Virology News and Research

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Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy.

Combining organoids and microfluidics to study how the immune system responds to hepatitis C

A vaccine for hepatitis C has eluded scientists for more than 30 years, for several reasons. For one, the virus that causes the disease comes in many genetic forms, complicating the creation of a widely effective vaccine.

7 Apr 2022

Researchers use specific enzymes to tear down viral RNA

The genetic information of SARS-CoV-2 has been successfully destroyed by a research team led by the Technical University of Munich.

4 Mar 2022

Human nose organoids reveal the first events of SARS-CoV-2 and RSV infection

Preclinical models that recapitulate aspects of human airway disease are essential for the advancement of novel therapeutics and vaccines.

16 Feb 2022

A simple route for synthesizing fungal compound and its derivatives

The solutions to many of humanity's problems can be found within nature. For instance, who could have guessed that an antibiotic as powerful as penicillin would be found in a common mold, or that the drug aspirin would be derived from the bark of the willow tree?

From Tokyo University of Science 10 Feb 2022

Omicron variant found to be less effective at blocking cellular defense mechanism against viruses

A new study by researchers from the University of Kent and the Goethe University Frankfurt shows that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is less effective than Delta at blocking a cellular defense mechanism against viruses, the so-called “interferon response”.

25 Jan 2022

Virologists identify a dual-action drug effective against SARS-CoV-2

A research team discovered a new dual attack mode of action while working on the development of a therapeutic candidate against SARS-CoV-2 infections.

20 Jan 2022

Researchers discover a key mechanism used by Zika virus to evade cell’s antiviral response

The world knows SARS-CoV-2 intimately now, but there are more than 200 virus species capable of infecting humans and causing disease.

19 Jan 2022

Researchers grow intestinal organoids to study why bats infected with viruses do not succumb to diseases

Experiments attempting to explain why bats can be infected with many viruses at a time without succumbing to diseases such as COVID-19-;knowledge that could help us to reduce the threat to humans of infectious disease-;have struggled until now with the fact that live wild bats make poor research subjects.

30 Dec 2021

COVID-19 virus spreads through cell-to-cell transmission

The virus that causes COVID-19 has adopted some stealth moves to stay alive and kicking, and one secret to its success is hiding from the immune system by spreading through cell-to-cell transmission, a new study has found.

24 Dec 2021

Depixus Raises EUR 30.6M (USD 35.4M) in Series A Financing

Depixus®, a biotechnology company, today announces it has raised EUR 30.6 million in an oversubscribed Series A financing.

From Depixus® 15 Dec 2021

Scientists unravel the structure of octopus-like Lassa viral polymerase

Endemic in Western African countries, Lassa virus is transmitted to humans through food or household items that are contaminated with the urine or faeces of Mastomys rats.

7 Dec 2021

People previously infected by Chikungunya virus may develop partial immunity to Mayaro virus

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil suggests people previously infected by Chikungunya virus may develop partial immunity to Mayaro virus.

6 Dec 2021

Viral RNA undergoes conformational changes to hijack host cells, says study

Scientists from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus recently identified how an RNA molecule from a virus develops a complex, three-dimensional structure, and is capable of changing its shape to hijack host proteins.

25 Nov 2021

Torquetenovirus in people infected by SARS-CoV-2 can be used as a marker of disease severity

Torquetenovirus (TTV) is one of the viruses most frequently found in the human organism. It is also common in monkeys and domestic animals.

8 Nov 2021

Metabolic restoration could provide natural protection against HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) particularly attacks CD4 lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell considered to be the conductor of the immune system.

19 Oct 2021

Study identifies highly potent monoclonal antibody against all SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers identified a greatly potent monoclonal antibody that aims at the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

19 Oct 2021

Study: Sex matters when it comes to susceptibility to infections and other health conditions

A University of Alberta-led study shows that when it comes to susceptibility to infections and other health conditions, sex matters.

13 Oct 2021

Supercoiling and looping can transmit mechanical stress along the DNA backbone, shows study

When people think of DNA, they visualize a string-like double helix structure. In reality, the DNA double helix in cells is supercoiled and constrained into loops. This supercoiling and looping are known to influence every aspect of DNA activity, but how this happens has not been clear.

28 Sep 2021

Researchers identify new protein that may critically contribute to severe COVID-19

The University of Kent's School of Biosciences and the Institute of Medical Virology at Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, have identified a protein that may critically contribute to severe forms of COVID-19.

27 Sep 2021

Llamas' nanobodies could provide a new frontline treatment against Covid-19

A unique type of tiny antibody produced by llamas could provide a new frontline treatment against Covid-19 that can be taken by patients as a simple nasal spray.

23 Sep 2021