With mask wearing and social distancing on the decline and the cold and flu season upon us, researchers have developed a viral panel that enables the simultaneous testing for SARS-CoV-2 along with numerous common respiratory viruses, that tells us whether other viruses also are at play in patients hard hit by COVID. This new genetic […]
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Respiratory symptoms more likely to develop when people use both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes
Exclusively using (or "vaping") e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking, but many people using e-cigarettes to quit smoking continue to smoke cigarettes. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that respiratory symptoms–such as cough and wheeze–are more likely to develop when people use both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes together compared with […]
Characterization of lab-produced neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2
A new study led by Hans-Martin Jäck of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany engineered clusters of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies using a transgenic mouse model. A unique characteristic for the antibodies was the different ways it bound to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the overall reduction in the viral spread for […]
Study assess prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in England after third national lockdown
The alarmingly high infection rate of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has had an enormous impact on healthcare in many parts of the world. The surge in the rate of hospitalization, especially intensive care unit admissions, has placed an overwhelming burden on healthcare systems […]
Could N protein-based COVID-19 vaccines hinder SARS-CoV-2's NK cell inhibition?
When a virus invades an individual, both innate and adaptive immunity play crucial roles. The successful viral pathogens can antagonize these immune pathways with genes that inhibit the key players in the immune system. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the novel beta coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It […]
More new SARS-CoV-2 variants are highly likely
In a recent report posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers from the United Kingdom and Uganda reveal unique protein features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) relative to other representatives of Sarbecoviruses. The causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), SARS-CoV-2, belongs to the Betacoronavirus genus and Sarbecovirus subgenus of the […]
Study finds CD8+ T cell responses detect all major SARS-CoV-2 variants
There have been concerns that several severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants have mutations that allow them to evade the immune system. A new study published in the Open Forum Infectious Diseases suggests otherwise. Led by Aaron AR Tobian of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, results showed that except for one from […]
Blocking folate metabolism could reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral replication in infected cells
The novel beta-coronavirus virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and coronaviruses, in general, alter the host's cellular metabolism to support massive production of ~30 kB viral genomes and subgenomic viral RNAs. However, how this is achieved is largely unknown. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Broad Institute […]
Study reveals unknown immune defense system that protects the lungs from viral infections
Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown arm of the immune defense system that protects the lung from lethal viral infections. Respiratory diseases caused by viruses such as influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 cause damage not just through their own actions, but also from collateral damage as the immune system reacts to fight the infection. A timely […]
Researchers report zoonotic spillover of adapted SARS-CoV-2 from minks to humans
In a recent report made available on bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers from Poland and Finland reveal a spillover event of mink-adapted severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from farmed mink to humans after an extensive adaptation process. Study: Zoonotic spillover of SARS-CoV-2: mink-adapted virus in humans. Image Credit: An inspiration / Shutterstock Even before […]