Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Research on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein may lead to new vaccines and treatments

The virus that causes COVID-19 is studded on its exterior with "spike proteins," a key component in its ability to infect human cells. Two University of Georgia researchers, Rob Woods and Parastoo Azadi, are investigating the proteins and sugars on the surface of the virus with the goal of finding information that could lead to vaccines and therapeutics.

28 Apr 2020

Researchers develop a new, promising treatment for HIV

A novel means to prevent HIV infection was developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center that could allow people with or at risk of acquiring the virus to take medicines once a year.

28 Apr 2020

International collaborators propose a new ranking scheme to classify SARS-CoV-2

In November of 2019--likely, even earlier--a tiny entity measuring just a few hundred billionths of a meter in diameter began to tear apart human society on a global scale.

28 Apr 2020

Study shows why people with certain heart diseases may be more susceptible to COVID-19

People with certain heart diseases may be more susceptible to worse outcomes with COVID-19, but the reason why has remained unknown.

28 Apr 2020

India's Serum Institute gears up to make millions of doses of potential COVID-19 vaccine

The Serum Institute of India plans to start manufacturing Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine in 3 weeks to get a head start on production, the company announced. This comes even as experts warn that any successful vaccine will take two or more years to come on the market.

28 Apr 2020

COVID-19 can trigger serious inflammatory-related cardiovascular problems

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is potentially fatal for vulnerable populations like seniors who over 60 years old, and those with underlying medical conditions, like heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease. Reports show that patients are suffering from heart impairment caused by COVID-19. A new study sheds light on the effect of the novel coronavirus on the heart, causing cardiovascular problems, even in those without underlying heart conditions.

27 Apr 2020

Using neutralising antibodies in the fight against COVID-19

While many scientists and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine, there is also an urgent need for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment. The potent virus has now spread to 210 countries and territories, affecting more than 3.04 million people. Now, a team of German scientists is working on using antibodies to prevent and treat COVID-19.

27 Apr 2020

The approved dose of ivermectin alone not useful in treating COVID-19

A new paper published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 shows that the use of the already approved drug ivermectin in clinical trials to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)s not feasible. This contradicts earlier reports of its ability to suppress the virus in vitro.

27 Apr 2020

Recommendations for reducing impact of COVID-19 on people living in urban slums

Government-enforced social isolation may help relatively affluent populations limit the spread of COVID-19, but these measures can be devasting for the nearly 1 billion people around the globe currently dwelling in urban slums, where physical space is scarce, and many rely on daily wage labor for survival.

27 Apr 2020

Researchers develop new app to track the COVID-19 pandemic

To respond to the spread of the new coronavirus, public health authorities need to know who's getting sick. Now, a new app, developed through an unusual partnership, empowers nearly anyone in the United States to share their health status.

27 Apr 2020

Researchers develop new method for remotely stimulating activity in deep brain regions

University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed a promising method for remotely stimulating activity in deep brain regions, advancing understanding of how molecules act in the brain and paving the way for better cancer treatments and therapies for other diseases.

27 Apr 2020

Olfactory impairment linked with milder clinical course in COVID-19

Following an earlier study that validated the loss of smell and taste as indicators of SARS-CoV-2 infection, researchers at UC San Diego Health report in newly published findings that olfactory impairment suggests the resulting COVID-19 disease is more likely to be mild to moderate, a potential early indicator that could help health care providers determine which patients may require hospitalization.

27 Apr 2020

Duke engineers awarded NSF grant to adapt fast, low-cost diagnostic tool for COVID-19

Biomedical engineers at Duke University are adapting a rapid testing platform originally designed to detect Ebola to see whether it could be of use in detecting antigens to SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

27 Apr 2020

Gut microbiota could predict severity of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading to every corner of the world. But not everyone is falling sick at the same rate. A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in April 2020 suggests that the composition of the gut microbiome could partially explain the difference in susceptibility. This adds a new dimension to what is currently known about the disease.

27 Apr 2020

SARS-CoV-2 readily infects human intestinal cells in a laboratory model

A new Dutch study available on bioRxiv uses differentiated human small intestinal organoids in vitro to demonstrate that intestinal epithelium supports the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and elicits a strong generic immune response.

27 Apr 2020

Researchers develop new ICU ventilator prototype to fight against COVID-19

Researchers and technicians from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the University Hospital Gregorio Marañón have designed and developed a new ventilator prototype for Intensive Care Units in the fight against the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

27 Apr 2020

Researchers harness the power of AI to accelerate drug discovery

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to develop, researchers around the world are attempting to find the most effective treatment to combat the poorly understood virus behind this disease.

27 Apr 2020

Consumer beware: Coronavirus antibody tests are still a work in progress

After hearing for months about serious access issues involving tests that diagnose COVID-19 based on swabs from the nose or throat, Americans are being inundated with reports about promising new tests that look for signs of infection in the blood.

27 Apr 2020

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein discovery could pave way for COVID-19 vaccine

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, have made an important discovery about a viral fusion protein found on the surface of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could help researchers develop a vaccine.

27 Apr 2020

Research provides insights into how Zika virus can spread through sexual contact

Zika virus is capable of replicating and spreading infectious particles within the outermost cells lining the vaginal tract, according to new research. The findings provide the first molecular-level insights into how the virus can move from person to person through sexual contact.

27 Apr 2020