by American Chemical Society Removing the glycans (dark blue on the left illustration) from a coronavirus’ spike protein leads to greater vaccine efficacy. Credit: Lorenzo Casalino Sugar coatings aren’t only for candies; they also help viruses, like the ones that cause COVID-19, hide from their hosts’ immune system. Now, researchers have developed a universal vaccine that...
Tag: <span>coronavirus variant</span>
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Coronavirus variant XBB.1.5 rises in the United States — is it a global threat?
Ewen Callaway A driver is tested for COVID-19. Credit: US Army/ZUMA Press Wire Service/Shutterstock New year, new variant. Just as scientists were getting to grips with the alphabet soup of SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating globally — your BQ.1.1, CH.1.1 and BF.7 — one lineage seems to be rising to the top, thanks to a peculiar new...
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Highly contagious coronavirus variant’s mutation weakens antibody effectiveness
by Chrystian Tejedor, Florida International University Fig. 1. a) RBM showing the antiparallel β-strands. Residues R454 and D467 participating in ionic interactions in the Delta variant are shown as sticks. b) Hydrogen-bond network in the β-sheet region of the RBM for the WT and the Delta variant. c) % hydrogen bond occupancy obtained from the last 300...
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Existing vaccines may protect against the Brazilian coronavirus variant
by University of Oxford Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Scientists at the University of Oxford have released pre-print data measuring the level of antibodies that can neutralize—or stop infection from—variants that are circulating in South Africa, Brazil and elsewhere. These data suggest that natural- and vaccine-induced antibodies can still neutralize these variants, but at lower levels. Importantly, the...
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New study suggests UK coronavirus variant is significantly more deadly
By Rich Haridy March 10, 2021 A new peer-reviewed study is among several to suggest the UK variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 leads to greater rates of death and hospitalizationWavebreakmedia/Depositphotos A new peer-reviewed study published in the British Medical Journal is offering some of the first clear evidence to suggest the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7, informally...