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 identifies many small molecules that bind to certain areas of the SARS-CoV-2 genome

Scientists at Goethe University have now identified some regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome that might be an ideal target for future drugs.

21 Jul 2021

Rapid, more accurate test to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Japanese researchers have come up with a highly accurate, rapid test for identifying antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human serum.

19 Jul 2021

Cells damaged by chronic lung disease favor SARS-CoV-2 entry

Researchers propose that similar to pouring water atop a wellhead prior to pumping, the airway cells of patients suffering from chronic lung diseases are “primed” for infection by the COVID-19 virus.

16 Jul 2021

Novel gene therapy offers hope to children with genetic, neurodegenerative diseases

Newly devised gene therapy can help children born with AADC, a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental and physical disabilities.

13 Jul 2021

Emerging variants of COVID-19 could be treated with a new anticoagulant drug

The capacity of the COVID-19 virus’s spikes to bind to human cells may be hampered by molecules from the same family as the anticoagulant medication heparin.

9 Jul 2021

Study reveals how fine-tuning the immune system can improve vaccines, reduce disease severity

Immunologists have discovered a molecular route that regulates how crucial immune cells evolve into the immune system’s functioning components.

9 Jul 2021

New study maps the evolutionary history and interrelationships of protein domains

Since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, proteins have been stealthily taking over human lives.

2 Jul 2021

Mutations on SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins create antibody-resistant variants

Researchers have identified how mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein separately create variants that are potentially resistant to antibodies.

1 Jul 2021

Scientists decode humans’ adaptations to historical coronavirus outbreaks

An international research team, jointly headed by the University of Adelaide and the University of Arizona, has examined the genomes of over 2,500 modern humans from 26 global populations to gain a better understanding of people’s adaptations to the historical outbreaks of coronavirus.

25 Jun 2021

Study may help develop multi-pronged HIV eradication strategies

A team of researchers from the University of California - Davis Health (UC Davis) has made a breakthrough discovery of a unique type of stem cell that reduces the amount of the virus that causes AIDS.

From The University of California, Davis 25 Jun 2021

Epstein-Barr virus reactivation likely to blame for long COVID symptoms

Long COVID symptoms, such as weariness, brain fog, and rashes, may be caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation because of the inflammatory response to coronavirus infection, which occurs in about 30% of individuals following recovery from initial COVID-19 infection.

25 Jun 2021

New methodology assesses whole-genome sequencing data of SARS-CoV-2 mutations

According to researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MIT, the use of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) methodology to assess whole-genome sequencing data of SARS-CoV-2 mutations and COVID-19 mortality data can help identify highly pathogenic variants of the virus that should be flagged for containment.

25 Jun 2021

New nanobodies could fight against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Looking for a new strategy in the long-running battle against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, researchers have developed nanobodies.

23 Jun 2021

New airway model boosts COVID-19 research

A research team has successfully built a model of lung cells that can be used to simulate how COVID-19 infects the airways.

22 Jun 2021

Fluorescence microscopy and deep learning predict viral infections

Researchers have now used fluorescence images from live cells to train an artificial neural network to reliably detect cells that are infected by herpes viruses.

22 Jun 2021

Scientists explore the human gut to combat SARS-CoV-2 virus

Scientists have discovered that some commensal bacteria residing in the human gut release compounds that suppress the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

21 Jun 2021

A new treatment approach against SARS-CoV-2

Scientists have come up with a new method to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection by fixing the cell damage instead of fighting the virus directly.

21 Jun 2021

AI model helps predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans

A new model that applies artificial intelligence to carbohydrates improves the understanding of the infection process and could help predict which viruses are likely to spread from animals to humans. This is reported in a recent study led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg.

16 Jun 2021

Study sheds new light on the early stages of viral evolution

Scientists from the Universities of York and Leeds, in association with Hilvert Laboratory at the ETH Zurich, have investigated the evolution, structure, and assembly of virus-like particles. According to the researchers, this breakthrough discovery will impact the way viruses are treated in the future.

11 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 virus does not spread on hospital surfaces

By observing what was going on across the world in early 2020, researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine knew that their region will soon be flooded with patients infected with COVID-19—the disease caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

From UC San Diego 11 Jun 2021