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 Advances Understanding of the Deep Evolutionary History of Viruses

Researchers have proposed a new evolutionary model for the origin of a kingdom of viruses called Bamfordvirae, suggesting a billion-years evolutionary arms race between two groups within this kingdom and their hosts.

3 May 2023

Argonne's Advanced Photon Source Helps Identify New Antibodies Against Coronaviruses

Results could speed development of new antivirals or vaccines that could counter many different coronavirus variants.

2 May 2023

Newly Identified Broad-Spectrum Antivirals Can Target Multiple Families of RNA Viruses

A new study has identified potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents that can target multiple families of RNA viruses that continue to pose a significant threat for future pandemics.

2 May 2023

New Approach Could Power the Development of Advanced Cell Therapies

A new approach to the genetic engineering of cells promises significant improvements in speed, efficiency, and reduction in cellular toxicity compared to current methods.

2 May 2023

Occludin Protein Plays a Critical Role in Cell-to-Cell Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Virus

While the coronavirus continues to infect people around the world, researchers at the University of Missouri have identified a specific protein inside the human body that plays a critical role in how the virus spreads from cell to cell after infection -; a discovery that will help better understand the COVID-19 disease and could lead to the development of new antiviral drugs in the future.

2 May 2023

The Pivotal Role of Combinatorial CRISPR Gene Editing in the Elimination of HIV-1 Infection

Recent research from Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center demonstrates that gene-editing therapy aimed at two targets - HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS, and CCR5, the co-receptor that aids the virus getting into cells—can effectively eliminate HIV infection.

2 May 2023

Csx28 Membrane Protein Enhances CRISPR's Anti-Viral Defense

CRISPR achieved scientific popularity for its capacity to quickly and precisely edit genes. At the core, however, CRISPR systems are immune systems that aid bacteria to safeguard themselves from viruses through targeting and abolishing viral RNA and DNA.

28 Apr 2023

Some Promising Human Antibodies can Fight New Variants of SARS-CoV-2

An anonymous San Diego resident has become a fascinating example of how the human immune system fights SARS-CoV-2.

27 Apr 2023

Capturing Viruses in a Lipid Trap

Viruses like influenza A and Ebola invade human cells in a number of steps. In an interdisciplinary approach, research teams from Heidelberg University and Heidelberg University Hospital investigated the final stages of viral penetration using electron tomography and computer simulations.

26 Apr 2023

Abnormal Immune Activity in Astrocytes Causes Dementia-Related Cognitive Deficits

People with dementia have protein build-up in astrocytes that may trigger abnormal antiviral activity and memory loss, according to a preclinical study by a team of Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

21 Apr 2023

Increased Fucose Digestion by Gut Bacteria Linked to Lower Immune Responses to COVID-19 Vaccine

Gut bacteria that break down a sugar called fucose could be dampening our immune response to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, according to a study led by researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.

21 Apr 2023

A Previously Unknown Mechanism for DNA Folding Revealed

A hitherto unknown mechanism for DNA folding is described in a study in Nature published by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics.

20 Apr 2023

Quebec Scientists Isolate Infectious SARS-CoV-2 Virus from Hospital Air Samples

Quebec scientists have succeeded in isolating infectious particles of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from air samples collected from hospital rooms of COVID-19 patients and kept frozen for more than a year, a new study shows.

20 Apr 2023

Yale Study Reveals How Omicron Variants Evade Immune System 'Killers'

Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 -; the virus behind COVID-19 -; have shown an uncanny knack for evading antibodies produced either by vaccines or exposure to earlier versions of the virus, leading to many breakthrough infections.

19 Apr 2023

Small Vesicles Originating From Intestinal Bacteria Have an Adverse Effect on the Liver

Researchers from Niigata University and Kyoto Prefectural University have revealed that small vesicles, around 100 nm in size, released by intestinal bacteria induce immune activation and progression of liver cirrhosis, as well as reduction of serum albumin level, subsequently leading to edema and ascites.

19 Apr 2023

Virus News and Research

Study Advances Understanding of the Deep Evolutionary History of Viruses

Argonne's Advanced Photon Source Helps Identify New Antibodies Against Coronaviruses

Newly Identified Broad-Spectrum Antivirals Can Target Multiple Families of RNA Viruses

New Approach Could Power the Development of Advanced Cell Therapies

Occludin Protein Plays a Critical Role in Cell-to-Cell Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Virus

The Pivotal Role of Combinatorial CRISPR Gene Editing in the Elimination of HIV-1 Infection

Csx28 Membrane Protein Enhances CRISPR's Anti-Viral Defense

Some Promising Human Antibodies can Fight New Variants of SARS-CoV-2

Capturing Viruses in a Lipid Trap

Abnormal Immune Activity in Astrocytes Causes Dementia-Related Cognitive Deficits

Increased Fucose Digestion by Gut Bacteria Linked to Lower Immune Responses to COVID-19 Vaccine

A Previously Unknown Mechanism for DNA Folding Revealed

Quebec Scientists Isolate Infectious SARS-CoV-2 Virus from Hospital Air Samples

Yale Study Reveals How Omicron Variants Evade Immune System 'Killers'

Small Vesicles Originating From Intestinal Bacteria Have an Adverse Effect on the Liver

Study Provides Increased Understanding of How Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Behaves in the Brain

A Protein Domain Could Lead to New Treatments for COVID-19

Researchers Show How a Virus can Induce Cleavage of Human Chromosome 11 to Cause Cancer

Immune System's B Cells Use Tugging Forces to Pull Antigens Off Other Cells' Surfaces

Organoid Platform Could Help Reduce the Time for Developing New Conjugate Vaccines

Quorum Bio: Where Synthetic Biology Meets Sustainable Farming

Diagnostic Biochips: Pioneering Brain Research Tools for the Future

Commercializing Innovation in a Life Sciences Ecosystem

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