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.

Revealing the Molecular Machinery of Virus Warriors Against Bacterial Infections

The term “virus” is frequently linked with negative implications. Nevertheless, it is crucial to recognize that not all viruses are detrimental.

18 Dec 2023

CRISPR Takes Probiotics to the Next Level

Humans can benefit significantly from symbiotic relationships with probiotics-;live bacteria and microorganisms that influence the gut microbiota.

14 Dec 2023

Novel DNA Tension Probe Technology Offers Precise Measurement of Platelet Function

A novel technique to test platelet function within a person's blood sample is faster, easier and more precise than methods currently in use, an experimental study shows.

12 Dec 2023

Zika's Enzyme Cascade Holds the Key to Viral Replication

Viruses operate with limited genetic material and a sparse protein repertoire, requiring efficient utilization of their components. The Zika virus serves as an illustrative case, producing only 10 proteins.

11 Dec 2023

Researchers Redesign the Future of mRNA Therapeutics

Scientists have unearthed that errors in the interpretation of therapeutic mRNA by the cell’s decoding apparatus can incite an inadvertent immune reaction within the body.

7 Dec 2023

Researchers Redesign Future mRNA Therapeutics to Prevent Potentially Harmful Immune Responses

Researchers have discovered that misreading of therapeutic mRNAs by the cell’s decoding machinery can cause an unintended immune response in the body.

5 Dec 2023

Breakthrough Research in Leishmaniasis Reveals Pain-Suppression Pathways

For the first time, scientists have begun to figure out why the disfiguring skin lesions caused by cutaneous leishmaniasis don't hurt.

1 Dec 2023

Computational Insights and Magnetic Tweezers: Unraveling Coronavirus Biomechanics

Richard Feynman is renowned for expressing, “Everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jigglings and wigglings of atoms.”

28 Nov 2023

Clean Cells Doubles Capacity with Opening of New Production Suites

Clean Cells today announces the launch of operations in its new production suites, located in the new facility opened in January 2023.

27 Nov 2023

Structural Insights Into Coronavirus Spike Proteins

Coronaviruses employ protein “spikes” to latch onto and infect cells. Contrary to their name, these spikes do not have a rigid and pointed structure. Instead, they resemble chicken drumsticks, with the meaty portion facing outward.

27 Nov 2023

Brunel University London Secures Japanese Patent for Gene Therapy Vector Safety Test

Gene therapy is a rapidly growing area of medical science. But there is little in the way of safety testing the vectors used to deliver gene therapy.

23 Nov 2023

New Optical Tweezers Open Up New Insights on Specific DNA Motor Proteins

Using “optical tweezers” driven by lasers, researchers have discovered a universal motor mechanism that viruses utilize to package their DNA into infectious particles.

22 Nov 2023

Study Sheds Light on Factors Contributing to Low-Level Viremia in HIV Patients

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) works by entering specific immune cells and replicating inside them.

15 Nov 2023

Bacteria and Viruses Evolve New Strategies in Accelerated Arms Race

As conceived by Charles Darwin in the 1800s, evolution is a slow, gradual process during which species adaptations are inherited incrementally over generations.

10 Nov 2023

Novel Gene Therapy Targets Core Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

A team of researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have devised a gene therapy approach aimed at selectively manipulating the affected circuitry in Parkinson’s disease.

6 Nov 2023

New LoCKAmp Device Delivers Lab-Quality COVID Test Results in Just 3 Minutes

A virus diagnosis device that gives lab-quality results within just three minutes has been invented by engineers at the University of Bath, who describe it as the 'world's fastest Covid test'.

3 Nov 2023

The Dominant Phage-Resistant LAB in Long-Term Kimchi Fermentation

Scientists from the World Institute of Kimchi have successfully extracted lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains that exhibit remarkable phage resistance.

2 Nov 2023

New Modular Nanoparticle Technology Opens the Door to a Variety of Therapeutic Approaches

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed modular nanoparticles that can be easily customized to target different biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins.

31 Oct 2023

MIT Chemists Discover Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Ion Channel in Open State

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.

16 Oct 2023

DNA from 19th Century Fruit Flies Sheds Light on Evolution

Back when the biggest fly enthusiasts of 19th century Sweden -; Carl Fredrik Fallén, for one, and later Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt -; were collecting insects for what would become Lund University's entomological collections, they wondered exactly what was that buzzing coming from their can of raisins.

13 Oct 2023