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 finds raised levels of specific immune cells in asymptomatic people with COVID-19

The largest study of its type in the UK has identified differences in the immune response to COVID-19, between people with no symptoms, compared to those suffering a more serious reaction to the virus.

21 Apr 2021

Interferon-stimulating genes control SARS-CoV-2 replication

Researchers have found a set of human genes that combat infection due to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19.

20 Apr 2021

Antibodies may not inhibit SARS-CoV-2 variants from minks

It has been known for about a year that minks can become infected with SARS-CoV-2. The virus had been transmitted from humans to farmed mink and mutated in infected animals. Mutations were acquired in the spike protein, which is crucial for the entry of the virus into host cells and represents the central point of attack for antibodies.

20 Apr 2021

Supercomputer simulations reveal the behavior of dominant G form SARS-CoV-2 strain

Large-scale supercomputer simulations at the atomic level show that the dominant G form variant of the COVID-19-causing virus is more infectious partly because of its greater ability to readily bind to its target host receptor in the body, compared to other variants.

19 Apr 2021

Study reveals how some antibodies can effectively disable ebolaviruses

Some survivors of ebolavirus outbreaks make antibodies that can broadly neutralize these viruses--and now, scientists at Scripps Research have illuminated how these antibodies can disable the viruses so effectively. The insights may be helpful for developing effective therapies.

16 Apr 2021

Ebola virus protein changes shape by using human RNA

The human genome contains the instructions to make tens of thousands of proteins. Each protein folds into a precise shape--and biologists are taught that defined shape dictates the protein's destined function. Tens of thousands of singular shapes drive the tens of thousands of needed functions.

15 Apr 2021

Scientists characterize the genetic diversity of populations in the South Pacific

Describing the genetic diversity of human populations is essential to improve our understanding of human diseases and their geographical distribution.

From Institut Pasteur 15 Apr 2021

Gene therapy protects eye cells in mice with retinitis pigmentosa

A gene therapy protects eye cells in mice with a rare disorder that causes vision loss, especially when used in combination with other gene therapies, shows a study published today in eLife.

15 Apr 2021

Novel test detects HIV reservoir in patients more accurately

An innovative test that determines the quality and quantity of inactive HIV viruses in the genes of HIV patients may ultimately give scientists a better idea of effective drugs.

14 Apr 2021

New simpler, faster system for analyzing mutations in SARS-CoV-2

Although it is known that mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome occurred and spread, the effect of those mutations is not yet clear.

From Osaka University 14 Apr 2021

Researchers take a key step toward new drugs and vaccines for combating COVID-19

Scientists have achieved a huge step toward new vaccines and drugs for fighting against COVID-19.

6 Apr 2021

New blueprint of brain connectivity provides detailed understanding of the basal ganglia

Thousands of our daily activities, from making coffee to taking a walk to saying hello to a neighbor, are made possible through an ancient collection of brain structures tucked away near the center of the cranium.

6 Apr 2021

Low K777 concentrations inhibit cathepsin L and reduce SARS-CoV-2’s ability to infect host cell lines

For a long time, James McKerrow, MD, PhD, dean of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego, has investigated neglected tropical diseases, which are chronic, disabling parasitic infections mainly affecting the poor and underserved communities in developing nations.

From UC San Diego 5 Apr 2021

Supercomputer simulations help uncover the mechanism for HIV replication

Viruses lurk in the grey area between the living and the nonliving, according to scientists. Like living things, they replicate but they don't do it on their own. The HIV-1 virus, like all viruses, needs to hijack a host cell through infection in order to make copies of itself.

1 Apr 2021

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreading quickly in the United States

The faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in the United Kingdom, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is quickly on its way to becoming the dominant variant of the virus in the United States, according to a study from scientists at Scripps Research and the COVID-19 test maker Helix.

31 Mar 2021

Virus News and Research

Study finds raised levels of specific immune cells in asymptomatic people with COVID-19

Interferon-stimulating genes control SARS-CoV-2 replication

Antibodies may not inhibit SARS-CoV-2 variants from minks

Supercomputer simulations reveal the behavior of dominant G form SARS-CoV-2 strain

Study reveals how some antibodies can effectively disable ebolaviruses

Ebola virus protein changes shape by using human RNA

Scientists characterize the genetic diversity of populations in the South Pacific

Gene therapy protects eye cells in mice with retinitis pigmentosa

Novel test detects HIV reservoir in patients more accurately

New simpler, faster system for analyzing mutations in SARS-CoV-2

Researchers take a key step toward new drugs and vaccines for combating COVID-19

New blueprint of brain connectivity provides detailed understanding of the basal ganglia

Low K777 concentrations inhibit cathepsin L and reduce SARS-CoV-2’s ability to infect host cell lines

Supercomputer simulations help uncover the mechanism for HIV replication

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreading quickly in the United States

Virus-cell interaction may explain the high infection rate of COVID-19 virus

Study shows how WAVE2 protein maintains the immune system balance

Salivary gland cells could play role in SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission

Antibody used for COVID-19 therapy can no longer inhibit new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Silencing a key protein to “domesticate” COVID-19 virus

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