Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Mosquito protein study could lead to therapeutics against deadly viruses

The mosquito protein AEG12 strongly inhibits the family of viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Zika and weakly inhibits coronaviruses, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators.

10 Mar 2021

Researchers shed light on T-cell receptor activation in response to infection

Immune cells specialize to ensure the most efficient defense against viruses and other pathogens. Researchers at the University of Basel have shed light on this specialization of T cells and shown that it occurs differently in the context of an acute and a chronic infection.

10 Mar 2021

Mass immunization to stop Ebola outbreak in Guinea

As the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Africa this week, another vaccine was being rolled out in Guinea, in a bid to stop a fresh outbreak of Ebola in its tracks.

10 Mar 2021

Accuracy of rapid tests to fight coronavirus

Even with the advent of vaccines, strategies for rapid and affordable testing for COVID-19 are still paramount.

10 Mar 2021

Researcher find an emergent SARS-CoV-2 variant in California

Researchers have found a new SARS-CoV-2 variant in California, USA. This variant is more transmissible than circulating strains but slightly less transmissible than the new N501Y variant and moderately resistant to antibodies in convalescent sera and mRNA vaccines.

10 Mar 2021

Researchers characterize antibody responses to COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccine

A team of scientists from the USA and Canada has recently characterized the antibodies developed against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in response to an mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

10 Mar 2021

Researchers study prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 UK variant at University of Texas

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Santa Fe Institute in the US used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) data from a surveillance testing program on a large university campus to estimate how fast the new variant spreads. The team used the data to provide local situational information on the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 Mar 2021

QCMD to use RNAssist’s virusPHIX-P9™ Biomolecule Stabilization Technology in its SARS-CoV-2 antigen EQA scheme

In a further development of the collaboration between QCMD and RNAssist, QCMD will use the universal biological sample stabilization virusPHIX-P9™.

From Rapid Labs Ltd 10 Mar 2021

Single mRNA vaccine dose may be enough for those previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2

New research supports the notion that those who have recovered from COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, may only need one dose of an mRNA vaccine to boost immunity.

10 Mar 2021

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines show high efficacy in pregnancy and lactation

A reassuring study reports the immunogenicity and lack of reactogenicity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine when given to this group of subjects. This will contribute to the sum of knowledge about the implications of vaccination in this high-risk cohort.

10 Mar 2021

How likely is SARS-CoV-2 reinfection?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has already caused over 117.6 million confirmed cases the world over. Yet, researchers debate the exact incidence of reinfection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19’s causative pathogen.

10 Mar 2021

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine elicits antibodies in blood and breastmilk simultaneously, finds study

A new study adds to the sum of knowledge around this issue, showing a highly synchronized and rapid development of an antibody response in breast milk and serum, which reached stable levels around two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine was administered.

10 Mar 2021

Tiny antibodies naturally generated by llamas can be effective against COVID-19

As the fight against COVID-19 continues, scientists have turned to an unlikely source for a potentially effective treatment: tiny antibodies naturally generated by llamas.

10 Mar 2021

COVID-19 pandemic caused changes in people’s physical activity levels and wellbeing

According to an international study published in Frontiers in Psychology, people around the world have reported changes in their physical activity levels, wellbeing, and eating habits during the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 Mar 2021

Survey shows that 43% of respondents have already tested for coronavirus

According to the current BfR-Corona-Monitor of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 43 percent of the respondents have already had themselves tested for the virus.

10 Mar 2021

New SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate produces strong immune response, prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, developed by giving a key protein's gene a ride into the body while encased in a measles vaccine, has been shown to produce a strong immune response and prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and lung disease in multiple animal studies.

10 Mar 2021

New study may lead to therapeutic strategies for chronic lung disease

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have implicated a type of immune cell in the development of chronic lung disease that sometimes is triggered following a respiratory viral infection.

10 Mar 2021

Researchers discover new COVID-19 variants in three South African provinces

Variants of the coronavirus are appearing in different parts of the world, many of them spreading with alarming speed.

10 Mar 2021

Research demonstrates multivalent nanobodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, researchers isolated anti-RBD nanobodies from llamas and “nanomice” (they engineered to produce VHHs cloned from alpacas, dromedaries and camels).

10 Mar 2021

Analysis shows moderate evidence for SARS-CoV-2 recombination

Recently, a team of researchers from the US performed a comprehensive recombination analysis across all medically relevant human coronaviruses, including 158,118 public seasonal hCoV, SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV genome sequences with the help of the RDP4 software. They aimed at identifying the current and future risks of the emergence of recombinants of SARS-CoV-2

10 Mar 2021