COVID 19 News and Research

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University of Oklahoma Study Uncovers Internal Recycling System in Photoreceptors

For decades, scientists believed that photoreceptors in the retina relied primarily on neighboring support cells, known as the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), to remove waste. While the RPE is still responsible for clearing away the worn-out tips of photoreceptors each day, new findings from the University of Oklahoma reveal that photoreceptors also perform much of their own internal housekeeping.

30 Jul 2026

Novel Dendritic Cell Vaccine Redirects Viral Memory to Fight Tumors

In a discovery that could redefine the future of cancer immunotherapy, scientists from Celloram Inc., University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University have developed a novel cancer vaccine platform that transforms the impact of the largest immunological event in modern history

28 Jul 2026

Synthetic Biology Breakthrough Rebuilds Basic Features of Cellular Life

Nature is beautiful, powerful and essential. But nature is not always gentle. The same biological world that gives rise to forests, coral reefs and human life also produces infections, cancer, genetic disease, crop blights and toxins.

24 Jul 2026

GLP-1 Drugs Show Promise Against Long COVID-Related Lung Scarring

GLP-1 agonists have gained widespread use for managing weight loss and type 2 diabetes, with recent research indicating additional health advantages.

13 Jul 2026

Study Finds Common COVID-19 Pandemic Drugs are Toxic to Marine Life

A new study published in New Contaminants suggests that several drugs widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic can be toxic to marine organisms, even at relatively low concentrations.

2 Jul 2026

Study Reveals Why the Immune System Struggles to Reset Against New Variants

COVID-19 vaccine boosters not only protect against SARS‑CoV‑2 – the virus behind the most recent pandemic – but may also help protect against some future coronaviruses that risk spreading from animals to humans, Cambridge researchers have shown.

2 Jul 2026

Scientists Discover Hidden Protein Variant Driving Severe COVID-19 and Lung Fibrosis

A genetic difference carried by nearly one in three people may increase the risk of severe COVID-19 and lung fibrosis by disrupting the function of a previously unknown protein, according to a new study.

25 Jun 2026

Penn Study Uses AI to Discover Prion-Based Antibiotics

New antibiotic candidates for drug-resistant bacteria may reside inside prions, mis-folded protein in the brain best known for rare and fatal degenerative brain diseases.

22 Jun 2026

Mapping Tiny Genetic Variations to Better Predict Future Global Pandemics

Most pandemics start when a pathogen spreads from animals to humans. It's a leading explanation for the COVID-19 pandemic: the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, is a cousin to coronaviruses that live in bats.

16 Jun 2026

Scientists Decode How T Cells Stop Deadly Viruses

T cells are among the immune system’s essential soldiers. They can inhibit tumor development and even combat serious infections.

3 Jun 2026

Rapid Diagnostic Tool Yields Definitive Bacterial Pathogen Screening Results in 40 Minutes Flat

Inspired by the widely used and user-friendly COVID-19 strip test kits, a team of science students from Chulalongkorn University has developed a test kit for detecting pathogens in milk and dairy products. The team combined the LAMP technique with strip test technology to create a simple screening tool for harmful bacteria that can be easily used by the public.

26 May 2026

Researchers Use Yeast Sugar Molecules to Extend COVID Vaccine Immunity in Mice

In a new study published in Nature Immunology, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital demonstrated that pairing the original COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with an immune system enhancer, known as an adjuvant, extended the duration of the vaccine's protection in mice from a few months up to two years. The combo also showed a more pronounced response against omicron viral components than the vaccine alone.

23 May 2026

Engineers Develop New mRNA Adjuvant That Dramatically Amplifies Cancer-Fighting T Cells

Engineers from the University of Houston, MIT and Harvard have developed a new mRNA-based strategy that dramatically amplifies the T-cell response to vaccines - an advance that could lead to far more powerful cancer vaccines and stronger protection against infectious diseases.

20 May 2026

Study Explores How Highly Infectious TB Cases Drive Transmission

Superspreading became a familiar concept to many during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior studies examining infectious disease epidemics, including those on COVID-19, have found that some individuals are much more likely to transmit infections to other people.

15 May 2026

Comprehensive Wastewater Genomics Detects All Oncogenic Viruses Concurrently

A study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology is the first comprehensive approach to detect all known cancer-causing or oncogenic viruses concurrently by analyzing viral genomes in wastewater.

15 May 2026

Promising New Hanta Virus Vaccine Under Development by University of Bath Researchers

A highly promising vaccine for Hanta virus is being developed by researchers from the University of Bath. The team is led by Professor Asel Sartbaeva, Chemistry researcher at the University and co-founder of University spinout company Ensilitech.

8 May 2026

Cryo-EM Images Reveal Coronavirus Proofreading Enzyme in Atomic Detail

The closest-ever detailed look at a key enzyme inside the virus that causes COVID-19 could lead to more effective treatment of the disease.

8 May 2026

Researchers Find COVID-19 Shifting Toward an Endemic Phase

The World Health Organization declared the global health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic over in 2023, as most people had developed immune protection against the virus through vaccination and/or prior infection.

23 Apr 2026

Scientists Uncover the Molecular Fingerprints of mRNA Vaccine-Induced T Cells

The advent of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the Nobel-prize–winning technology is being adapted to fight cancer, with mRNA vaccines in clinical trials for melanoma, small cell lung cancer and bladder cancer, among others, opening the door to new ways of preventing and treating the disease.

17 Apr 2026

Single-Molecule Imaging Reveals How Anabaena Maintains Its Rectangular Shape

Photosynthetic bacteria helped shape Planet Earth. Among them are cyanobacteria that produced the oxygen in our atmosphere and made complex life possible, captivating scientists for decades. Now, researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) report a surprising new discovery-a system thought to separate DNA has developed to sculpt the shape of the cell in cyanobacteria instead. The results, published in Science, shed light on how protein systems evolve and how multicellularity emerged in this type of ecologically essential bacteria.

17 Apr 2026