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.

Analysis of nearly 300 new SARS-CoV-2 antibodies reveals a common feature

An analysis of nearly 300 recently identified human SARS-CoV-2 antibodies uncovered a gene frequently used in antibodies that most effectively target the virus. The results contribute to growing structural insight that will be needed for successful vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2.

14 Jul 2020

Researchers identify unique signature that may account for severe COVID-19

By studying fifty COVID-19 patients, researchers in France identified a unique signature - a combination of deficiency in a response of a particular interferon, as well as exacerbated inflammation - in the most critically ill.

14 Jul 2020

Single dose of flu drug can limit the spread of the illness within households

A single dose of the flu drug baloxavir marboxil can reduce the spread of the illness within households, new research concludes.

14 Jul 2020

Study solves longstanding mysteries about frogs

Frogs and toads are green for a very good reason - it makes them harder to see in their leafy environments. Good camouflage allows them to eat and not be eaten. But not all frogs have arrived at this life-saving greenness in the same way.

14 Jul 2020

Researchers evaluate role of zinc in COVID-19 prevention

Researchers from Sechenov University in collaboration with colleagues from Germany, Greece and Russia reviewed scientific articles on the role of zinc in the prevention and treatment of viral infections and pneumonia, with projections on those caused by SARS-CoV-2. The results were published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.

14 Jul 2020

Common molecular feature in SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies discovered

A team led by scientists at Scripps Research has discovered a common molecular feature found in many of the human antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

14 Jul 2020

Human papilloma viruses may play a causal role in prostate cancer

Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) - a common group of viruses known to cause cervical cancers - may also have a causal role in prostate cancer, according to a literature review published in the open access journal Infectious Agents and Cancer, supporting the case for universal HPV vaccination.

14 Jul 2020

Scientists discover new antiviral drug against paramyxovirus

A new antiviral drug that is effective against a broad range of human pathogens in the paramyxovirus family, such as the human parainfluenzaviruses and measles virus, has been discovered by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

14 Jul 2020

Altimmune reports positive results on intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Altimmune, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced positive results from the preclinical studies conducted in mice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham of its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AdCOVID.

14 Jul 2020

New mutation in common flu subtype helps evade immune response

Strains of a common subtype of influenza virus, H3N2, have almost universally acquired a mutation that effectively blocks antibodies from binding to a key viral protein, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

13 Jul 2020

Study may provide a therapeutically safer strategy for gene editing

The CRISPR gene editing system is a robust tool specifically developed for the targeted editing of genomes. While this tool has considerable therapeutic potential, it is associated with improper editing of “off-target” sites.

13 Jul 2020

Structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein offers clues about the virus' evolution

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have characterized the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as well as its most similar relative in a bat coronavirus. The structures provide clues about how the spike evolved and could help inform vaccine design.

10 Jul 2020

Rapid COVID-19 diagnostic infection testing

Porvair Sciences reports on the Vyon porous plastic filters it is supplying to University of Cambridge spinout company - Diagnostics for the Real World for their game-changing SAMBA II machine that provides diagnosis of COVID-19 infection in under 90 minutes.

From Porvair Sciences Limited 8 Jul 2020

New device can help test potential drug candidates for COVID-19

Scientists have created a human cell “membrane on a chip” that enables tracking of the interaction of drugs and infectious agents with the human cells.

6 Jul 2020

Researchers identify protective antibodies for rare, polio-like disease in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have isolated human monoclonal antibodies that potentially can prevent a rare but devastating polio-like illness in children linked to a respiratory viral infection.

6 Jul 2020

Study highlights the role of hematopoietic immune cells in gene regulation

More often, the human body is viewed as a “machine” containing specialized components: immune cells protect against pathogens, organs contribute physiological functions, and soft tissue and bones give structure.

6 Jul 2020

Mineral-coated microparticles are better vehicles for promising mRNA-based therapy

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have developed a safer and more efficient way to deliver a promising new method for treating cancer and liver disorders and for vaccination -- including a COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Therapeutics that has advanced to clinical trials with humans.

3 Jul 2020

COVID-19 makes platelets 'hyperactive' and more prone to form deadly blood clots

Changes in blood platelets triggered by COVID-19 could contribute to the onset of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious complications in some patients who have the disease, according to University of Utah Health scientists.

2 Jul 2020

Scientists develop CRISPR-assisted method to detect RNA-binding proteins in living cells

While scientists still don't fully understand the diverse nature of RNA molecules, it is believed that the proteins binding to them, called RNA-binding proteins, are associated with many disease formation.

2 Jul 2020

Wild strains of salmonella find a backdoor entry into plants

As the world wrestles with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which arose after the virus jumped from an animal species to the human species, University of Delaware researchers are learning about new ways other pathogens are jumping from plants to people.

1 Jul 2020