Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome News and Research

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus, called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS was first reported in Asia in February 2003. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia before the SARS global outbreak of 2003 was contained.

Researchers identify a promising treatment for COVID-19 infection

An effective method for treating the 2003 SARS epidemic, also works on the closely associated SARS-CoV-2 virus.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers to launch clinical trials to test potential COVID-19 drug

A group of scientists from the University of Alberta is preparing to initiate clinical trials of a drug used for treating a lethal disease caused by the novel coronavirus in cats.

28 Aug 2020

First lethal mouse model established for COVID-19 infection

Army scientists have developed the first lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, using mice that were genetically engineered to express the human ACE2 gene--a key mechanism by which the virus enters human cells.

28 Aug 2020

Researchers discover antibodies that may provide effective immunity against SARS-CoV-2

A new study by researchers at MassBiologics of UMass Medical School published in Nature Communications suggests that COVID specific IgA monoclonal antibodies may provide effective immunity in the respiratory system against the novel coronavirus - a potentially critical feature of an effective vaccine.

25 Aug 2020

Researchers detect robust T cell response in patients with mild COVID-19 infection

Mild cases of COVID-19 pandemic can activate strong responses from memory T cells, even when detectable virus-specific antibody responses are absent.

19 Aug 2020

Study finds increase in SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk along wildlife supply chains

Coronaviruses were detected in a high proportion of bats and rodents in Viet Nam from 2013 to 2014, with an increasing proportion of positive samples found along the wildlife supply chain from traders to large markets to restaurants, according to a study published August 10 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Amanda Fine of the Wildlife Conservation Society and colleagues.

11 Aug 2020

Re-engineering antibodies to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection

With millions of COVID-19 cases reported across the globe, people are turning to antibody tests to find out whether they have been exposed to the coronavirus that causes the disease.

31 Jul 2020

Experimental mRNA-based vaccine protects animals against SARS-CoV-2

An experimental messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) elicits protective immune responses in mice and non-human primates, researchers report on July 23rd in the journal Cell.

27 Jul 2020

Psychological distress may indicate the penetration of COVID-19 virus into the central nervous system

Depressed mood or anxiety exhibited in COVID-19 patients may possibly be a sign the virus affects the central nervous system, according to an international study led by a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researcher.

15 Jul 2020

Potent human antibodies protect against SARS-CoV-2 in animal tests

A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

16 Jun 2020

Cross-neutralization of SARS and COVID-19 coronaviruses by an antibody

An antibody first identified in a blood sample from a patient who recovered from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003 inhibits related coronaviruses, including the cause of COVID-19.

19 May 2020

Study shows coronavirus does not induce cross-protective immune antibodies

According to researchers, patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) or SARS-CoV-2 generate antibodies that adhere to the other coronavirus; however, the cross-reactive antibodies are not actually cross-protective, as far as cell-culture experiments are concerned.

19 May 2020

Coronavirus attacking microRNA numbers reduce with age

A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report.

14 May 2020