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.

Rat Study Reveals Orbitofrontal Cortex Cells That Power Learning Under Uncertainty

Newly identified brain cells evolved along the theme, "Life is uncertain; Eat dessert first." The neurons, located in the front part of the brain, are most active when the outcome of a decision is uncertain, suggesting that they help with decision making, along with learning and mental flexibility in general.

10 Oct 2025

Antibody 04_A06 Neutralizes Nearly All Tested HIV Variants in Laboratory Studies

A Cologne-led research team has discovered the antibody 04_A06, which neutralizes the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in almost all tested variants in vitro and even overcomes typical resistance mechanisms.

7 Oct 2025

Study Reveals Tissue-Specific DNA Patterns Used by HIV to Evade Detection

Researchers at Western University and the University of Calgary have discovered how HIV hides in different parts of the body by embedding itself into the DNA of cells in a tissue-specific manner, offering new insights into why the virus is so difficult to eliminate and cure – even decades after infection and treatment.

7 Oct 2025

Breakthrough in Understanding How Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Infects Human Brain Cells

The protein on human cells that tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) uses for infection has now been identified-a major step toward understanding how TBEV causes neurological disease and for developing antiviral drugs.

3 Oct 2025

Discovery Reveals Spinal Neurons as Active Players in Sexual Behavior

For decades, it was thought that while the brain orchestrated male sexual behavior – arousal, courtship, and copulation – the spinal cord merely executed the final act: ejaculation. But a study from the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) challenges that tidy division.

25 Sep 2025

Discovery of R-Loops Reveals Key Vulnerability in HIV-1 Life Cycle

Researchers at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at Heidelberg University Hospital have decoded a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 selects its integration targets in the human genome.

17 Sep 2025

Engineered Base Editor Corrects ACTA2 Mutation in Rare Childhood Disease

Multisystemic smooth muscle dysfunction syndrome (MSMDS) is a rare condition associated with stroke, aortic dissection (tearing) and death in childhood.

13 Sep 2025

New Research Highlights a More Efficient CAR T Treatment

This review article focuses on the transformative potential of in vivo CAR T cell treatment in overcoming the constraints of standard CAR T cell production.

8 Sep 2025

Scientists Identify Human Proteins Essential for SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Replication

Despite vaccines and treatments, SARS-CoV-2-the virus that causes COVID-19-continues to pose a global health threat, driven by new variants and its ability to hijack human cells in ways that still aren't fully understood.

5 Sep 2025

Microbial Signatures Help Distinguish Colorectal Tumors from Other Cancers

Colorectal cancer is unique in having its own microbial 'fingerprint' – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

4 Sep 2025

Belgian Scientists Reveal How Dendritic Cells Respond to Lipid Nanoparticles

Belgian scientists have uncovered new details about how the immune system responds to vaccines. Dendritic cells, which are key immune messengers that help kick-start the body's defenses, show specific responses to lipid nanoparticles.

27 Aug 2025

H5N1 Evolution Points to Higher Risk of Human Transmission

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the H5N1 influenza virus. It was first identified in birds three decades ago and has now gradually found its way to humans.

13 Aug 2025

Mapping T Cell Targets to Fight Coronaviruses and Beyond

Most vaccines are designed to provide immunity against just one pathogen. Vaccines for chicken pox (caused by varicella-zoster virus) were only developed to fight that one disease, for example.

8 Aug 2025

Small Viral Protein ORF3a Reveals Big Role in SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Chicago discovered that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses a small but powerful protein, ORF3a, to assemble the infectious particles, making it more efficient at spreading the disease.

29 Jul 2025