Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

RECoVERY: New open-source software developed for analyzing SARS-CoV-2 genomes

Researchers report an open-source platform-independent tool for building SARS-CoV-2 genomes from raw sequencing reads. The tool can be used without any extra hardware or software and be run using any browser from a desktop or mobile.

19 Jan 2021

Lower CD4 T cell reactivity to seasonal coronaviruses found in healthcare workers with COVID-19

A new study by US-based researchers describes the results of a study on the immune response among healthcare workers, in particular, their T cell responses predating the pandemic.

19 Jan 2021

Large study finds SARS-CoV-2 viral load is lowest in children

A new study by researchers in the Netherlands confirms the hypothesis that for SARS-CoV-2 infection, higher age is associated with increased viral loads.

19 Jan 2021

Viral genome sequencing of wastewater can be useful for tracking new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Viral genome sequencing of wastewater can detect new SARS-CoV-2 variants before they are detected by local clinical sequencing, according to a new study reported in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

19 Jan 2021

Early administration of ivermectin could help reduce viral transmission in COVID-19 patients

A small pilot study suggests that early administration of ivermectin can reduce viral loads and symptom duration in patients with mild COVID-19, which in turn could help reduce viral transmission.

19 Jan 2021

Are public health ads worth the price? Not if they’re all about fear

The public service announcement showed a mother finding her teenage son lifeless, juxtaposed with the sound of a ukulele and a woman singing, "That's how, how you OD'd on heroin."

19 Jan 2021

N501Y mutation may be associated with higher viral load, says preliminary study

A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server deals with the preliminary results of a study on the so-called British variant, UI-202012/01, also known as lineage B.1.1.7 or 20B/501Y.V1.

19 Jan 2021

Prolonged shedding and multiple mutations 154 days after initial SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis reported

An interesting new preprint published on the medRxiv server describes an immunosuppressed patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who continued to shed the virus for an astounding 154 days. During this period, the virus underwent numerous mutations.

19 Jan 2021

Scientists set research priorities for COVID-19 vaccines

More than 2,800 scientists from 130 countries gathered on Friday (January 15) in a virtual forum hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify knowledge gaps and set research priorities for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

19 Jan 2021

WHO Emergency Committee to review emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), according to the WHO Emergency Committee (EC) on COVID-19.

19 Jan 2021

Global scientists are intensifying research on COVID-19

Global scientists are intensifying research into COVID-19, as the World Health Organization (WHO) moves to expand its scientific collaboration and monitoring of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

18 Jan 2021

Genomics reveals distinct patterns of emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike variants in Columbus, Ohio

Recently researchers from the United States reported the results of a SARS‐CoV‐2 genomic surveillance conducted between April 2020 and January 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. Their work is released as a preprint on the bioRxiv server.

18 Jan 2021

Understanding the Philippines' relative success with COVID-19

Many high-income countries have reported rising numbers of cases, while a few low-income countries such as the Philippines report a less severe COVID-19 outbreak. To date, the archipelagic country in Southeast Asia has reported 502,000 cases and 9,900 deaths among its population of around 108 million.

18 Jan 2021

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Now, researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom, reveal that engineered closed S constructs may be valuable immunogens that can induce neutralizing antibodies against a different pattern of epitopes. This allows for the flexibility of vaccines at both the individual and population levels.

18 Jan 2021

Essential oils from Greek herbs may protect against COVID-19

Researchers in Greece have demonstrated the antiviral effects of Cretan aromatic plant oils on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Researchers in China have conducted a study showing that a carbohydrate found in the seaweed Ecklonia kurome blocks the activity of an enzyme that is essential for the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Jan 2021

Australian scientists develop a new method for rapid synthesis of safe vaccines

With COVID-19 dominating medical science and human concern, our chemists have developed a method to quickly and safely synthesize protein vaccines for respiratory diseases for pre-clinical tests.

18 Jan 2021

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

A new study suggests that modified natural killer cells, which express a chimeric antigen receptor using S309 antibody, can bind to and inactivate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro.

18 Jan 2021

Can transgenic mice studies illuminate neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 in humans?

The potentially deadly COVID-19 has not affected animals with corresponding severity. To understand the mechanism of severe disease, animal models have been used. This includes a mouse model that expresses human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) under the cytokeratin 18 promoter (K18-hACE2). A new study indicates that this may not be a faithful model of human lethal infection with SARS-CoV-2.

18 Jan 2021

Treating post-infectious smell loss in COVID-19 patients

News-Medical catches up with Professor Carl Philpott about the latest findings regarding COVID-19 and smell loss.

18 Jan 2021

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

RECoVERY: New open-source software developed for analyzing SARS-CoV-2 genomes

Lower CD4 T cell reactivity to seasonal coronaviruses found in healthcare workers with COVID-19

Large study finds SARS-CoV-2 viral load is lowest in children

Viral genome sequencing of wastewater can be useful for tracking new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Early administration of ivermectin could help reduce viral transmission in COVID-19 patients

Are public health ads worth the price? Not if they’re all about fear

N501Y mutation may be associated with higher viral load, says preliminary study

Prolonged shedding and multiple mutations 154 days after initial SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis reported

Scientists set research priorities for COVID-19 vaccines

WHO Emergency Committee to review emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

Global scientists are intensifying research on COVID-19

Genomics reveals distinct patterns of emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike variants in Columbus, Ohio

Understanding the Philippines' relative success with COVID-19

Closed SARS-CoV-2 spikes could be a valuable component of future vaccines

Essential oils from Greek herbs may protect against COVID-19

Research suggests seaweed used in traditional Chinese medicine could protect against COVID-19

Australian scientists develop a new method for rapid synthesis of safe vaccines

Modified natural killer cells show neutralizing and multivalent potential against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Can transgenic mice studies illuminate neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 in humans?

Treating post-infectious smell loss in COVID-19 patients

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

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