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.

Researchers Uncover How Phage Infection Dynamics Affect Viral Entry at Single-Cell Level

The process by which phages-;viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria-;enter cells has been studied for over 50 years.

5 Aug 2024

Multispecies Transmission of Avian Flu Virus Includes Dairy Cattle, Cats, and Raccoons

A viral spillover of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus belonging to the hemagglutinin 5 neuraminidase 1 (H5N1) 2.3.4.4b clade among herds of dairy cattle.

5 Aug 2024

Innovative Nanosensing Method Promises Safer Gene Therapy with Improved AAV Vector Quality

Over the past few decades, there has been remarkable progress in genetic manipulation technologies, bringing us closer to the point where genes can be modified in vivo.

2 Aug 2024

Exploring Drug Repurposing For Arboviral Infections Through Cavitomix

The CavitOmiX drug discovery method, developed by the drug and enzyme discovery platform Innophore.

2 Aug 2024

Swabbing Technique Reveals Diversity of Immune Cells in the Upper Airway

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have published the first-ever, in-depth analysis of immune cell memory in the upper airways of adult volunteers. Among these immune cells, the researcher spotted "tissue resident" memory cells, which stand ready to defend the airway from SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory diseases.

1 Aug 2024

New Gene Therapy Approach Improves Muscle Strength in DMD Mice

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have made a significant breakthrough in developing a new gene therapy approach that restores full-length dystrophin protein, which could lead to new treatments for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

29 Jul 2024

Harvard Researchers Crack the Code on Western Equine Encephalitis Decline

The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans.

29 Jul 2024

Dairy Cattle Become Hosts for Avian Flu Transmission

A new study reveals evidence that avian influenza has spilled over from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states, resulting in mammal-to-mammal transmission between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon.

25 Jul 2024

New Assay Fast-Tracks Virucidal Testing

An innovative technique that can quickly ascertain whether a virus is contagious or not has the potential to completely transform how humans respond to pandemics in the future.

24 Jul 2024

Decoding Dengue: The Use of Less Efficient Codons for Viral Advantage

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease.

24 Jul 2024

UNC Charlotte Study: SARS-CoV-2 Variants BA.2.86 and JN.1 Show Minimal Immune Evasion

New research from UNC Charlotte's Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) has found that the two recent and prevalent strains of the virus that cause COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, are not significantly better than their predecessor Omicron at evading immune responses and causing infections despite having a high number of mutations compared to Omicron.

22 Jul 2024

Flu Virus Exploits Immune System Weakness to Infect Cells

The majority of influenza viruses enter animal or human cells through particular surface-based pathways. It has recently been found by researchers at the University of Zurich that some influenza viruses, both human and avian, can also enter cells through a second entry point that involves an immune system protein complex.

18 Jul 2024

Reawakened Endogenous Retroviruses can Play a Critical Role in Helping Cancer Survive

Peek inside the human genome and, among the 20,000 or so genes that serve as building blocks of life, you'll also find flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago.

18 Jul 2024

Revolutionizing Biological Drug Delivery with Cell's Transit System

Each cell in the body has its own unique delivery system that scientists are working on harnessing to move revolutionary biological drugs -; molecules like proteins, RNA and combinations of the two -; to specific diseased parts of the body.

17 Jul 2024

The Protein STAT3 Helps the Immune System Fight Leukemia

Study at the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences uncovers unknown interaction between leukemic cells and immune cells. Potential biomarkers for future immunotherapies found.

From Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences 17 Jul 2024

Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors: Transforming Drug Development and Clinical Diagnostics

The latest developments in SPR-based biosensors and their applications in drug discovery.

15 Jul 2024

Liver Blood Vessels Trigger 'Sleep Timer' to Inactivate Immune Cells in Chronic Hepatitis B

In chronic hepatitis B, the liver contains immune cells that could destroy hepatitis B virus infected cells but are inactive.

11 Jul 2024

New Pipeline Studies Viruses in Humans and Coral Reefs

Tens of millions of still-unknown or poorly understood viruses have the potential to cause diseases, including new pandemics, and impact the health of valuable terrestrial and marine environments.

10 Jul 2024

Unveiling the Power of mRNA and LNPs in Modern Medicine

Consider a situation in which an expert hacker has to upload vital software to update a central server and stop a potentially fatal virus from causing havoc on a sizable computer network.