news, journals and articles from all over the world.
Researchers in Germany have discovered that age-dependent impairments in antiviral interferon proteins underlie the increased susceptibility of older patients to severe COVID-19. The study, published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), shows that aged mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 are protected from severe disease by treatment with one of these interferons, IFN-γ.
Over the past two years, scientists have studied the SARS-CoV-2 virus in great detail, laying the foundation for developing COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral treatments. Now, for the first time, scientists at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have seen one of the virus’s most critical interactions, which could help researchers develop more precise treatments.
Mount Sinai researchers have produced a high-resolution crystal structure of an enzyme essential to the survival of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The discovery could lead to the design of new antivirals to combat current and future coronaviruses.
Neutralizing antibody levels against the original COVID-19 virus and omicron variants in vaccinated adults tend to decline by at least 15% per month after a single booster shot, a new study using serum from human blood samples suggests.
Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have proposed a theory for how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, infects the body. Their hypothesis, published in Frontiers in Immunology, could explain why some people still have symptoms long after the initial infection.
A UC San Diego-led program that monitors wastewater for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and which has effectively predicted subsequent surges in COVID-19 cases in San Diego has been expanded to detect the presence of monkeypox.
Article title: Chemokines, soluble PD-L1 and immune cell hyporesponsiveness are distinct features of SARS-CoV-2 critical illness Authors: Eric D. Morrell, Pavan K. Bhatraju, Neha A. Sathe, Jonathan Lawson, Linzee Mabrey, Sarah E. Holton, Scott R. Presnell, Alice Wiedeman, Carolina Acosta-Vega,…
About The Study: Researchers found that 4-dose recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had a lower risk of acquiring COVID-19 than 3-dose recipients during the peak Omicron variant wave in this study of 29,000 health care workers in Israel. Authors: Allon E. Moses,…
Two studies presented today at the 2022 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo reveal how SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels vary among recipients of COVID-19 vaccines and naturally infected individuals. These findings add to a growing body of knowledge that is essential for guiding public health initiatives, and that might one day enable clinicians to assess individuals’ immunity to SARS-CoV-2.
For a glimpse into the future of SARS-CoV-2 immunity, scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) are investigating how the immune system builds its defenses against common cold coronaviruses (CCCs).
A MedUni Vienna research team has developed a new blood test that indicates a person’s status of cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 within just 48 hours.
To develop new COVID-19 medications, researchers are working to target nsp13, a protein coronaviruses need to replicate. In ACS Infectious Diseases, researchers describe a new approach to identifying molecules that interfere with this protein, a step toward developing pan-coronavirus antivirals.
Scientists and physicians at UC San Diego and Scripps Research describe how wastewater sequencing provided dramatic new insights into levels and variants of SARS-CoV-2 on campus and in the broader community — a key step to public health interventions in advance of COVID-19 case surges.
Mount Sinai-led researchers have shown that tiny, robust immune particles derived from the blood of a llama could provide strong protection against every COVID-19 variant, including Omicron, and 18 similar viruses.
A $10 million grant over four years will support further examination of a national study looking at COVID-19 vaccination safety during pregnancy and immune response pre-and post-delivery for both mom and baby.
Mount Sinai researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm that can determine if an individual has SARS-CoV-2 infections, the virus that causes COVID-19—with a high sensitivity and specificity—from the data collected by wearable devices.
Although the different SARS-CoV-2 variants currently in circulation are undoubtedly less severe in vaccinated individuals in the general population, immunocompromised people are at greater risk of developing severe forms of COVID-19.
Two broadly neutralizing antibodies show great promise to provide long-acting immunity against COVID-19 in immunocompromised populations according to a paper published June 15 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM). The antibodies were effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern tested and could be used alone or in an antibody cocktail to diminish the risk of infection.
A UC San Diego study describes the short- and long-term neurological symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and identifies a new group of COVID-19 long-haulers with advanced motor and cognitive symptoms.
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have been awarded an initial $16 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to discover and develop globally accessible and affordable novel oral antivirals to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics.
Blocking an immune response-related enzyme holds promise in preventing or treating severe COVID-19 symptoms by reducing inflammation, tissue injury and blood clots in the lungs, new research in mice suggests.
The loss of smell and taste with a COVID-19 infection during the delta surge was a prevalent symptom and wasn’t prevented by vaccination, new research suggests. The study also found some people with the earliest COVID infections had loss of these senses months later and didn’t even realize it.
A nanoparticle vaccine that combines two proteins that induce immune responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that has caused the global pandemic, has the potential to be developed into broader and safe SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, according to researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.
