Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

New theory shows why Y chromosome may be more resilient than previously believed

The Y chromosome, which is relatively smaller than its counterpart, the X chromosome, has significantly reduced in size across 200 million years of evolution.

7 Aug 2020

Synthetic peptide makes multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a synthetic peptide that can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics again when used together with traditional antibiotics, offering hope for the prospect of a combination treatment strategy to tackle certain antibiotic-tolerant infections.

7 Aug 2020

Fading attention to environmental issues may have a lasting impact

On Sept. 23, 2019, then-16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg stood before a sea of news cameras at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City and told world leaders: "People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing...How dare you continue to look away."

6 Aug 2020

New UK supply contract for COVID-19 sample collection kits

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, the AIM listed point-of-care business, announces that it has received an initial order worth £3 m from a partner from the private sector to supply PrimeStore MTM, a novel patented sample collection device, to be used in a COVID-19 testing programme for UK staff.

From EKF Diagnostics 5 Aug 2020

Old part of immune system may influence severity of COVID-19

One of the immune system's oldest branches may be influencing the severity of COVID disease, according to a new study from researchers.

4 Aug 2020

A simple screening process may improve mAb-based drug development

By screening potential monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based drugs solely based on a measure of their colloidal stability, scientists may be able to weed out mAbs that do not respond efficiently in solution early in the drug discovery process, according to a new study.

3 Aug 2020

How economic fallout due to COVID-19 puts global food security at risk

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced nations worldwide to implement unprecedented social measures to stem the rapid spread of the virus.

31 Jul 2020

Re-engineering antibodies to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection

With millions of COVID-19 cases reported across the globe, people are turning to antibody tests to find out whether they have been exposed to the coronavirus that causes the disease.

31 Jul 2020

Understanding the structure of SARS-CoV-2 proteins may lead to novel drugs

COVID-19 is a disease caused by an RNA virus called SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that is, a virus that employs RNA to preserve its genetic data.

31 Jul 2020

New initiative launched to tackle climate change and global poverty

With a founding $25 million gifts from King Philanthropies, MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is launching a new initiative to solve problems at the nexus of climate change and global poverty.

30 Jul 2020

Study may lead to new therapeutic approaches against coronaviruses

The immune system secretes an endogenous protein that can strongly suppress coronaviruses, the pathogen that is responsible for causing the current pandemic.

29 Jul 2020

Scientists discover evolutionary lineage of SARS-CoV-2 virus

By reconstructing the evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, an international research team of Chinese, European and U.S. scientists has discovered that the lineage that gave rise to the virus has been circulating in bats for decades and likely includes other viruses with the ability to infect humans.

29 Jul 2020

Gym equipment found to contain high levels of antibiotic-resistant pathogens

According to a study 43% of Staphylococcus bacteria harboring on exercise equipment in university gyms was resistant to ampicillin.

27 Jul 2020

Heparin blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell studies

In a test of antiviral effectiveness against the virus that causes COVID-19, an extract from edible seaweeds substantially outperformed remdesivir, the current standard antiviral used to combat the disease.

27 Jul 2020

Healthy travelers are not at high risk for C. auris acquisition, study suggests

Researchers have shown that there is a low risk for healthy people to acquire Candida auris during travel.

27 Jul 2020

AI can be used as a supplementary tool for identifying causal pathogens of pneumonia

A team of researchers showed that artificial intelligence (AI) could help predict the type of bacteria that caused the infection in patients with pneumonia.

27 Jul 2020

Study shows how human activities impact Earth

This quiet period, likely caused by the total global effect of social distancing measures, closure of services and industry, and drops in tourism and travel, is the longest and most pronounced quiet period of seismic noise in recorded history.

24 Jul 2020

New pathways that could help treat RNA viruses discovered

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified new pathways in an RNA-based virus where inhibitors, like medical treatments, unbind.

23 Jul 2020

Study calls for review on nutritional value of subsidized food items

The nutritional benefit of rice and sugar distributed by a national food subsidy program in India may be limited, says new research published today.

22 Jul 2020

Scientist receives DoD grant to develop freeze-dried synthetic platelets

A Case Western Reserve University scientist, who has for more than a decade pioneered research into synthetic platelet substitutes, has been awarded a $3.8 million grant by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to develop freeze-dried artificial platelets that can treat bleeding in wounded soldiers in the battlefield before they can be taken to a hospital.

22 Jul 2020