Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Trump is sending fast, cheap COVID tests to nursing homes — but there’s a hitch

The Trump administration's latest effort to use COVID-19 rapid tests — touted by one senior official as a "turning point" in arresting the coronavirus's spread within nursing homes — is running into roadblocks likely to limit how widely they'll be used.

24 Aug 2020

One college’s pop-up COVID test: Stop and ‘smell the roses’ (or the coffee)

If all goes according to plan, Penn State University students who opt for an on-campus experience this fall will start in-person classes on Aug. 24 under the banner of a "Mask Up or Pack Up" campaign.

24 Aug 2020

Inside the race to build a better $500 emergency ventilator

As the coronavirus crisis lit up this spring, headlines about how the U.S. could innovate its way out of a pending ventilator shortage landed almost as hard and fast as the pandemic itself.

24 Aug 2020

Bioinsider presents ‘Therapeutic Pipeline for COVID-19’ virtual meeting on September 17, 2020

Bioinsider, has opened registration for its upcoming virtual meeting ‘Therapeutic Pipeline for COVID-19’ on September 17, 2020.

From Twist Bioscience 24 Aug 2020

FDA issues emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma in COVID-19

The FDA said that based on the scientific evidence available, it had released a decision memorandum that convalescent plasma may be useful in treating COVID-19 in hospitalized patients, and the known potential benefits of use outweigh the risks.

24 Aug 2020

Antihypertensives improve COVID-19 survival rates

Previous studies have also linked hypertension to severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Now, a new study by researchers at the University of East Anglia's Norwich Medical School has found that the risk of severe COVID-19 and death was reduced for patients with high blood pressure who were taking Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB).

24 Aug 2020

Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 transmission on an airplane

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the world, air travel restrictions are slowly being eased in some regions. Now, a new report published in the JAMA Network Open journal in August 2020 shows that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can spread among passengers on international flights unless proper precautions are taken.

23 Aug 2020

Loss of supporting cells in olfactory epithelium causes loss of smell in COVID-19

In the current pandemic of COVID-19, many patients have reported symptoms of loss of smell and taste. The cellular basis of this phenomenon has not been satisfactorily explained so far. However, a new study published in the Briefings in Bioinformatics in August 2020 shows how this symptom is related to viral pathogenesis.

23 Aug 2020

Equine antibody preparation shows greater capacity to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 isolate than human convalescent plasma

A recent Brazilian study demonstrates that hyperimmune globulin formulations generated against the recombinant spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) provide significantly high antibody titer with highly neutralizing capacity. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv preprint server.

23 Aug 2020

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate BNT162b2 profiled for large scale clinical trials

Although two RNA-based severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine candidates elicited similar, dose-dependent neutralizing antibody titers in both younger and older adults, a recent study by researchers from the U.S. and Germany has shown that BNT162b2 is associated with less systemic reactogenicity in elderly individuals – supporting its selection for further phase 2/3 clinical trials. The study is currently available on medRxiv* preprint server.

23 Aug 2020

Raccoon dogs potential intermediate host for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Germany have conducted a study demonstrating that raccoon dogs were a potential intermediate host in the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Aug 2020

Self-collected saliva and deep nasal swabs are equally effective for detecting SARS-CoV-2

Self-collected saliva and deep nasal swabs collected by healthcare providers are equally effective for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a new study conducted by ARUP Laboratories and University of Utah Health.

21 Aug 2020

Genomic analysis reveals vulnerability of many animal species to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Humans are not the only species facing a potential threat from SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis.

21 Aug 2020

Nasal vaccine effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in mice

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a vaccine that targets the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can be given in one dose via the nose and is effective in preventing infection in mice susceptible to the novel coronavirus.

21 Aug 2020

DNA nanoswitches may provide an inexpensive platform to rapidly detect emerging viruses

Programmable DNA nanoswitches that bind to viral RNA in human body fluids may provide an inexpensive platform to rapidly detect a wide variety of emerging viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study.

21 Aug 2020

Researchers find clues to successful immune response in the T cells of COVID-19 patients

When news about a novel coronavirus switched from a chronicle of its progress in China to headlines about a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Gladstone Institutes scientist Nadia Roan, PhD, was in the midst of publishing several papers on T cells and their role in HIV spread and long-lasting infections.

21 Aug 2020

New injectable drug could offer long-lasting protection from HIV with fewer side effects

Scientists have developed an injectable drug that blocks HIV from entering cells. They say the new drug potentially offers long-lasting protection from the infection with fewer side effects.

21 Aug 2020

VUMC receives $34 million grant for nationwide convalescent plasma study

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a one-year, $34-million grant by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a nationwide study of "convalescent plasma" as a treatment for COVID-19.

21 Aug 2020

Strong feelings of germ aversion and pathogen disgust associated with preventative behavior

Creeped out by cooties? Grossed out by germs? Squeamish about sickness? If so, then you might also find yourself engaging in more preventative health behaviors, like frequent handwashing and disinfecting your living environment, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

21 Aug 2020

Democratic convention, night 4: ‘Facts over fiction’ in Biden’s speech

In a near-empty arena on the river in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, former Vice President Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for president, promising hope over fear, fairness over privilege, love over hate.

21 Aug 2020

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Trump is sending fast, cheap COVID tests to nursing homes — but there’s a hitch

One college’s pop-up COVID test: Stop and ‘smell the roses’ (or the coffee)

Inside the race to build a better $500 emergency ventilator

Bioinsider presents ‘Therapeutic Pipeline for COVID-19’ virtual meeting on September 17, 2020

FDA issues emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma in COVID-19

Antihypertensives improve COVID-19 survival rates

Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 transmission on an airplane

Loss of supporting cells in olfactory epithelium causes loss of smell in COVID-19

Equine antibody preparation shows greater capacity to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 isolate than human convalescent plasma

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine candidate BNT162b2 profiled for large scale clinical trials

Raccoon dogs potential intermediate host for SARS-CoV-2

Self-collected saliva and deep nasal swabs are equally effective for detecting SARS-CoV-2

Genomic analysis reveals vulnerability of many animal species to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Nasal vaccine effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in mice

DNA nanoswitches may provide an inexpensive platform to rapidly detect emerging viruses

Researchers find clues to successful immune response in the T cells of COVID-19 patients

New injectable drug could offer long-lasting protection from HIV with fewer side effects

VUMC receives $34 million grant for nationwide convalescent plasma study

Strong feelings of germ aversion and pathogen disgust associated with preventative behavior

Democratic convention, night 4: ‘Facts over fiction’ in Biden’s speech

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

A new way of characterising biomolecules eBook

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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