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.

Scientists link the function of specific domain of proteins to a cancer trigger in humans

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have definitively linked the function of a specific domain of proteins important in plant-microbe biology to a cancer trigger in humans, knowledge that had eluded scientists for decades.

6 Jul 2022

Study shows how drugs help to treat hepatitis A virus replication using an animal model

A virus must go through the viral replication cycle in order to propagate throughout the body and cause disease.

5 Jul 2022

Researchers target human protein to combat SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses

People are realizing now, more than two years into the COVID-19 disease outbreak, that the “new normal” will most likely involve practicing to coexist with SARS-CoV-2.

1 Jul 2022

Online version algorithm helps to detect ramp sequences of RNA, study finds

The significance of detecting and comprehending how variations between tissues and cells influence gene expression without altering the underlying genetic code is discussed in a recent study by University of Kentucky researchers.

1 Jul 2022

Scientists discover proteins that may improve CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumor model

The potential of CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of solid tumors was unlocked in a preclinical trial by researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who discovered a molecular mechanism. The findings were released in the journal Nature.

27 Jun 2022

Researchers capture a new high-resolution view of the rabies virus

Around 59,000 individuals are shockingly killed by the rabies virus each year, and several of them are children. Some victims, particularly children, discover they have been exposed after it is too late.

20 Jun 2022

Cost of groceries rose in tandem with COVID-19 cases, global study finds

By now, most Americans have felt the effects of global crises on their grocery bills. Recent research published in the journal Nature Food has found this to be a worldwide phenomenon.

14 Jun 2022

OTUD3 shows opposing effects in innate immunity to RNA and DNA viruses

The identification of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) is the first step in initiating an immune response to viral infection.

13 Jun 2022

Researchers utilize AI to reveal hitherto unknown 3D structures in rotavirus spike protein

The three types of rotavirus that cause gastroenteritis in individuals, known as groups A, B, and C, are the most well-known and afflict predominantly youngsters.

10 Jun 2022

New chemical-only process may represent an important breakthrough in creating customized mRNA vaccines

At the Nagoya University in Japan, scientists have come up with a new chemical-only process that might signify an essential discovery in making tailored mRNA vaccines for a range of diseases and enable the low-cost making of mRNA in large quantities.

9 Jun 2022

Study describes the importance of the autoimmune response in bacteria

CRISPR has made headlines in recent years for its potential to help patients with conditions as diverse as blindness and sickle cell disease. However, bacteria were already using CRISPR as an immune system to combat viruses long before humans adopted it to combat genetic disorders.

3 Jun 2022

Researchers reveal that new compact version of Cas7-11 enzyme improves RNA editing

Cas7-11, the first CRISPR enzyme that can make precise, directed cuts to strands of RNA without hurting cells, was identified and described last year by researchers at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2 Jun 2022

Researchers evaluate a new virus variant that hovers bees worldwide

A hazardous strain of the deformed wing virus is spreading over the world. Honeybees are infected with the virus, which causes their wings to atrophy and the animals to die. The new form of the virus, which has already displaced the original strain in Europe, is expanding to other parts of the globe and destroying entire bee colonies.

2 Jun 2022

Sharks may be key to developing effective COVID-19 treatments

To combat viruses, one of humankind's oldest threats, researchers are studying predators with the oldest adaptive immune system in the animal kingdom: sharks.

1 Jun 2022

Study reveals that gene variant regulates protein level to prevent blood clots in the lungs

The probability of blood clots in the lungs of very sick COVID-19 patients is influenced by a gene variant in the natural immune system. This is demonstrated in a new study published in Nature Immunology by researchers from Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet.

1 Jun 2022

Endogenous retroviruses in the human genome are likely to pose a risk in regenerative medicine

Scientists from Kumamoto University used next-generation sequencing to analyze human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) integration sites and found that these primitive retroviruses can retrotranspose (DNA sequence insertion with RNA mediation) into iPS cells.

31 May 2022

Scientists develop powerful tools using CRISPR-Cas9 to repair genetic diseases

CRISPR has marked the beginning of a new era in genomic medicine. The popular CRISPR-Cas9 has generated plenty of potent methods for curing genetic diseases.

30 May 2022

Research highlights how cornea T cells may track and combat viral infections

According to a new study, the cornea creates a sensitive and restricted immune response to combat infections without causing visual damage.

30 May 2022

Drugs used for myelodysplastic syndrome could potentially activate a sleeping oncogene

Hypomethylating agents (HMA) are currently used as a first-line treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) - a group of disorders where there is insufficient production of healthy mature blood cells in the bone marrow - and increasingly in other diseases, but their mechanism of action remains unclear.

From National University of Singapore (NUS) 27 May 2022

Study uncovers how CD8+ T cells can divide and produce two distinct daughter cells

An immunological problem has been addressed by scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Despite being genetically identical, a CD8+ T cell can divide and produce two functionally different daughter cells.

27 May 2022