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.

Modeling predicted movements of aphids could help fight against banana bunchy top virus

Modelling the predicted movements of pervasive sap-sucking tiny insects before they infest banana crops has the potential to become a key tactic in the fight against a devastating virus, according to QUT research.

11 Aug 2020

$1.2 million NIH grant awarded to create humanized mice susceptible to COVID-19

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a grant of $1.2 million to the Mouse Biology Program at the University of California, Davis, to create mice that are susceptible to the COVID-19 virus, and to distribute them to researchers.

11 Aug 2020

COVID-19 patients have higher incidence of abnormal liver tests

Researchers at the Yale Liver Center found that patients with COVID-19 presented with abnormal liver tests at much higher rates than suggested by earlier studies.

10 Aug 2020

New method targets hidden HIV viral reservoirs during antiretroviral therapy

Scientists at The Wistar Institute may have discovered a new way of identifying and targeting hidden HIV viral reservoirs during treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART).

10 Aug 2020

Study reveals coronavirus-specific structure that may lead to new antiviral strategies

By visualizing coronavirus replication in an infected host cell, researchers may have answered a long-standing question about how newly synthesized coronavirus components are able to be incorporated into fully infectious viruses.

7 Aug 2020

Study may point to new therapeutic options for COVID-19

Contrary to what has been generally assumed so far, a severe course of COVID-19 does not solely result in a strong immune reaction - rather, the immune response is caught in a continuous loop of activation and inhibition.

7 Aug 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism of papillomavirus that tricks the human immune system

Certain antibodies are known to protect humans from viral infections—or perhaps not?

6 Aug 2020

New UK supply contract for COVID-19 sample collection kits

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, the AIM listed point-of-care business, announces that it has received an initial order worth £3 m from a partner from the private sector to supply PrimeStore MTM, a novel patented sample collection device, to be used in a COVID-19 testing programme for UK staff.

From EKF Diagnostics 5 Aug 2020

NIH clinical study to evaluate potential new therapeutics for mild, moderate COVID-19

A Phase 2 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential new therapeutics for COVID-19, including an investigational therapeutic based on synthetic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat the disease.

5 Aug 2020

Newly discovered 'mutation fog' linked to normal DNA repair process

Hypermutation is an unusual occurence that can lead to many nearby mutations at once, severely damaging our genetic material and potentially causing cancer.

5 Aug 2020

Broad antivirals can kill several types of coronaviruses in human cells and mice

team of scientists has engineered antiviral compounds that can kill several types of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

4 Aug 2020

Machine learning can increase effectiveness of drug repurposing for psychiatric disorders

Artificial intelligence can increase the effectiveness of drug repositioning or repurposing research, according to a study published in Translational Psychiatry.

4 Aug 2020

Old part of immune system may influence severity of COVID-19

One of the immune system's oldest branches may be influencing the severity of COVID disease, according to a new study from researchers.

4 Aug 2020

How economic fallout due to COVID-19 puts global food security at risk

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced nations worldwide to implement unprecedented social measures to stem the rapid spread of the virus.

31 Jul 2020

Re-engineering antibodies to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection

With millions of COVID-19 cases reported across the globe, people are turning to antibody tests to find out whether they have been exposed to the coronavirus that causes the disease.

31 Jul 2020

Researchers show efficacy of phage cocktail therapy on wound infections

Australian researchers have shown how viruses can be used to save lives, developing the potential use of bacteriophages in bandages to treat life-threatening golden staph infections which may not respond to traditional antibiotics.

31 Jul 2020

Understanding the structure of SARS-CoV-2 proteins may lead to novel drugs

COVID-19 is a disease caused by an RNA virus called SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that is, a virus that employs RNA to preserve its genetic data.

31 Jul 2020

New methods to regulate enzymes involved in SARS-CoV-2 virus infection

A research team from the HSE University has designed innovative methods for controlling the expression of TMPRSS2 and ACE2 enzymes.

30 Jul 2020

Rapid drug development yields potential treatment for yellow fever

Yellow fever, a hemorrhagic disease that is common in South America and sub-Saharan Africa, infects about 200,000 people per year and causes an estimated 30,000 deaths.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 30 Jul 2020

Cholesterol-lowering medication improves function of the coronary arteries

In a pilot study of people living with HIV or high levels of cholesterol, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that a six-week course of a cholesterol-lowering medication improved the function of the coronary arteries that provide oxygen to the heart.

30 Jul 2020