchers at the New York State Department of Health in the United States have said concerning mutations within the B.1.526 lineage of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has recently become prevalent in New York State warrant further monitoring.

2 Mar 2021

Survey reveals impact of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination in the UK

Researchers at Imperial College London in the UK have reported on round five of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-2 (REACT-2) program – a cross-sectional community survey measuring the prevalence of antibodies against the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among adults in England.

2 Mar 2021

New computer algorithm offers a path toward pan-influenza and coronavirus vaccine

A novel computer algorithm that could create a broadly reactive influenza vaccine for swine flu also offers a path toward a pan-influenza vaccine and possibly a pan-coronavirus vaccine as well, according to a new paper published in Nature Communications.

2 Mar 2021

Study: The pandemic has worsened the condition of 70% of people with chronic pain

The pandemic has impacted significantly on people who suffer chronic pain. A study performed by the eHealth Lab, a research group affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya's eHealth Center, has shown that 70% of the people with chronic pain have seen their condition worsen in terms of severity, frequency of episodes and interference in their daily activities.

2 Mar 2021