Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New low-cost COVID-19 test quickly delivers accurate results

A new low-cost diagnostic test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quickly delivers accurate results without the need for sophisticated equipment, according to a study published August 27 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Teng Xu of the Vision Medicals Center for Infectious Diseases, Tieying Hou of the Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Bing Gu of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Jianwei Wang of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, and colleagues.

27 Aug 2020

SARS discovery boots search for COVID-19 drugs

An extensive search and testing of current drugs and drug-like compounds has revealed compounds previously developed to fight SARS might also work against COVID-19.

27 Aug 2020

Mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 model helps advance the development of COVID-19 vaccines

A new COVID-19 mouse model developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill captures many of the features of human disease and has helped advance a COVID-19 vaccine candidate to clinical trial.

27 Aug 2020

Study shows furin cleavage site is crucial for SARS-CoV-2 replication

In a recent bioRxiv* preprint paper, researchers from the United States demonstrate the pivotal role the furin cleavage site insertion in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein plays in viral replication and pathogenesis – highlighting, in turn, the need for mutation monitoring when developing therapeutics and vaccines.

27 Aug 2020

Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus particles in heart tissue

Researchers in Milan, Italy, have identified the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the heart tissue of deceased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who had died from respiratory failure, without showing any signs of cardiac involvement.

27 Aug 2020

N95 respirators designed for single use can be decontaminated effectively

N95 respirators, which are widely worn by health care workers treating patients with COVID-19 and are designed to be used only once, can be decontaminated effectively and used up to three times, according to research by UCLA scientists and colleagues.

27 Aug 2020

Study: Estrogen may reduce severity of COVID-19 symptoms in women

Why are men at greater risk than women for more severe symptoms and worse outcomes from COVID-19 regardless of age?

27 Aug 2020

5 things to know about convalescent blood plasma

President Donald Trump told the American people this week that convalescent plasma is a potential new treatment for COVID-19.

27 Aug 2020

Two viral gene targets needed in SARS-CoV-2 detection by PCR, say researchers

Researchers at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, and collaborators have warned against only targeting one viral gene when carrying out reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

27 Aug 2020

First lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 developed

Army scientists have developed the first lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, using mice that were genetically engineered to express the human ACE2 gene--a key mechanism by which the virus enters human cells.

27 Aug 2020

NIAID awards $17 million to establish the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health, today announced that it has awarded 11 grants with a total first-year value of approximately $17 million to establish the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

27 Aug 2020

Pence praises Trump’s ‘seamless’ COVID response, leaves out his state feuds

Vice President Mike Pence portrayed his boss, President Donald Trump, as a leader who has reached out across the aisle to help during the coronavirus pandemic.

27 Aug 2020

Scientists say insect repellent kills the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on surfaces

Now, a team of scientists at Britain's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has shared preliminary findings of their research, showing that a product in insect repellent can kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

27 Aug 2020

A powerful tool for separation and sizing of virus mixtures

Postnova Analytics has published an applications report that presents data from a collaboration with the Analytical Development group at Biogen Inc. on separation of a virus mixture using Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation and measurement of their radius of gyration.

From Postnova Analytics 27 Aug 2020

Voters' education accounts for largest divide among respondents, show poll results

Incumbent Edward Markey has opened up a double-digit lead over challenger U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III one week before the Democratic primary in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a new poll of Massachusetts voters released today.

27 Aug 2020

Coronavirus can spread through drain pipes in bathrooms, study suggests

Now, a new study reveals that the virus may spread via aerosols through drain pipes in bathrooms, after scientists examined an abandoned apartment in Guangzhou, China. The findings add to the body of evidence suggesting the virus is transmissible via aerosols.

27 Aug 2020

New COVID-19 antigen test can be directly read from the testing card

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the first antigen test where results can be read directly from the testing card, a similar design to some pregnancy tests.

27 Aug 2020

UKRI funding could initiate clinical trial for Cambridge-developed DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

A Cambridge-developed DNA vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 could begin clinical trials in the UK in late autumn or early next year, thanks to a £1.9 million award from the UK government.

27 Aug 2020

Study: Blocking nerve signals to the pancreas could stop patients from developing type 1 diabetes

Your pancreas is a little sweet potato-shaped organ that sits snug behind your stomach. The pancreas is studded with islets, the cell clusters that house insulin-producing beta cells.

27 Aug 2020

Obesity ups COVID-19 death risk by 48 percent

Now, a new study by researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC), the World Bank, and Saudi Health Council, shows that obesity increases the risk of dying from COVID-19 by as much as 48 percent, hinting that a vaccine against the virus could be less effective in obese people.

26 Aug 2020