Sticky webs of DNA released from immune cells known as neutrophils may cause much of the tissue damage associated with severe COVID-19 infections, according to two new studies published September 14 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM). The research, conducted by independent groups in Belgium and Brazil, suggests that blocking the release of theseRead More →
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists have isolated the smallest biological molecule to date that completely and specifically neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the cause of COVID-19. This antibody component, which is 10 times smaller than a full-sized antibody, has been used to construct a drug–known as Ab8–forRead More →
A COVID-19 outbreak in a refugee settlement will likely overwhelm the available healthcare capacity and infrastructure and spread through nearly the entire settlement population if left unchecked, according to a new study published June 16 in PLOS Medicine by Paul Spiegel of Johns Hopkins University, United States, and colleagues. Forcibly displaced populations,Read More →
Salk and Yale study of influenza could inform vaccines for COVID-19 and other lung diseases A significant site of damage during COVID-19 infection is the lungs. Understanding how the lungs’ immune cells are responding to viral infections could help scientists develop a vaccine. Now, a team of researchers led byRead More →
ASU researcher explores pests, parasites, diseases on a global scale Countries looking to contain the spread of harmful species and diseases like COVID-19 should work together in multiple hotspots, according to a new model developed by an Arizona State University researcher. Because it would be difficult to completely eliminate theRead More →
Researchers at the University of Iowa and the University of Georgia have developed a vaccine that fully protects mice against a lethal dose of MERS, a close cousin of the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine uses a harmless virus to deliver a MERS coronavirus protein into cells toRead More →
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists today announced a potential vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. When tested in mice, the vaccine, delivered through a fingertip-sized patch, produces antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 at quantities thought to be sufficient for neutralizing the virus. The paper appearedRead More →
As part of continued efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, researchers report the X-ray crystallography structure of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease – one of the best characterized drug targets among coronaviruses. Insights from their study could drive the design of better inhibitors for the novelRead More →
Stimulating immune cells with two cancer immunotherapies together can shrink the size of the viral “reservoir” in SIV-infected non-human primates treated with antiviral drugs, researchers have concluded. The reservoir includes immune cells that harbor virus despite potent antiviral drug treatment. The findings, reported in Nature Medicine, have important implications for theRead More →
In China, undocumented cases of the novel coronavirus were quite numerous before travel restrictions were put in place in late January 2020, and these undetected infections contributed to the majority of virus spread. These findings, based on a modeling study, explain the rapid geographic spread of SARS-CoV2 in China, theRead More →
