Virology News and Research

RSS

Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy.

Researchers Develop STITCHR to Insert Whole Genes Without Unwanted Mutations

Investigators from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed STITCHR, a new gene editing tool that can insert therapeutic genes into specific locations without causing unwanted mutations.

12 Apr 2025

Pig Retinal Organoids Offer Promising Model for Stem Cell-Based Vision Therapies

Inside the human eye, the retina is made up of several types of cells, including the light-sensing photoreceptors that initiate the cascade of events that lead to vision.

14 Mar 2025

Scientists Develop Off-the-Shelf Vascular Grafts Using Stem Cells

Zhang, J., et al. (2025) Small-diameter artery grafts engineered from pluripotent stem cells maintain 100% patency in an allogeneic rhesus macaque model. Cell Reports Medicine. doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102002.

12 Mar 2025

New AI-Based Device Makes Flow Cytometry Affordable and Accessible

A team of researchers at the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing at Rice University has developed an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled, low-cost device that will make flow cytometry ⎯ a technique used to analyze cells or particles in a fluid using a laser beam ⎯ affordable and accessible.

3 Mar 2025

Study Unveils Phage-Bacteria Dynamics in the Early Life Gut Microbiome

A world of microbes resides within the gut of every human being. This vast microbial community, the microbiome, which includes bacteria and viruses, has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to actively contribute to both health and disease.

26 Feb 2025

Breakthrough in Understanding Semliki Forest Virus Neuro-Invasion

In a recent study, researchers from Uppsala University show that the Semliki Forest virus enters the central nervous system by first entering the cerebrospinal fluid and then binding to a specific cell type before penetrating deeper into the brain.

16 Jan 2025

Research Shows How Sleep Clears Brain Waste

A good night's sleep does more than just help you feel rested-it might literally clear your mind. A new study published January 8 in the Cell Press journal Cell shows how deep sleep may wash away waste buildup in the brain during waking hours, an essential process for maintaining brain health.

10 Jan 2025

Unveiling the Hidden Role of Deep-Sea Viruses in Global Climate Dynamics

The significance of deep-sea virology and its impacts on global climate and biogeochemical structures is not unknown, though its importance might be understated.

4 Dec 2024

Hepatitis E Virus Impairs Neuronal Cells, Reducing Neurite Length

For the first time, scientists can examine the effects of hepatitis E viruses on nerve cells using a novel cell model.

19 Nov 2024

Scientists Capture Viral Infection Process Using Light Microscope

The COVID-19 pandemic led to heightened public interest in learning about viruses and how they can cause diseases.

15 Nov 2024

SARS-CoV-2 Outwits Immune System, Prolonging Infection

SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the function of the complement system, a crucial element of early antiviral immunity, by hijacking three crucial host proteins, according to research from the Medical Universities of Vienna and Innsbruck.

11 Nov 2024

New Insights into SARS-CoV-2’s Evasion of Innate Immunity

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can counteract a cell's innate defense mechanism against viruses, explaining why it is more infectious than the previous SARS and MERS-causing viruses.

23 Oct 2024

AI Uncovers Over 160000 New RNA Virus Species

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to reveal details of a diverse and fundamental branch of life living right under our feet and in every corner of the globe.

10 Oct 2024

New Strategies to Block Insect-Borne Virus Transmission

Viruses are master parasites that have evolved to infect a variety of host species.

11 Sep 2024

Flavivirus Hijacks Importin-7 for Nuclear Transport and Replication

Viruses of the family Flaviviridae, including Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Tick-borne encephalitis virus, are significant arthropod-borne pathogens.

15 Aug 2024

New ProDOL Technique Revolutionizes Protein Counting in Living Cells

Scientists have developed a new way of counting labeled proteins in living cells that could become a standard and valuable tool in the field of biomedical research.

12 Aug 2024

Harvard Researchers Crack the Code on Western Equine Encephalitis Decline

The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans.

29 Jul 2024

Dairy Cattle Become Hosts for Avian Flu Transmission

A new study reveals evidence that avian influenza has spilled over from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states, resulting in mammal-to-mammal transmission between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon.

25 Jul 2024

UNC Charlotte Study: SARS-CoV-2 Variants BA.2.86 and JN.1 Show Minimal Immune Evasion

New research from UNC Charlotte's Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) has found that the two recent and prevalent strains of the virus that cause COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, are not significantly better than their predecessor Omicron at evading immune responses and causing infections despite having a high number of mutations compared to Omicron.

22 Jul 2024

Flu Virus Exploits Immune System Weakness to Infect Cells

The majority of influenza viruses enter animal or human cells through particular surface-based pathways. It has recently been found by researchers at the University of Zurich that some influenza viruses, both human and avian, can also enter cells through a second entry point that involves an immune system protein complex.

18 Jul 2024