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 an immune evasion mechanism of SARS-CoV-2

Scientists discovered that SARS-CoV-2 can knock out a significant molecular pathway associated with an immune complex named MHC class I.

8 Dec 2021

Highly optimized X-ray process delivers high-resolution 3D images of cells

Viral pathogens such as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus alter the interior structure of the cells they infect.

8 Dec 2021

Scientists unravel the structure of octopus-like Lassa viral polymerase

Endemic in Western African countries, Lassa virus is transmitted to humans through food or household items that are contaminated with the urine or faeces of Mastomys rats.

7 Dec 2021

Metabolites from human microbiome can inhibit COVID-19 infection, says study

Scientists recently discovered metabolites in the human microbiome that hinders COVID-19 infection in cell-based models of the virus.

7 Dec 2021

Research team grows mini-stomach across varying stages of development

A group of researchers led from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) hinged on recent progress to culture “mini-organs” in a lab, called organoids.

From University College London 7 Dec 2021

People previously infected by Chikungunya virus may develop partial immunity to Mayaro virus

A study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil suggests people previously infected by Chikungunya virus may develop partial immunity to Mayaro virus.

6 Dec 2021

Duke engineers develop a rapid test to identify antibody effectiveness against COVID-19 variants

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised a test to quickly and easily assess how well a person's neutralizing antibodies fight infection from multiple variants of COVID-19 such as Delta and the newly discovered Omicron variant.

6 Dec 2021

Announcing the Winners of The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations of 2021

Each year The Scientist seeks to highlight the latest and greatest tools, technologies, and techniques to hit the life science landscape.

From Resolve Biosciences 6 Dec 2021

New nanoparticle adjuvant could lead to more powerful vaccines

A common strategy to make vaccines more powerful is to deliver them along with an adjuvant -; a compound that stimulates the immune system to produce a stronger response.

6 Dec 2021

Nanoparticles mimicking flu viruses to deliver large biological drug molecules

Nanoengineers from the University of California San Diego recently created a new and potentially efficient means to deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) into cells.

2 Dec 2021

Experts create new software that determines a person’s past infections

Recent research suggested that grouping of pathogen-recognizing proteins on immune T cells might be vital in pinpointing if an individual had an infection in the past.

2 Dec 2021

Cytomegalovirus accelerates the decline of the immune system regardless of age

Scientists from the University of Córdoba have been investigating the changes that occur in the T lymphocytes of the immune system with increasing age.

2 Dec 2021

New CRISPR technology could improve diagnostic tests for COVID-19

A new type of CRISPR platform that leverages the benefits of a compact RNA-editing protein could result in enhanced diagnostic tests for COVID-19.

2 Dec 2021

Study analyzes response of individuals from diverse populations to infections

A recent study has identified differences in immune pathway activation to influenza infection between people of European and African genetic ancestry.

2 Dec 2021

Custom Biofluid & Tissue Procurement Service

Global provider of human and animal biospecimens - AMSBIO offers a custom procurement service enabling researchers to source specific biofluid and tissue samples which are not already available in their extensive biorepository.

From AMS Biotechnology 1 Dec 2021

Plant-based antiviral treatment found to be effective at treating all SARS-CoV-2 variants

A plant-based antiviral treatment for Covid-19, recently discovered by scientists at the University of Nottingham, has been found to be just as effective at treating all variants of the virus SARS-CoV-2, even the highly infectious Delta variant.

29 Nov 2021

Anti-idiotype antibodies may explain the long-term effects of COVID-19

With around 256 million cases and more than 5 million deaths worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged scientists and those in the medical field. Researchers are working to find effective vaccines and therapies, as well as understand the long-term effects of the infection.

From The University of California, Davis 26 Nov 2021