Virus News and Research

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A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that can reproduce only inside a host cell. Viruses infect all types of organisms: from animals and plants, to bacteria and archaea. Since the initial discovery of tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 5,000 types of virus have been described in detail, although most types of virus remain undiscovered. Viruses are ubiquitous, as they are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, and are the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet. The study of viruses is known as virology, and is a branch of microbiology.

Live-Cell Imaging Reveals How STING Activates Innate Immunity

When pathogens attack the body, the innate immune system goes to work protecting against the invading disease.

12 Jan 2024

EBV-Targeting T-Cells Linked to Early MS Damage

The body's immune response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may play a role in causing damage in people with multiple sclerosis, according to a new study led by UTHealth Houston.

12 Jan 2024

Novel Zebrafish Model Offers Efficient Tool for Norovirus Research

Food virologists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have successfully propagated the human norovirus using zebrafish embryos, providing a valuable platform to assess the effectiveness of virus inactivation for the water treatment and food industries.

2 Jan 2024

Study Provides a Systematic View of the Diversity and Function of Supraglacial DNA Viruses

Supraglacial environments mainly consist of four main types of habitats for microbes and viruses, including snow, ice, meltwater, and cryoconites (the granular sediment on glacier surfaces).

2 Jan 2024

Zebrafish Embryo Model Unveils Breakthrough Cultivation Method

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) specializing in food virology have achieved successful cultivation of the human norovirus using zebrafish embryos.

29 Dec 2023

Structural Insights Unmask Novel Adaptations and Functions of Human LINE-1 ORF2

Martin Taylor, MD, PhD, a physician investigator in the Department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in Pathology at Harvard Medical School, is the lead corresponding author of a new study in Nature, Structural Analysis and Inhibition of Human LINE-1 ORF2 Protein Reveals Novel Adaptations and Functions.

20 Dec 2023

How Next-Gen Sequencing is Revolutionizing Infection Diagnosis

Scientists from Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital (AP-HP), the Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, Université Paris-Est Créteil and the Alfort National Veterinary School, coordinated by Professor Marc Eloit and Dr. Anne Jamet in collaboration with Dr. Jacques Fourgeaud and Beatrice Regnault, studied the role of global genetic characterization of samples (or non-targeted metagenomics) using next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in diagnosing infections.

19 Dec 2023

Omicron's Cellular Senescence May Explain Cytokine Storms and Long-COVID

A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 15, Issue 23, entitled, "Uncovering a unique pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant: selective induction of cellular senescence."

18 Dec 2023

Revealing the Molecular Machinery of Virus Warriors Against Bacterial Infections

The term “virus” is frequently linked with negative implications. Nevertheless, it is crucial to recognize that not all viruses are detrimental.

18 Dec 2023

CRISPR Takes Probiotics to the Next Level

Humans can benefit significantly from symbiotic relationships with probiotics-;live bacteria and microorganisms that influence the gut microbiota.

14 Dec 2023

Novel DNA Tension Probe Technology Offers Precise Measurement of Platelet Function

A novel technique to test platelet function within a person's blood sample is faster, easier and more precise than methods currently in use, an experimental study shows.

12 Dec 2023

Zika's Enzyme Cascade Holds the Key to Viral Replication

Viruses operate with limited genetic material and a sparse protein repertoire, requiring efficient utilization of their components. The Zika virus serves as an illustrative case, producing only 10 proteins.

11 Dec 2023

Researchers Redesign the Future of mRNA Therapeutics

Scientists have unearthed that errors in the interpretation of therapeutic mRNA by the cell’s decoding apparatus can incite an inadvertent immune reaction within the body.

7 Dec 2023

Researchers Redesign Future mRNA Therapeutics to Prevent Potentially Harmful Immune Responses

Researchers have discovered that misreading of therapeutic mRNAs by the cell’s decoding machinery can cause an unintended immune response in the body.

5 Dec 2023

Breakthrough Research in Leishmaniasis Reveals Pain-Suppression Pathways

For the first time, scientists have begun to figure out why the disfiguring skin lesions caused by cutaneous leishmaniasis don't hurt.

1 Dec 2023

Computational Insights and Magnetic Tweezers: Unraveling Coronavirus Biomechanics

Richard Feynman is renowned for expressing, “Everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jigglings and wigglings of atoms.”

28 Nov 2023

Clean Cells Doubles Capacity with Opening of New Production Suites

Clean Cells today announces the launch of operations in its new production suites, located in the new facility opened in January 2023.

27 Nov 2023

Structural Insights Into Coronavirus Spike Proteins

Coronaviruses employ protein “spikes” to latch onto and infect cells. Contrary to their name, these spikes do not have a rigid and pointed structure. Instead, they resemble chicken drumsticks, with the meaty portion facing outward.

27 Nov 2023

Brunel University London Secures Japanese Patent for Gene Therapy Vector Safety Test

Gene therapy is a rapidly growing area of medical science. But there is little in the way of safety testing the vectors used to deliver gene therapy.

23 Nov 2023

New Optical Tweezers Open Up New Insights on Specific DNA Motor Proteins

Using “optical tweezers” driven by lasers, researchers have discovered a universal motor mechanism that viruses utilize to package their DNA into infectious particles.

22 Nov 2023