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.

Understanding the role of ORF8 viral gene in COVID-19 infection and outcomes

A research team led by Jae Jung, PhD, Director of Cleveland Clinic's Global Center for Pathogen & Human Health Research, has uncovered the critical role a viral gene, ORF8, plays in infection and disease outcomes of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.

8 Apr 2022

Researchers uncover a treasure trove of new data about RNA viruses

Ocean water samples collected around the world have yielded a treasure trove of new data about RNA viruses, expanding ecological research possibilities and reshaping our understanding of how these small but significant submicroscopic particles evolved.

8 Apr 2022

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

Checkpoint immunotherapy acts as an interface between killer T cells and dendritic cells

Chronic viral infections and cancers can damage the immune system permanently, diminishing the ability of immune killer T cells to destroy tumor cells or virus-infected cells—a condition known as “immune exhaustion.”

5 Apr 2022

Researchers employ CRISPR gene-editing technology in human blood to cure HIV

Northwestern Medicine researchers are employing recent developments in CRISPR gene-editing technology to discover novel biological method that could lead to longer-lasting treatments and new therapeutic tactics for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

5 Apr 2022

Research reveals how a building block protein assembles to form poxvirus scaffold

Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University have revealed how poxviruses build their scaffold - a temporary protein coat that forms and disappears as the virus matures.

1 Apr 2022

Lifebit; Making Biomedical Data Accessible

In this interview, we speak to Dr. Maria Chatzou Dunford, CEO of Lifebit, about their technology and how it helps scientists to make better use of their data.

From Lifebit 1 Apr 2022

Multiple nanobodies effectively block infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a novel strategy for identifying potent miniature antibodies, so-called nanobodies, against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

28 Mar 2022

Study reveals why infected individuals cannot get rid of HIV altogether

Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection is no longer the life sentence it once was. But despite the effectiveness of drugs to manage and treat the virus, it can never be fully eliminated from the human body, lingering in some cells deep in different human tissues where it goes unnoticed by the immune system.

28 Mar 2022

Scientists create powerful new method for generating protein drugs

A team of scientists has created a powerful new method for generating protein drugs. Using computers, they designed molecules that can target important proteins in the body, such as the insulin receptor, as well as vulnerable proteins on the surface of viruses.

28 Mar 2022

CAR-T cell treatment via implantable biotechnology more effective in combating cancer

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed an implantable biotechnology that produces and releases CAR-T cells for attacking cancerous tumors.

25 Mar 2022

Hybrid immunity generates improved cell response to fight SARS-CoV-2 infections

People who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 before being vaccinated generate an immune response more specific to fighting viral infections, and produce a broader antibody response, than do people whose only protection is the vaccine, according to researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

25 Mar 2022

New long-lived biological computers could potentially persist inside cells

Tiny biological computers made of DNA could revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat a slew of diseases, once the technology is fully fleshed out.

From National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 24 Mar 2022

INTEGRA’s ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot helps to streamline sample pooling for arbovirus testing

INTEGRA Biosciences’ ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot is helping the Arbovirus Testing Lab at the New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories in Concord, USA, to streamline sample pooling for West Nile and Eastern equine encephalitis virus testing.

23 Mar 2022

Researchers use urinary proteomics to detect abnormalities inside the body

Dr Jun Qin, a proteomics expert from the State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, and Dr Zhongde Zhang from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, worked in the front line of compacting COVID-19 disease.

23 Mar 2022

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help to enhance crop genome editing tools, study says

According to plant scientists at RIKEN, a class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs might be useful for studying the molecular processes underlying plant immunity.

21 Mar 2022

Scientists use mRNA delivery to enhance muscle power

Mutations that cause muscle atrophy can be corrected using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool.

16 Mar 2022

Immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus likely to protect against omicron

People who developed immunity to SARS-CoV-2, either by vaccination or contact, are expected to get some protection against the pathogen’s omicron version.

16 Mar 2022

New method could create a promising vehicle for vaccine delivery against SARS-CoV-2

Physicists, chemists and immunologists at McMaster University have teamed up to modify red blood cells to transport viral agents which can safely trigger the immune system to protect the body against SARS-CoV-2, creating a promising new vehicle for vaccine delivery.

14 Mar 2022

Study shows how the immune system effectively combats coronavirus to prevent pneumonia

Most people’s immune responses are powerful enough to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from spreading throughout the body that they are immune to pneumonia.

11 Mar 2022

Virus News and Research

Understanding the role of ORF8 viral gene in COVID-19 infection and outcomes

Researchers uncover a treasure trove of new data about RNA viruses

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

Checkpoint immunotherapy acts as an interface between killer T cells and dendritic cells

Researchers employ CRISPR gene-editing technology in human blood to cure HIV

Research reveals how a building block protein assembles to form poxvirus scaffold

Lifebit; Making Biomedical Data Accessible

Multiple nanobodies effectively block infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants

Study reveals why infected individuals cannot get rid of HIV altogether

Scientists create powerful new method for generating protein drugs

CAR-T cell treatment via implantable biotechnology more effective in combating cancer

Hybrid immunity generates improved cell response to fight SARS-CoV-2 infections

New long-lived biological computers could potentially persist inside cells

INTEGRA’s ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot helps to streamline sample pooling for arbovirus testing

Researchers use urinary proteomics to detect abnormalities inside the body

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help to enhance crop genome editing tools, study says

Scientists use mRNA delivery to enhance muscle power

Immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus likely to protect against omicron

New method could create a promising vehicle for vaccine delivery against SARS-CoV-2

Study shows how the immune system effectively combats coronavirus to prevent pneumonia

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