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.

Determining the Genome of West Nile Virus

Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) researchers from UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources determined the genetic makeup of West Nile virus strains reported in an alpaca and a crow.

7 Jun 2023

Leave Bats Alone to Prevent the Next Pandemic of Zoonotic Origin

A new paper in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health makes the case that pandemic prevention requires a global taboo whereby humanity agrees to leave bats alone-;to let them have the habitats they need, undisturbed.

7 Jun 2023

Fragments of RNA Viruses Discovered in Coral Partners’ Genomes

The DNA of symbiotic creatures living within reef-building corals has been found to contain the remains of ancient RNA viruses by an international team of marine researchers.

2 Jun 2023

Scientists Integrate Multiple Therapeutic Approaches to More Effectively Target Brain Metastatic Melanomas

Acting as a team, twin stem cells activate the immune system to suppress tumor growth and prolong survival in representative preclinical models.

1 Jun 2023

Virally Mediated Gene Therapy Rescues Hearing in Aging Mice

By 2050, one in 10 individuals are expected to live with some form of hearing loss. Of the hundreds of millions of cases of hearing loss affecting individuals worldwide, genetic hearing loss is often the most difficult to treat.

29 May 2023

Study Characterizes the Properties of MAIT Cells in Mouse Lung

A population of unconventional white blood cells has recently captured the attention of immunologists and clinicians alike.

26 May 2023

Identifying Drugs to Put the Brakes On Accelerated Aging From HIV Infection, Treatment

Antiretroviral cocktails can make human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, undetectable and untransmittable, but both the virus and its treatment can also accelerate aging of bone and muscle.

24 May 2023

Compound Found in Magnolia Tree Bark Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication in Several Cell Types

A compound called honokiol, which is found in the bark of multiple species of magnolia tree, inhibits replication of SARS-CoV-2 virus in several types of cells, according to a team of researchers in the Netherlands.

23 May 2023

Novel Gene-Editing Strategy Harnesses Unusual Protective Ability to Eliminate HIV-1 Infection

Genetic alterations that give rise to a rare, fatal disorder known as MOGS-CDG paradoxically also protect cells against infection by viruses.

22 May 2023

Targeting Respiratory Viral Infections with a New Immunotherapy Treatment

A researcher at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine has created a novel, more effective therapy for acute respiratory viral infections, a significant global cause of illness each year.

16 May 2023

Discovery of Shanghai APP Mutation Offers New Avenues for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting tens of millions of people worldwide, and it is the most common cause of dementia.

15 May 2023

Seasonal Behavior of SARS-CoV-2 is Genetically Encoded, Study Suggests

As the northern hemisphere heads into summer, we may be in for a COVID-19 reprieve. Not because the pandemic is over; the Omicron subvariant 'Arcturus' is still creeping upward and causing new symptoms.

15 May 2023

Chemical Modification Improves Non-Viral Gene Editing as Well as a New Type of DNA Repair

Gene editing is a powerful method for both research and therapy. Since the advent of the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR/Cas9 technology, a quick and accurate tool for genome editing discovered in 2012, scientists have been working to explore its capabilities and boost its performance.

12 May 2023

AI Used to Create 3D Model of 'Postal Workers' in Human Cells

University of Queensland researchers have used artificial intelligence to build a 3D map of key cell components to better understand dementia and infectious diseases including COVID-19.

12 May 2023

First Gene-Edited Calf Produced With Resistance to Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

Scientists have collaborated to produce the first gene-edited calf with resistance to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a virus that costs the U.S. cattle sector billions of dollars annually.

10 May 2023

New Insights on Cases of Post-Vaccine Heart Inflammation

Public health experts discovered an increase in cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of heart muscle, after the introduction of the new COVID-19 vaccinations two years ago, particularly in young males who had received mRNA vaccines.

8 May 2023

Researchers Publish a Comprehensive Study of Global COVID-19 Variant Transitions

A team of researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory recently published the most comprehensive study of global COVID-19 variant transitions, which showed significant diversity in variant spread around the globe related to vaccination rates, number of co-circulating variants and immunity from previous infection.

4 May 2023