A recent study jointly conducted by the LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) and the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) shows that vaccinated individuals can develop more robust and broadly reactive antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants than unvaccinated individuals after an Omicron infection.
A COVID-19 booster shot will provide strong and broad antibody protection against the range of omicron sublineage variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in circulation, two new studies using serum from human blood samples suggest.
About The Study: Researchers compared antispike antibody titers after the 2-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in incrementally immunosuppressed patients. These individuals, such as people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and solid organ transplant recipients, have decreased immune responses to these…
COVID-19, MIS-C and KD all share a similar underlying mechanism involving the over-activation of particular inflammatory pathways, UC San Diego study shows. Findings support novel drug targets for MIS-C.
A new software tool makes it easier to study relationships between a host, its microbiome and pathogens like HIV or SARS-CoV-2.
They say that the best defense is a good offense; and now, researchers from Japan have found that the best defense against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection could be a good decoy.
A drug used to treat asthma and allergies can bind to and block a crucial protein produced by the virus SARS-CoV-2, and reduce viral replication in human immune cells, according to a new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
What The Study Did: The risks of myocarditis and pericarditis after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccinations were assessed by vaccine, dose number, sex and age among 23.1 million residents of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Authors: Rickard Ljung, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Swedish…
Researchers at Texas Biomed and University of Alabama at Birmingham discovered an antibody cocktail against COVID-19 that appears effective against all variants and other coronaviruses. The cocktail has been exclusively licensed to Aridis Pharmaceuticals, which is seeking a manufacturing partner to advance the treatment to human clinical trials.
A plant-based antiviral treatment for Covid-19, recently discovered by scientists at the University of Nottingham, has been found to be just as effective at treating all variants of the virus SARS-CoV-2, even the highly infectious Delta variant.
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered that an RNA molecule that stimulates the body’s early antiviral defense system can protect mice from a range of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. The study, published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), could lead to new treatments for COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients, as well as providing an inexpensive therapeutic option for developing countries that currently lack access to vaccines.
Houston Methodist’s SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing team has partnered on a study led by Penn State that revealed 80% of white-tailed deer sampled across Iowa at the height of the 2020-2021 deer-hunting season tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Analysis of the virus genome sequences revealed infections were likely the result of multiple human-to-deer transmission “spillover” events followed by deer-to-deer transmission from April 2020 through January 2021.
A new study in the Veterinary Record reveals that pets can be infected with the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2, which was first detected in southeast England and is commonly known as the UK variant or B.1.1.7.
Many Covid-19 patients have reported symptoms affecting the ears, including hearing loss and tinnitus. Dizziness and balance problems can also occur, suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may be able to infect the inner ear.
Using specialized carbon nanotubes, MIT engineers have designed a novel sensor that can detect SARS-CoV-2 without any antibodies, giving a result within minutes.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine tested the same treatment for kids with Kawasaki disease and rare COVID-19 reaction.
Findings from a recent Johns Hopkins Medicine-led study of nearly 4,500 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 over a four-month period provide a stronger case for a very different conclusion: Statins likely did not confer any impact — positive or negative — on COVID-related mortality and may be associated with an significantly increased risk — nearly 1 chance in 5 — of more serious illness.
The University of Kent’s School of Biosciences and the Institute of Medical Virology at Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, have identified a protein that may critically contribute to severe forms of COVID-19.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have shown how SARS-CoV-2 viral proteases attack the host cell, and how this can be targeted to stop virus replication in cell culture using existing drugs.
A first-of-its-kind study of young adults with positive COVID-19 tests from more than 4 weeks ago found that those who were still symptomatic (i.e., long-haulers) had impaired blood vessel function in their limbs, but not brains. Asymptotic participants had blood vessel function similar to controls.
Researchers at McMaster University have developed a sophisticated new tool that could help provide early warning of rare and unknown viruses in the environment and identify potentially deadly bacterial pathogens which cause sepsis, among other uses.
The most comprehensive analysis of the 3D structure of SARS-CoV-2 to date has revealed new insight on how the virus infects human cells and replicates.
A research team has identified a potential cause of long-lasting symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients, often referred to as long-haulers. The findings were published in the journal, The Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS ONE).
The presence of special immune system defense molecules, called autoimmune antibodies, has been strongly tied to how poorly people fare when hospitalized with COVID-19, a new study shows.
Researchers found that breastfeeding mothers who received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccination reported the same local or systemic symptoms as what has been previously reported in non-breastfeeding women, with no serious side effects in the breastfed infants.
Argonne, industry and academia collaborate to bring innovative AI and simulation tools to the COVID-19 battlefront.
News stories in this issue
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Urdu