by University of Toronto Professor Igor Stagljar and Dr. Zhong Yao co-developed the first-in-class method for measuring Sars-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Credit: Stagljar lab, University of Toronto The experts agree—the pandemic is not over. Infections are ticking up again, fueled by the new variants our immune systems are ill prepared for. That’s according to a study by...
by American Chemical Society Apratoxin S4 (structure shown here) is effective against SARS-CoV-2 in human cells and could be a pan-viral therapeutic. Credit: Adapted from ACS Infectious Diseases 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00008 More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, people are realizing that the “new normal” will probably involve learning to co-exist with SARS-CoV-2. Some treatments are available,...
By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D. Jun 8 2022 Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. Early diagnosis of infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is important to restrict its transmission. In this context, a reliable point-of-care testing system is urgently needed. Some of the...
by American Chemical Society Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a dying cell (blue) heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 (yellow), the virus that causes COVID-19. Credit: NIAID Integrated Research Facility, Fort Detrick, Maryland. Although SARS-CoV-2 has taken the world by storm, it’s not the only coronavirus that can infect humans. But unlike SARS-CoV-2, common human coronaviruses (HCoVs)...
By Rich Haridy; March 27, 2022 The man tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 for 218 days. IC: Depositphotos A new case report published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology has presented the first description of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine being used to therapeutically treat a patient experiencing a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection. The immunocompromised patient, who repeatedly tested positive...
by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology From left: Sharif M. Hala, Sara Mfarrej, Professor Arnab Pain, Muhammad Shuaib and Tobias Mourier (not pictured) studied the N protein of SARS-CoV-2 to further understanding of its role in disease severity. Credit: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology A multicenter collaboration tracking the spread and...
by Max Planck Society Cross-section through part of a retinal organoid: On day 143 of their differentiation, the inner nuclear layer (bottom) contains the cell bodies of functionally distinct cells: those of the amacrine and horizontal cells (white) and Müller glial cells (red). The outer nuclear layer (top) contains the cell bodies of the photoreceptors...
New research suggests way to turn SARS-CoV-2 against itself. Scientists have discovered a possible new way to fight COVID-19 by turning part of SARS-CoV-2 against itself. This new strategy shows promise in mice and in human cells in a lab dish, according to the team led by researchers from the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical...
By Colin Lightfoot, M.Sc. Infection and Immunity Feb 21 2022 Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. As of February 22, 2022, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over 425 million worldwide and caused over 5.89 million fatalities worldwide. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 has enabled the virus to evolve quickly, thereby resulting...
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine have identified a powerful combination of antivirals to treat COVID-19. The researchers showed that combining the experimental drug brequinar with either of the two drugs already approved by the U.S. Food...
