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.

Study uncovers differences in how AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines affect the immune system

A new Australian study led by SAHMRI and Flinders University has uncovered fundamental differences in how the AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines impact the immune system.

23 Feb 2023

Study illuminates how lung cells protect themselves against RNA viral infection

A new University of California, Irvine-led study uncovers how a protein, APOBEC3B, could protect cells against many different types of RNA viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV2, influenza virus, poliovirus and measles, helping to prevent disease.

23 Feb 2023

Study shows how convalescent plasma can be used as effective treatment during future pandemics

Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, new variant outbreaks continue to fuel economic disruptions and hospitalizations across the globe.

22 Feb 2023

Toxic protein likely to be the cause of two rare genetic disorders identified

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health and their co-workers reported that DUX4, a toxic protein produced by the body, might just be the reason for two completely different rare genetic disorders.

21 Feb 2023

Novel molecule prevents cells from infection with SARS-COV-2

The virus that causes COVID-19, called SARS-CoV-2, uses its spike protein in order to stick to and infect our cells. The final step for the virus to enter our cells is for part of its spike protein to act like a twist tie, forcing the host cell's outer membrane to fuse with the virus.

20 Feb 2023

Expert releases open-source compilation of the SARS-CoV-2 molecular structure

A biomedical researcher at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR), part of Main Line Health, has created a groundbreaking resource for scientists seeking to develop new and better vaccines in the fight against COVID-19.

19 Feb 2023

Study identifies cell type crucial for successful immunotherapies for chronic viral infections

An international study led by researchers from the Infection Biology Laboratory at the UPF Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS) establishes that one type of dendritic cells is crucial for the success of immunotherapeutic treatments to control chronic viral infections.

17 Feb 2023

Researchers reveal link immune system genetics and a person's ability to resist new COVID-19 variants

An international team including researchers from the HSE University Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology has found a link between certain genetic features of the immune system and one's ability to effectively resist new waves of COVID-19.

17 Feb 2023

Reversal of ADAR1 hyper-editing with small molecule inhibitor

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Sanford Stem Cell Institute and Moores Cancer Center report that a late-stage, pre-clinical small molecule inhibitor, called rebecsinib, reverses malignant hyper-editing by an inflammation-induced protein isoform, known as ADAR1 p150.

17 Feb 2023

AutoPLP helps detect mutating pathogenic variants quickly and accurately

As we now know from our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, the microbes responsible for some infections can rapidly mutate into variants that evade detection and treatment.

16 Feb 2023

New family of pharmaceutical compounds that target RNA

In Jennifer Hines’ lab, a group of graduate and undergraduate chemistry students recently discovered a new family of compounds that can target RNA and interfere with its function. In the future, RNA-targeted treatments to treat cancer and metabolic diseases, together with bacterial and viral infections, could be developed using the chemical scaffold found in this research.

15 Feb 2023

Experts demonstrate clear differences in virulence among the major clades of mpox virus

Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have removed a major roadblock to better understanding of mpox (formerly, monkeypox).

15 Feb 2023

Extracts from two common wild plants block SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells

Two common wild plants contain extracts that inhibit the ability of the virus that causes COVID-19 to infect living cells, an Emory University study finds.

13 Feb 2023

A protein in the lung forms a natural protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2 infection

University of Sydney scientists have discovered a protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body.

10 Feb 2023

Researchers pioneer a new approach to study mosquito's DNA

When it comes to DNA, one pesky mosquito turns out to be a rebel among species.

10 Feb 2023

Novel compound curtails influenza virus replication

Viruses use the molecular repertoire of the host cell to replicate. Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation2 at the University of Bonn, together with Japanese researchers, want to exploit this for the treatment of influenza.

10 Feb 2023

New platform to study the feeding behavior of mosquitoes

If watching animals feast on human blood for 30-plus hours isn't your idea of fun, don't worry. The robot can do it.

10 Feb 2023

Complete Genomics Drops Genome Sequencing Price to Sub $100 at AGBT General Meeting

Complete Genomics Inc., a global life science tools leader and subsidiary of MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (“MGI”), today launched new revolutionary products and prices at Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) General Meeting.

From Complete Genomics 9 Feb 2023

Psychological trauma related to HIV could make it difficult to end the AIDS epidemic

Failing to address the psychological trauma experienced by many older people living with HIV/AIDS will make it difficult, if not impossible, to end the epidemic, according to a Rutgers study.

8 Feb 2023

Protein that facilitates cancer-causing viruses dodge the immune system

Numerous cancers have been related to the viruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). For the first time, UNC School of Medicine researchers have shown that these viruses elude the innate immune response by using a human protein called barrier-to-autointegration factor 1, or BAF, which enables the viruses to propagate and cause disease.

7 Feb 2023

Virus News and Research

Study uncovers differences in how AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines affect the immune system

Study illuminates how lung cells protect themselves against RNA viral infection

Study shows how convalescent plasma can be used as effective treatment during future pandemics

Toxic protein likely to be the cause of two rare genetic disorders identified

Novel molecule prevents cells from infection with SARS-COV-2

Expert releases open-source compilation of the SARS-CoV-2 molecular structure

Study identifies cell type crucial for successful immunotherapies for chronic viral infections

Researchers reveal link immune system genetics and a person's ability to resist new COVID-19 variants

Reversal of ADAR1 hyper-editing with small molecule inhibitor

AutoPLP helps detect mutating pathogenic variants quickly and accurately

New family of pharmaceutical compounds that target RNA

Experts demonstrate clear differences in virulence among the major clades of mpox virus

Extracts from two common wild plants block SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells

A protein in the lung forms a natural protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers pioneer a new approach to study mosquito's DNA

Novel compound curtails influenza virus replication

New platform to study the feeding behavior of mosquitoes

Complete Genomics Drops Genome Sequencing Price to Sub $100 at AGBT General Meeting

Psychological trauma related to HIV could make it difficult to end the AIDS epidemic

Protein that facilitates cancer-causing viruses dodge the immune system

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