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 explores the impact of microbial immune diversity on dynamics of host-virus interactions

CRISPR-Cas serves as a key driving force of strain diversity in host-virus systems during an evolutionary fight between the host and virus.

21 Oct 2020

First-ever draft sequence of the human proteome mapped successfully

Two decades after the release of the human genome, researchers have mapped the first-ever draft sequence of the human proteome.

21 Oct 2020

Scientists develop novel lab testing procedure for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

Knowing you have developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus after recovering from COVID-19 doesn't tell you everything about your immunity.

20 Oct 2020

Researchers develop new method to advance wildlife genomics

A team of scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), the Australian Museum, and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) report a new method for identifying any genome sequence located next to a known sequence.

20 Oct 2020

SARS-CoV-2 may induce long-term autoimmune disorder due to self-glycan antibody production

A new study indicated that many of the unusual symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infections may be due to induced autoimmune responses.

20 Oct 2020

Chemist receives NIH grant to provide new framework for novel flu vaccines

Chemist Mahmoud Moradi has received a $422,579 grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance his work modeling hemagglutinin, the critical protein of the influenza virus.

19 Oct 2020

UNM researchers identify medications that could help fight COVID-19 infection

University of New Mexico researchers who combed through a "library" of previously approved drugs believe they have identified a medication with the potential to help speed a patient's recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Oct 2020

Researchers identify “silent” mutations in the genetic code of COVID-19 virus

We know that the coronavirus behind the COVID-19 crisis lived harmlessly in bats and other wildlife before it jumped the species barrier and spilled over to humans.

19 Oct 2020

Study shows antibody levels drop rapidly in recovering COVID-19 patients

The lack of effective treatments for COVID-19 is forcing hospitals to use blood plasma from recovering patients to treat those who have severe symptoms.

19 Oct 2020

Researchers identify drug that could overcome tumor resistance

Scientists have discovered that a drug that may make some melanoma tumors perceptible to the immune system, enabling them to be better targeted.

15 Oct 2020

Lymphocytes play crucial role in controlling virus shedding in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 remains stubbornly inconsistent. More than a million people have died and 35 million have been diagnosed, but a large fraction of people infected with the coronavirus--about 45%, according to recent estimates--show no symptoms at all.

15 Oct 2020

Army researchers test alternative ways to measure COVID-19 antibody levels

Researchers with the U.S. Army Futures Command are part of a team that tested alternative ways to measure COVID-19 antibody levels, resulting in a process that is faster, easier and less expensive to use on a large scale. Their method holds promise for accurately identifying potential donors who have the best chance of helping infected patients through convalescent plasma therapy.

15 Oct 2020

Virus-mimicking drugs may overcome immunotherapy resistance in tumors

Researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a drug that activates the body's natural defenses by behaving like a virus may also make certain stealthy melanoma tumors visible to the immune system, allowing them to be better targeted by immunotherapy.

15 Oct 2020

Immune failure can cause serious COVID-19

While most people dying from COVID-19 are elderly, up to 5-10% of younger adults and children can also be seriously infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

15 Oct 2020

Study shows lasting immunity offered by SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

One of the most significant questions about the novel coronavirus is whether people who are infected are immune from reinfection and, if so, for how long.

14 Oct 2020

Research focuses on understanding production of memory B cells and immune responses

The current COVID-19 climate has made vaccines, antibodies, and immune responses topics of everyday conversation. Now, it isn't just immunologists who want to know how our bodies respond to re-infections months, years, or sometimes decades after an initial immune response.

From Osaka University 13 Oct 2020

Scientists identify molecular mechanisms of IFN responses in COVID-19 disease

SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause an ongoing pandemic as of October 2020, with over 35 million reported cases and over 1 million deaths around the world.

13 Oct 2020

Severe cases of COVID-19 resemble systemic lupus erythematosus

Scientists from Emory Health Sciences have been observing an intense stimulation of immune cells in severe cases of COVID-19 disease. This activation of immune cells is similar to acute flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—an autoimmune disease.

13 Oct 2020

Serum antibodies from recovered SARS patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Antibodies in serum samples collected from patients infected with SARS-CoV during the 2003 outbreak effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 infection in cultured cells, according to a new study.

12 Oct 2020

Researchers test the effect of hydroxychloroquine versus favipiravir in SARS-CoV-2−infected hamsters

Virologists at the KU Leuven Rega Institute have been working on two lines of SARS-CoV-2 research: searching for a vaccine to prevent infection, and testing existing drugs to see which one can reduce the amount of virus in infected people.

12 Oct 2020