Virus News and Research

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A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that can reproduce only inside a host cell. Viruses infect all types of organisms: from animals and plants, to bacteria and archaea. Since the initial discovery of tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 5,000 types of virus have been described in detail, although most types of virus remain undiscovered. Viruses are ubiquitous, as they are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, and are the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet. The study of viruses is known as virology, and is a branch of microbiology.

Study finds how SARS-CoV-2 hijacks human cell machinery to disrupt the immune response

SARS-CoV-2 hijacks human cell machinery to disrupt the immune response, enabling it to cause infection, replicate, and cause disease.

4 May 2021

New gene therapy could help treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers from UT Southwestern used a new kind of gene therapy to successfully treat mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), distinctively employing CRISPR-Cas9-based tools to restore a large section of the dystrophin protein missing in several DMD patients.

3 May 2021

Distinctive "spike" proteins of SARS-CoV-2 also play a key role in the disease

Scientists have known for a while that SARS-CoV-2's distinctive "spike" proteins help the virus infect its host by latching on to healthy cells.

3 May 2021

New gene editing tool helps analyze the mysterious quirk of bacteria

While the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has become the poster child for innovation in synthetic biology, it has some major limitations.

3 May 2021

Study reveals SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can trigger long-term gene expression changes

According to the findings of a recent cell study, the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can trigger long-term gene expression changes.

29 Apr 2021

Study shows a possible link between pesticide exposure and increased COVID-19 susceptibility

Researchers have discovered a possible connection between increased vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and exposure to organophosphate pesticides.

27 Apr 2021

Low-dose administration of MERS DNA vaccine protects against COVID-19

The Wistar Institute has developed a synthetic DNA vaccine candidate for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

26 Apr 2021

New AI model predicts targets for previously unmapped T cells against coronavirus

A research team has created an AI technique that can bind immune cells to their targets and uncouple the types of white blood cells that identify SARS-CoV-2.

26 Apr 2021

Natural molecule can effectively block the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have found that a natural molecule can effectively block the binding of a subset of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The discovery may help explain why some COVID-19 patients can become severely ill despite having high levels of antibodies against the virus.

23 Apr 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection produces antibodies that can destroy infected cells

Research teams investigated the antibodies generated in people with symptomatic or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

23 Apr 2021

Study identifies mechanism that enables SARS viruses to efficiently replicate in infected cells

Researchers have now identified how SARS viruses improve the production of viral proteins in infected cells such that new copies of the virus can be produced.

23 Apr 2021

Study offers new ways to think about the immune system

Scientists have discovered new methods to interpret the immune system, as part of a new study reported in the Nature journal.

21 Apr 2021

Sampling environmental DNA and RNA could help determine the presence of pathogens

Conventional techniques lack the potential to easily sample wider geographical areas and huge numbers of individuals.

21 Apr 2021

Study finds raised levels of specific immune cells in asymptomatic people with COVID-19

The largest study of its type in the UK has identified differences in the immune response to COVID-19, between people with no symptoms, compared to those suffering a more serious reaction to the virus.

21 Apr 2021

Interferon-stimulating genes control SARS-CoV-2 replication

Researchers have found a set of human genes that combat infection due to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19.

20 Apr 2021

Antibodies may not inhibit SARS-CoV-2 variants from minks

It has been known for about a year that minks can become infected with SARS-CoV-2. The virus had been transmitted from humans to farmed mink and mutated in infected animals. Mutations were acquired in the spike protein, which is crucial for the entry of the virus into host cells and represents the central point of attack for antibodies.

20 Apr 2021

Supercomputer simulations reveal the behavior of dominant G form SARS-CoV-2 strain

Large-scale supercomputer simulations at the atomic level show that the dominant G form variant of the COVID-19-causing virus is more infectious partly because of its greater ability to readily bind to its target host receptor in the body, compared to other variants.

19 Apr 2021

Study reveals how some antibodies can effectively disable ebolaviruses

Some survivors of ebolavirus outbreaks make antibodies that can broadly neutralize these viruses--and now, scientists at Scripps Research have illuminated how these antibodies can disable the viruses so effectively. The insights may be helpful for developing effective therapies.

16 Apr 2021

Ebola virus protein changes shape by using human RNA

The human genome contains the instructions to make tens of thousands of proteins. Each protein folds into a precise shape--and biologists are taught that defined shape dictates the protein's destined function. Tens of thousands of singular shapes drive the tens of thousands of needed functions.

15 Apr 2021

Scientists characterize the genetic diversity of populations in the South Pacific

Describing the genetic diversity of human populations is essential to improve our understanding of human diseases and their geographical distribution.

15 Apr 2021

Virus News and Research

Study finds how SARS-CoV-2 hijacks human cell machinery to disrupt the immune response

New gene therapy could help treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Distinctive "spike" proteins of SARS-CoV-2 also play a key role in the disease

New gene editing tool helps analyze the mysterious quirk of bacteria

Study reveals SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can trigger long-term gene expression changes

Study shows a possible link between pesticide exposure and increased COVID-19 susceptibility

Low-dose administration of MERS DNA vaccine protects against COVID-19

New AI model predicts targets for previously unmapped T cells against coronavirus

Natural molecule can effectively block the binding of human antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 infection produces antibodies that can destroy infected cells

Study identifies mechanism that enables SARS viruses to efficiently replicate in infected cells

Study offers new ways to think about the immune system

Sampling environmental DNA and RNA could help determine the presence of pathogens

Study finds raised levels of specific immune cells in asymptomatic people with COVID-19

Interferon-stimulating genes control SARS-CoV-2 replication

Antibodies may not inhibit SARS-CoV-2 variants from minks

Supercomputer simulations reveal the behavior of dominant G form SARS-CoV-2 strain

Study reveals how some antibodies can effectively disable ebolaviruses

Ebola virus protein changes shape by using human RNA

Scientists characterize the genetic diversity of populations in the South Pacific

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