Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Exploring the use of stem cells for COVID-19 disease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has ravaged across the, infecting more than 3.11 million people in just over four months. As the virus continues to spread, scientists are struggling to find an effective treatment for the infection. Now, a breakthrough discovery on stem cells could help in the battle against COVID-19.

28 Apr 2020

Dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain A2a binds more easily to ACE2 receptors

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost all countries across the world, and India is no exception. Researchers have found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has undergone several mutations with time.

28 Apr 2020

Important insights into COVID-19 for worldwide strategic planning

Researchers in China and the United States have analyzed cases of early severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and their close contacts to provide further insights into the disease’s transmission and severity and the effectiveness of control measures.

28 Apr 2020

New approach for easier detection of SARS-CoV-2 via swabs and saliva

A recent Israeli study points toward Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) as a potentially effective tool for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on-the-spot detection by using swabs or saliva – addressing the community need for simple surveillance.

28 Apr 2020

COVID-19: Discrimination and inequality shape risk of severe illness and death

Underlying conditions that increase risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 are much more common among Black, Native American, and lower-income people in the United States.

28 Apr 2020

UTHealth experts successfully treat 3-week-old infant with severe COVID-19

In one of the first reported cases of its kind, a 3-week-old infant in critical condition recovered from COVID-19 due to rapid recognition and treatment by physicians from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston/

28 Apr 2020

Boston Children's Hospital launches two-pronged study of COVID-19 in children

Boston Children's Hospital has launched a two-pronged study of COVID-19 disease among children and youth up to age 25 across the country, with $2.1 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

28 Apr 2020

Father's Toxoplasma infection can impact their offspring's brain health and behavior

Australian researchers have revealed for the first time that males infected with the Toxoplasma parasite can impact their offspring's brain health and behavior.

28 Apr 2020

Synthetic antibodies constructed using bacterial superglue could help fight lethal viruses

Synthetic antibodies constructed using bacterial superglue can neutralize potentially lethal viruses, according to a study published on April 21 in eLife.

28 Apr 2020

New nasopharyngeal swabs move into human trials for COVID-19

Researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, in collaboration with healthcare, research, and industrial partners, have designed a new, fully injection-molded nasopharyngeal swab that can be manufactured quickly and inexpensively at high volume to help address the nationwide and international shortage of swabs for COVID-19 testing and research.

28 Apr 2020

Ayurveda and yoga could provide an effective, affordable means for COVID-19 prevention

Experts in Indian traditional medicine, including the chair of the Government of India's committee charged to lead that nation's efforts on the potential uses of traditional medicine relative to COVID-19, describe how the approach of Ayurveda and yoga may help strengthen host immunity and provide an effective, accessible, and affordable means of prophylaxis of COVID-19 infection.

28 Apr 2020

COVID-19 study shows that men have over double the death rate of women

A study has found that men are significantly more likely to suffer severe effects of COVID-19 and die.

28 Apr 2020

Virus genomes help to explain why a major livestock disease has re-emerged in Europe

New research shows that the recent re-emergence of BTV in French livestock could have been caused by human activities.

28 Apr 2020

New technology could prevent the spread of COVID-19

Researchers in Brazil have created a system capable of measuring body temperature from a distance and in crowded environments, such as hospitals, supermarkets and factories.

28 Apr 2020

New tool can help produce large amounts of scientific literature on COVID-19

A team of materials scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) - scientists who normally spend their time researching things like high-performance materials for thermoelectrics or battery cathodes - have built a text-mining tool in record time to help the global scientific community synthesize the mountain of scientific literature on COVID-19 being generated every day.

28 Apr 2020

India to deploy homegrown tech against COVID-19

When India's 1.3 billion people come out of a 40-day lockdown on 3 May, imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, they can hope that a battery of technologies that the government is readying to deploy against the contagious virus could offer them some protection.

28 Apr 2020