Pathogen News and Research

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Researchers make new discovery in the quest for novel antibiotics

Scientists who highlighted the bug-busting properties of bacteria in Northern Irish soil have made another exciting discovery in the quest to discover new antibiotics.

15 Jan 2021

Researchers develop novel nanobodies against SARS coronavirus-2

An international research team led by the University of Bonn has identified and further developed novel antibody fragments against the SARS coronavirus-2. These "nanobodies" are much smaller than the classic antibodies used to treat US President Donald Trump, for example.

13 Jan 2021

Researchers determine atomic structure of coronavirus protein linked to disease severity

A team of HIV researchers, cellular biologists, and biophysicists who banded together to support COVID-19 science determined the atomic structure of a coronavirus protein thought to help the pathogen evade and dampen response from human immune cells.

13 Jan 2021

Sequencing-based solution can help determine patients’ response to infection therapy

Scientists from the University of Helsinki have created a new sequencing-based strategy for identifying pathogens from complex samples.

8 Jan 2021

Disease-induced microbial shifts indicate new management strategies for crops

While humans are facing the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the citrus industry is attempting to control its own pernicious disease, Huanglongbing (HLB), which is also called citrus greening disease.

8 Jan 2021

Scientists modify toxic pesticide to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A significant class of heterocyclic compounds, called N-Aryl-C-nitroazoles, is used as fungicides and pesticides. But these substances could be harmful to human beings and cause mutations.

4 Jan 2021

Gut cells raise alarm during parasite invasion

To effectively combat an infection, the body first has to sense it's been invaded, then the affected tissue must send out signals to corral resources to fight the intruder.

29 Dec 2020

Transporter protein likely played a crucial role in vertebrate evolution

A transporter protein that regulates cell membrane cholesterol likely played an important role in vertebrate evolution, according to a review published by iCeMS researchers in the journal FEBS Letters.

24 Dec 2020

Study reveals lower transfer of protective SARS-CoV-2 antibodies via the placenta

Recent analyses indicate that pregnant women and newborns may face elevated risks of developing more severe cases of COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

24 Dec 2020

Scientists observe detailed images of spike proteins in coronavirus

Coronaviruses, similar to the one that causes COVID-19 infection, are embedded with protein “spikes” that attach to receptors on their victims’ cells.

21 Dec 2020

New study targets small proteins in Salmonella to combat the pathogen

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that causes food poisoning upon infection, with acute diarrhea.

17 Dec 2020

Researchers identify suitable biocatalyst for designing COVID-19 vaccine

The chemical substance class of nucleosides is attracting a great deal of interest, and this can be attributed to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.

17 Dec 2020

Gene expression database sheds light on pneumococcal infection

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine published one of the most comprehensive analyses of how genes get expressed during infection (known as a transcriptome).

16 Dec 2020

Biochemical methods reveal signal transduction mystery inside human pathogen

In order to adapt to the changing environment, bacteria must quickly transform extracellular information into appropriate intracellular reactions. Two component system (TCS) is the main signal transduction protein in prokaryotic cells to transform environmental stimuli into cellular responses.

16 Dec 2020

New antibiotic can help treat drug-resistant pathogens

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Medicine have designed a potential new antibiotic for a pathogen that is highly resistant to drugs and is often lethal to individuals suffering from lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis.

11 Dec 2020

A genetic shortcut to help visualize proteins at work

A group at Gladstone Institutes and UC San Francisco (UCSF) has demonstrated that a large-scale and systematic genetic approach can indeed yield reliable and detailed information on the structure of protein complexes.

11 Dec 2020

New portable optical sensor can monitor plant stress

The portable device allows rapid detection of nitrogen deficiency - a critical nutrient for plant health. When tested on popular vegetables such as Spinach and Kai-Lan, the device was also able to detect levels of other metabolites; allowing measurement of a wider range of plant stress phenotypes such as drought, heat/cold, saline, and light stress.

11 Dec 2020

Toxic pollutants may be influencing wildlife disease spread, finds study

Exposure to toxic pollutants associated with human activities may be influencing the spread of infectious diseases in wildlife, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

From University of Georgia 11 Dec 2020

Study provides new insight on how lung bacteria protect against invading pathogens

New insight on how bacteria in the lungs protect against invading pathogens has been published today in the open-access eLife journal.

9 Dec 2020

Researchers discover molecular mechanism of plant immune receptors

In a recent study, Alexander von Humboldt Professor Jijie Chai at the University of Cologne and his team together with MPIPZ researchers have succeeded for the first time in reconstructing the sequence of molecular events that activate an inactive plant immune receptor and thus mediate the death of the host cell.

8 Dec 2020