Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Males may have higher but more transient SARS-CoV-2 immunity than females post-infection

Adding another piece to the puzzle that is coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) serology, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020 suggests that males have stronger but more transient anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protective immunity than females.

17 Nov 2020

Universal mask-wearing can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility by almost two-thirds, study finds

A new study presents more empirical evidence that universal masking can reduce transmissibility by almost two-thirds, even with inadequate social distancing. The study was published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020.

17 Nov 2020

Compliance in UK with pandemic control measures has decreased, study finds

Scientists at University College London (UCL) surveyed 21,000 adults living in the United Kingdom to gauge the national population’s compliance level. They found that compliance in the UK with pandemic control measures had decreased as the stringency of lockdown measures eased over the course of this year (2020).

17 Nov 2020

Allowing movement and not closing borders may be effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19

New data reveals the moving out of densely populated cities is a more impactful strategy than closing borders at decreasing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

17 Nov 2020

Widespread COVID-19 testing may be possible with new dried blood tests

Researchers have developed dried blood spot sample testing that could be instrumental in preventing the spread of SARS- CoV-2.

17 Nov 2020

New method helps detect remission points of pandemics

Lecturers from the University of Valencia, Jose M. Pavía and Ernesto Veres-Ferrer, have developed a method that makes it possible to identify, in real time, when an epidemic issue such as Covid-19 is in remission. The method, explained in a research paper, has been published in the journal Statistics in Medicine.

17 Nov 2020

A new optical imaging technology for nanoscale objects

Current state-of-the-art techniques have clear limitations when it comes to imaging the smallest nanoparticles, making it difficult for researchers to study viruses and other structures at the molecular level.

17 Nov 2020

Researchers report encouraging results from in vitro combination therapy against COVID-19

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report promising results from an in vitro combination therapy against COVID-19.

17 Nov 2020

Several hepatitis C drugs can inhibit crucial protein in SARS-CoV-2

Experiments led by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have determined that several hepatitis C drugs can inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, a crucial protein enzyme that enables the novel coronavirus to reproduce.

17 Nov 2020

Discovery of 'Achilles heel' in protein crucial to HIV virulence could lead to new class of drugs

The discovery of a potential "Achilles heel" in Nef, the protein that is crucial to HIV virulence and its capacity to trigger AIDS, paves the way for the development of a new class of drugs against the virus.

17 Nov 2020

Masks can cause more problems in people with skin allergies

Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, those able to wear a face mask have been encouraged to do so to prevent transmission of the virus. For some people with skin allergies, wearing a mask can cause further problems.

17 Nov 2020

Researchers look at barriers related to use of contact tracing apps

As a tool for controlling the spread of COVID-19, mobile applications for contact tracing are most effective when they are widely adopted and left on indefinitely.

16 Nov 2020

Study shows limited influence of BMI on shaping SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses

A new study by researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard showed that obesity is not tied to the increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the team demonstrated that obesity is associated with increased manifestations of symptoms in mild COVID-19 infections, suggesting that obesity impacts the pathophysiology of COVID-19.

16 Nov 2020

Significant SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy in the U.S.

A new study has found that an alarming amount of parents in the United States say they are unlikely to vaccinate their children or themselves against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2).

16 Nov 2020

Asymptomatic individuals mount polyfunctional antibody response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers in France have conducted a study showing that people who are asymptomatic following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – elicit a polyfunctional antibody response to the virus.

16 Nov 2020

CMU researchers develop new technique for isolating brain cells associated with Parkinson's disease

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have developed a new technique for isolating a type of brain cell associated with Parkinson's disease symptoms, enabling them to study that cell type in detail.

16 Nov 2020

First-ever phase 3 advanced anal cancer trial opens for patient enrollment

The first randomized phase 3 clinical trial ever to be conducted in patients with advanced cancer of the anal canal is now open and enrolling patients.

16 Nov 2020

Sanger Institute and COG-UK get £12.2M funding to build genomic surveillance system for COVID-19

The Department for Health and Social Care Testing Innovation Fund has backed the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium in expanding whole genome sequencing of positive SARS-CoV-2 virus samples to map how COVID-19 spreads and evolves.

16 Nov 2020

COVID-19 outbreak on an American aircraft carrier: A case study in transmission

A new study showing the dynamics of infectious spread within close quarters of an aircraft carrier. The study presents a rich case study that may help us better understand the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2’s transmission and thereby fine-tune present policies that aim to prevent its spread.

16 Nov 2020

Antifungal agent Itraconazole inhibits SARS CoV-2 in vitro

Itraconazole is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that has been shown to have some in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 by a team of Belgian and German researchers.

16 Nov 2020