COVID 19 News and Research

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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

AI Predicts Viral Mutations to Design Future-Proof Vaccines

The wave-shaped chart Ratul Chowdhury pulls up on a computer monitor in his office captures the evolutionary cat-and-mouse game his research lab is up against.

13 Apr 2026

Novel ENDOtollins Block Harmful Inflammation While Preserving Infection Response

Scripps Research scientists have developed a new class of drug compounds that reduce harmful inflammation while leaving the body's ability to fight infections intact-a long-sought goal in treating autoimmune diseases.

7 Apr 2026

How To Create Long-Lasting Immune Cells For Stronger Vaccines

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a potential approach to develop longer-lasting vaccines for respiratory viruses such as influenza and the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

1 Apr 2026

How SARS-CoV-2 Hijacks Host tRNA Chemistry to Sustain Infection

Findings reveal coronaviruses exploit stress-linked tRNA modifications, enhancing translation efficiency and offering insights for antiviral drug development.

11 Mar 2026

How Catalytic RNA Redefined Enzymes and the Origin of Life

There have been many important discoveries along the path to what we know today about RNA, or ribonucleic acid-a molecule found in every living cell that helps carry and interpret genetic instructions.

2 Mar 2026

T Immune Cell Transcriptomic Clock Measures Aging in Specific Immune Cells

A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on February 8, 2026, titled "Single-cell transcriptomics reveal intrinsic and systemic T cell aging in COVID-19 and HIV."

20 Feb 2026

New Antibodies Prevent EBV Infection in Humanized Mouse Models

Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists reached a crucial milestone in blocking Epstein Barr virus (EBV), a pathogen estimated to infect 95% of the global population that is linked to multiple types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic health conditions.

18 Feb 2026