Respiratory News and Research

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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

Ancient Interbreeding Provided Modern Humans with Useful Genetic Variation

A new study provides fresh evidence that ancient interbreeding with archaic human species may have provided modern humans with genetic variation that helped them adapt to new environments as they dispersed across the globe.

22 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

New Insights into How Cilia Move and Power Cellular Motion

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has uncovered the atomic structure of a protein complex pivotal to the function of motile cilia, the hair-like structures extending from the surfaces of many cell types that generate their movement.

23 Jul 2025

Breakthrough Method Rapidly Generates Lung Repair Cells From Fibroblasts

Researchers in Japan have successfully generated lung cells similar to alveolar epithelial type 2 (AT2) cells from mouse embryonic fibroblasts without using stem cell technology.

4 Jul 2025

Yeast Model Offers Insight Into Proteasome and Mitochondria Interplay

A study by the Center for Redox Processes in Biomedicine (Redoxoma) led by Marilene Demasi from the Butantan Institute (São Paulo, Brazil) presents a valuable new experimental model for investigating the interaction between the proteasome and mitochondrial function.

30 Jun 2025

Fungal Spores in the Air May Predict Flu and COVID-19 Surges

Monitoring fungal spores in the outdoor air can predict surges in flu and COVID-19 infections, especially during the fall, according to a new study.

23 Jun 2025

Infant Gut Bacteria Linked to Long-Term Viral Immunity

Findings reveal that early gut microbiome profiles in infants may protect against respiratory infections, paving the way for personalized health strategies.

5 Jun 2025

Zika Virus Hijacks Cellular Cleanup to Suppress Immune Response

A new study reveals the biological secret to the Zika virus's infectious success: Zika uses host cells' own "self-care" system of clearing away useless molecules to suppress the host proteins that the virus has employed to get into those cells in the first place.

28 May 2025

Study Challenges Longstanding Mitochondrial Theory of Aging

The human genome is broadly classified into the genome residing in the cell nucleus (nuclear DNA) and the genome residing in the mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA: mtDNA). Mitochondria are cell organelles that produce energy essential for life activities through oxidative phosphorylation (mitochondrial respiration), and mtDNA encodes a set of genes required for mitochondrial respiration.

27 May 2025

CAR-T Cell Therapy Causes “Brain Fog,” Independent of Other Cancer Treatments

After treatment with CAR-T cells - immune cells engineered to attack cancer - patients sometimes tell their doctors they feel like they have "brain fog," or forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating.

13 May 2025

Dangerous Synthetic Opioids and Animal Sedatives Not Approved for Human Use Have Been Found in Australia's Wastewater

University of South Australia scientists have developed a highly sensitive method to detect illegal opioids and a veterinary sedative in Australia’s wastewater system, providing a vital early warning tool to public health authorities.

28 Apr 2025

Birds Hold Remarkable Clues to Fighting Human and Animal Infections

Australian and Dutch researchers have uncovered a remarkable evolutionary adaptation in birds that could hold vital clues for combating avian flu and respiratory infections in humans, including pneumonia and COVID-19.

24 Apr 2025

MitoBrainMap Unlocks Secrets of Brain Energy Distribution

Everything the brain does-from storing memories to interpreting sights to regulating emotions-requires energy, all produced by cellular organelles called mitochondria.

28 Mar 2025

Researchers Unveil the Architecture of Mitochondria at Unprecedented Resolution

Mitochondria are the powerhouses in our cells, producing the energy for all vital processes. Using cryo-electron tomography, researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, have now gained insight into the architecture of mitochondria at unprecedented resolution.

22 Mar 2025

Bispecific antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 variant neutralization

Bispecific antibodies targeting multiple SARS-CoV-2 sites offer enhanced neutralization against emerging variants, advancing COVID-19 treatment strategies.

14 Mar 2025

Study Reveals How Tuberculosis Bacteria Survive Airborne Journey

Tuberculosis bacteria rely on a family of genes that help them survive the challenging journey from one person's lungs to another person's during coughing, sneezing or talking, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

12 Mar 2025

Cellular Changes as Lung Damage Worsens During COVID-19 Revealed

Changes in the cellular response during lung damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 – the virus behind COVID-19 – have been uncovered.

10 Mar 2025

Lactylation Levels Influence Cardiac Development and Regeneration in Mice

This study is led by Dr. Xiaodong Luan (Institute of Clinical Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital), Dr. Shuyang Zhang (Department of Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital) and Dr. He Huang (Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences).

3 Mar 2025