Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

New Nanotool Detects Pathogens at a Fraction of the Cost

A team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin, led by SMU nanotechnology expert MinJun Kim, developed a less costly method to detect nuclease digestion, one of the essential processes in many nucleic acid sensing applications, such as those used to identify COVID-19.

14 Feb 2024

Versatility of Rfamgen using Diverse RNA Families

The world’s first deep generative model for RNA design was created through a joint research project between Professors Hirohide Saito (Department of Life Science Frontiers, CiRA, Kyoto University) and Michiaki Hamada (Waseda University).

22 Jan 2024

Commercializing Innovation in a Life Sciences Ecosystem

In this interview, Glennis Mehra, the Director of BioLabs at NYU Langone, shares her journey through the life sciences industry and delves into the role of BioLabs as an incubator for early-stage life science companies.

17 Jan 2024

Messenger RNA Therapy Could be Used to Correct Rare Liver Genetic Disease

By exploiting the technology used in Covid-19 vaccines, a team led by UCL, King's College London and Moderna scientists has created an effective therapy for a rare disease, in a study in mice, demonstrating the technology's potential therapeutic use in people.

16 Jan 2024

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

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

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

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

New LoCKAmp Device Delivers Lab-Quality COVID Test Results in Just 3 Minutes

A virus diagnosis device that gives lab-quality results within just three minutes has been invented by engineers at the University of Bath, who describe it as the 'world's fastest Covid test'.

3 Nov 2023

Philanthropic Partnership Unlocks £32 Million for the Future of Best-in-Class UK Biobank

Former CEO and Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt, and Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, are today (Monday 30 October) being announced as the first members of a new consortium that will shape the future of the best-in-class UK Biobank.

31 Oct 2023

INTEGRA Biosciences’ pipettes help to progress infectious disease testing

Cormeum Lab Services, a cutting-edge clinical testing laboratory in Louisiana, is using a range of pipetting solutions from INTEGRA Biosciences to streamline its infectious disease testing workflows.

From INTEGRA Biosciences 25 Oct 2023

MIT Chemists Discover Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Ion Channel in Open State

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.

16 Oct 2023

New Genomic Study Could Help Save Pangolins From Extinction

A new research paper, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution by Oxford University Press, has introduced an extensive collection of genomic resources for pangolins, commonly known as scaly anteaters.

6 Oct 2023

Research Provides a Comprehensive Set of Genomic Resources for Pangolins

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, for the first time provides a comprehensive set of genomic resources for pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, that researchers believe will be integral for protecting these threatened mammals.

5 Oct 2023

Research Aims to Develop Model to Test Role of Viruses in the Gut Microbiome of Mammals

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people became well aware that viruses can be extremely harmful. But can viruses also be helpful?

4 Oct 2023

Retrieving RNA from an Extinct Species

New research demonstrates the isolation and sequencing of RNA molecules from a Tasmanian tiger specimen kept at room temperature in a museum collection over a century ago.

20 Sep 2023

How Scientists are Using iPSCs to Develop New Therapies

In 1998, scientists reported being able to derive cells from human embryos that could develop into almost any cell in the body. In 2007, the field took a huge leap when scientists discovered they could reprogram human adult skin cells to act like these embryonic stem cells.

20 Sep 2023

A New Way to Create Germ-Killing Light

While it has long been known that ultraviolet (UV) light can help kill disease-causing pathogens, the COVID 19 pandemic has put a spotlight on how these technologies can rid environments of germs.

12 Sep 2023

High Levels of Exposure to the Virus Causing COVID-19 May Reduce Safety Given by Vaccination

High levels of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 may reduce or overcome the protection that vaccination and prior infection provides, according to a new study by researchers from Yale University, the University of Florida, and the Connecticut Department of Correction.

24 Aug 2023