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.

Individuals infected with mild-to-moderate COVID 19 mount a robust antibody response

The vast majority of individuals infected with mild-to-moderate COVID 19 mount a robust antibody response that is relatively stable for at least five months, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published October 28, in the journal Science.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers are decoding the genetics of agricultural pests

The University of Cincinnati is decoding the genetics of agricultural pests in projects that could help boost crop and livestock production to feed millions more people around the world.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers receive $2.6 million grant to examine tau-glycan interactions involved in Alzheimer's disease

Tangles of misfolded tau proteins in the brain are closely associated with memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

29 Oct 2020

Genetic predispositions affect the efficacy of COVID-19 drugs

A paper recently uploaded to bioRxiv* aimed to utilize genome-wide CRISPR screening to identify genes involved in modulating the activity of COVID-19 drugs.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers map molecular structure of CV30 antibody to neutralize coronavirus

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have shown that a potent antibody from a COVID-19 survivor interferes with a key feature on the surface of the coronavirus's distinctive spikes and induces critical pieces of those spikes to break off in the process.

28 Oct 2020

Specific metabolites can predict COVID-19 mortality

A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute, Western University and University of Alberta suggests that COVID-19 affects the human body's blood concentration levels of specific metabolites - small molecules broken down in the human body through the process of metabolism.

28 Oct 2020

Serologic testing of COVID-19 patients as an adjunct diagnostic method

A recent paper explored the possibility of using serologic testing as an adjunct diagnostic method in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

28 Oct 2020

Researchers develop new sensors to detect gene activity

A team of researchers have developed genetic sensors that are capable of detecting the activity of genes, instead of only the genes themselves.

From The University of Warwick 27 Oct 2020

Proviral and antiviral genes may help develop new therapies for COVID-19

Scientists have screened an unlimited number of cells exposed to the COVID-19 virus and detected genes that appear to close the door on the virus.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers identify genes associated with autism spectrum disorder

The lack of some genes in the BEC/TCEAL cluster could be related to some alterations associated with the autism spectrum disorder, according to a preclinical study published in the journal Genome Biology, and led by Professor Jordi Garcia Fernàndez, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), and researcher Jaime Carvajal, from the Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology - University Pablo de Olavide (CSIC-UPO).

27 Oct 2020

Study shows potential avenues of COVID-19 vulnerability in patients with diabetic kidney disease

People with diabetes -- especially the 20 to 40 percent with diabetic kidney disease -- are among the most at risk for serious complications and death from COVID-19.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers identify new potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection

To identify new potential therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2, a team of scientists at the New York Genome Center, New York University, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, performed a genome-scale, loss-of-function CRISPR screen to systematically knockout all genes in the human genome.

27 Oct 2020

Exploiting CRISPR systems for the fast detection of SARS-CoV-2

A paper published on medRxiv describes a repurposed type III CRISPR-Cas system that can detect the virus from nasopharyngeal swabs in less than an hour.

26 Oct 2020

Study indicates underlying molecular sources in COVID-19 variability

Humans have different susceptibilities to SARS-CoV-2, and eventually develop varying degrees of fatigue, fever, and breathing problems.

26 Oct 2020

Study: Early travel restrictions have significantly limited the spread of COVID-19 virus

The coronavirus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has one official name--SARS-CoV-2. But according to virologists, mutations lead to hundreds of genetically-distinct versions of the virus.

23 Oct 2020

Research on broadly neutralizing antibodies may lead to universal flu vaccine

New research from an immunology team at the University of Chicago may shed light on the challenges of developing a universal flu vaccine that would provide long-lasting and broad protection against influenza viruses.

23 Oct 2020

Scientists develop lab-grown lung model to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of Duke University researchers has developed a lab-grown living lung model that mimics the tiny air sacs of the lungs where coronavirus infection and serious lung damage take place. This advance has enabled them to watch the battle between the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and lung cells at the finest molecular scale.

23 Oct 2020

Researchers develop "mini lungs" to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

'Mini-lungs' grown from tissue donated to Cambridge hospitals has provided a team of scientists from South Korea and the UK with important insights into how COVID-19 damages the lungs.

23 Oct 2020

Research shows how a combination of images can help detect food security threats

New research shows how a combination of imagery from mobile phones, drones and satellites can be used to clamp down on banana threats.

23 Oct 2020

Dietary supplement can support immune system to combat SARS-CoV-2 infections

SPIN (SPermidin and eugenol INtegrator for the contrasting incidence of coronavirus in EU population) is a European project powered by EIT Food that is currently developing a dietary supplement supporting the function of the immune system in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 infections in the population at high risk.

22 Oct 2020