Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Efficacy and safety of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in treating COVID-19: A systematic review

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, remains in circulation.

22 Jul 2024

Research uncovers dengue’s surprising invasion strategies

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease.

22 Jul 2024

Long-term immune changes persist in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients

Study reveals that unvaccinated individuals experience significant long-term changes in immune parameters up to ten months post-COVID-19 infection, with a shift towards a Th2 cytokine profile.

21 Jul 2024

High mutation count in new COVID-19 variants does not increase immune evasion, study finds

New research from UNC Charlotte's Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) has found that the two recent and prevalent strains of the virus that cause COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, are not significantly better than their predecessor Omicron at evading immune responses and causing infections despite having a high number of mutations compared to Omicron.

19 Jul 2024

New national guidelines for anal cancer prevention in HIV patients based on UCSF research

New recommendations for screening and treatment are based on the results of a major national study led at UCSF.

19 Jul 2024

Discovery of key RSV immune evasion mechanism offers hope for new treatments

Irish scientists led by a group from Trinity College Dublin have discovered how the dangerous Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) defuses our immune response and, in doing so, they have pinpointed an exciting new target for drug developers.

19 Jul 2024

Unexpected T-cell reactions to adenoviral COVID-19 vaccines discovered

Researchers from the University of Liverpool's Centre for Drug Safety Science have identified unpredicted T-cell immune responses to the adenoviral (Oxford/AstraZeneca and Janssen) COVID-19 vaccines, but not to the mRNA vaccines.

19 Jul 2024

Study reveals a promising approach to developing universal influenza vaccine

New research led by Oregon Health & Science University reveals a promising approach to developing a universal influenza vaccine - a so-called "one and done" vaccine that confers lifetime immunity against an evolving virus.

19 Jul 2024

Elite Controllers: Do their genomes hold the key to curing HIV?

Although South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV worldwide, strides have been made in controlling the epidemic, especially in the reduction of HIV incidence, testing, and treatment. Equipped with MGI’s advanced sequencing tools and technologies, researchers from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) are inching closer to finding the answer to the natural control of HIV infection, leading to improved health outcomes and quality of life amongst South Africans.

From MGI 19 Jul 2024

Modulating T-cell response: Innovations in AAV8 gene therapy for retinal diseases

A new study shows that subretinal adeno-associated virus 8 (AAV8) injections cause proinflammatory T-cell immune response against the transgene product.

19 Jul 2024

Vaccines and virus changes cut long COVID risk by 50%, but Omicron still poses a threat

Research shows that vaccination and temporal changes have significantly reduced the incidence of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but a substantial risk remains during the Omicron era.

18 Jul 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': At GOP convention, health policy is mostly MIA

The Republican National Convention highlighted a number of policy issues this week, but health care was not among them.

18 Jul 2024

Autoantibodies against type 1 interferons linked to higher susceptibility to viral disease

A new study shows that about two percent of the population develop autoantibodies against type 1 interferons, mostly later in life.

18 Jul 2024

Improving medication adherence beats resistance testing for better HIV outcomes in African youth

Globally, around 2.6 million children and adolescents are currently living with HIV, the majority of them in Africa.

18 Jul 2024

Breakthrough gene therapy offers hope for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A new gene therapy treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy shows promise of not only arresting the decline of the muscles of those affected by this inherited genetic disease, but perhaps, in the future, repairing those muscles.

18 Jul 2024

Flu viruses can use a second entry pathway to infect cells

Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells' surface. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also use a second entry pathway, a protein complex of the immune system, to infect cells.

18 Jul 2024