Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Low-cost diagnostic tool delivers COVID-19 test results in under an hour

An affordable new diagnostic tool that delivers COVID-19 test results in under an hour could help boost pandemic preparedness in resource-poor regions, according to a team of researchers.

22 Jul 2025

New insights into tick immune response could help prevent deadly virus transmission

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a severe haemorrhagic fever virus transmitted by tick to animal and humans. Discovered in 2009, the virus is found in South-East Asian countries and has a fatality rate of up to 40%.

22 Jul 2025

Australian study uncovers first potential prophylactic treatment against HTLV-1

Around 10 million people globally live with the life-threatening virus HTLV-1. Yet it remains a poorly understood disease that currently has no preventative treatments and no cure.

21 Jul 2025

AI and wastewater surveillance unite to detect emerging viruses

Wastewater surveillance became a popular choice among public health officials looking to track rapid virus mutations and spread patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Jul 2025

APOE ε4 variant reveals hidden risk factors beyond Alzheimer’s

Researchers discovered that people carrying the APOE ε4 gene variant share a unique immune-related protein signature across their blood, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid—regardless of neurodegenerative disease diagnosis. This signature reveals a fundamental, disease-independent vulnerability linked to APOE ε4, reframing our understanding of genetic risk in conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, ALS, and FTD.

21 Jul 2025

Gene editing in the brain offers hope for ultra-rare neurological disease

Scientists have corrected gene mutations in mice causing an ultra-rare disease by editing DNA directly in the brain with a single injection, a feat with profound implications for patients with neurological diseases.

21 Jul 2025

Louisiana upholds its HIV exposure law as other states change or repeal theirs

When Robert Smith met his future girlfriend in 2010, he wanted to take things slowly. For Smith, no relationship had been easy in the years since he was diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV.

21 Jul 2025

Maternal RSV vaccination linked to sharp drop in infant lung infections

Vaccination of pregnant women has been linked to a drop in newborns being admitted to hospital with a serious lung infection, research suggests.

18 Jul 2025

Lipoxygenase emerges as a promising antiviral agent against severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) was reported in Asia, with a fatality rate that can reach as high as 50%.

18 Jul 2025

Study reveals complex patterns of burden and survival among people with digestive system cancers in China

Digestive system malignancies (DSMTs)-including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers-represent a major public health challenge in China.

18 Jul 2025

New mRNA vaccine strategy awakens immune system to fight cancer

An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to "wake up" the immune system against cancer.

18 Jul 2025

Local climate and wildlife factors help predict avian flu outbreaks in Europe

Several local factors - including the minimum temperature reached in autumn, the water level in lakes and ponds in winter, and the presence of mute swans (Cygnus olor) - could be key for predicting the potential of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) occurring in Europe.

17 Jul 2025

Vaccinated women face fewer cervical cancer risks

The HPV vaccine demonstrates strong long-term protection against cervical cancer, yet the study underscores the necessity of ongoing screening for all women.

17 Jul 2025

Measles outbreaks surge worldwide, driven by declining immunization coverage

The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading human and animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in more than 40 countries, is sounding the alarm over a sharp resurgence of measles cases in the United States and globally.

17 Jul 2025

New micro physiological system emulates different regions of the human lung

Respiratory infections such as COVID-19 have been responsible for numerous pandemics and have placed a substantial burden on healthcare systems.

16 Jul 2025

UNM researchers get $1 million grant to launch early clinical trial for Alzheimer’s vaccine

University of New Mexico researchers have received funding to launch an early-stage clinical trial of a vaccine engineered to clear pathological tau protein from the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's dementia.

15 Jul 2025

New UAB-developed gene therapy for ALS receives orphan drug designation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to a new gene therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) developed at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and licensed to the U.S. company Klotho Neurosciences, Inc.

15 Jul 2025

New cellular entry pathway improves gene therapy outcomes

Scientists from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney have made a landmark discovery that could lead to safer and more effective gene therapies for a range of serious genetic disorders including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Pompe disease and hemophilia.

15 Jul 2025

Light-activated drug discovery identifies broad-spectrum antivirals

UC Santa Barbara researchers and collaborators from campus biotech spinoff Integrated Biosciences, as well as Harvard, MIT and genomics company Illumina Ventures are using optogenetics - the use of light to probe the functions of living tissue - to find compounds to help our bodies more effectively help themselves in times of physiological stress.

15 Jul 2025

Genetic secrets of Spanish flu revealed through century-old sample

Researchers from the universities of Basel and Zurich have used a historical specimen from UZH's Medical Collection to decode the genome of the virus responsible for the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic in Switzerland.

14 Jul 2025