by Melanie Nyfeler, University of Zurich Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An immune system defect makes affected individuals vulnerable to severe viral diseases such as influenza or COVID-19. It is caused by the body’s own antibodies, which inhibit important defense proteins known as type I interferons. UZH researchers have now generated “decoy molecules” that intercept these autoantibodies...
Tag: <span>antiviral</span>
Post
Beyond the cure: Navigating hepatocellular risk and surveillance after hepatitis C eradication in the direct-acting antiviral era
Peer-Reviewed Publication Xia & He Publishing Inc. FacebookXLinkedInWeChatBlueskyMessageWhatsAppEmail image: The advent of DAAs has dramatically impacted chronic HCV management, significantly reducing the risk of HCC development. However, in patients with cirrhosis who achieve HCV eradication, the risk of HCC remains high and exceeds the surveillance threshold, justifying lifetime HCC surveillance. For patients with pre-treatment stage...
Post
Antiviral compound blocks SARS-CoV-2 from entering cells
by Washington University in St. Louis Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a compound that prevents SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses from entering cells. The researchers are collaborating with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test the compound in animal models of COVID-19. Pictured is the compound, called MM3122, (yellow) blocking the...
Post
City of Hope and Griffith University develop direct-acting antiviral to treat COVID-19
CITY OF HOPE An international team of scientists from the Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) at Griffith University and from City of Hope, a research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases in the U.S., have developed an experimental direct-acting antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19. Traditional antivirals reduce symptoms and help people recover earlier....
Post
Cutting edge synthetic peptides block SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
By Sally Robertson, B.Sc. Researchers at Ligandal Inc., the University of California San Francisco and Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, have designed novel synthetic peptides that potently inhibit the ability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to infect host cells. The team’s SARS-BLOCK™ peptides competitively inhibit the receptor-binding domain (RBD) on the SARS-CoV-2...
Post
Coronavirus: Dexamethasone proves first life-saving drug
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online A cheap and widely available drug can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus. The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say. The drug is part of the world’s biggest trial testing existing...
Post
Virus co-opts immune protein to avoid antiviral defences
by eLife Electron micrographs of hepatitis C virus purified from cell culture. Scale bar is 50 nanometers. Credit: Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University. By discovering a trick the hepatitis C virus uses to evade the immune system, scientists have identified a new antiviral defense system that could be used to...
Post
Gilead Sciences exporting remdesivir, CEO says
The head of the maker of remdesivir, an anti-viral shown to reduce recovery times in COVID-19 patients, said Sunday the company has been exporting the drug and is making it available to patients in the United States through the US government. Gilead Sciences CEO Daniel O’Day said the company is donating its entire existing supply...
Post
New Scottish drug shows promise in battle against COVID-19
by University of St Andrews A new anti-viral drug developed by Pneumagen, a University of St Andrews spin out company, has had positive results in laboratory tests against COVID-19. Pneumagen Ltd, a company focused on treating infectious disease and developing oncology treatments by targeting the human glycome, today (28 April 2020) announced results from three...
Post
Cytokine storms and T cell counts may offer clues on how to treat COVID-19
by Frontiers Cytokine storms may affect the severity of COVID-19 cases by lowering T cell counts, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology. Researchers studying coronavirus cases in China found that sick patients had a significantly low number of T cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a crucial role...
- 1
- 2