Genetic Sequencing Shows Coronavirus Variation Drives Pandemic Surges
Fusing classical epidemiology and genomics is a tool for future pandemics. Genome sequencing of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples shows that surges of COVID-19 cases are…
Infectious Diseases
Scientists Have Identified 9 Potential New COVID-19 Treatments – Including Several That Are Already FDA-Approved
Promising candidates include widely used transplant-rejection drug cyclosporine. A team led by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has…
Experimental Therapy For Parasitic Heart Disease – K777 – May Also Help Stop COVID-19
By blocking human enzyme cathepsin L, chemical inhibitor K777 reduces coronavirus’ ability to infect cell lines; clinical trials are underway. James McKerrow, MD, PhD, dean…
New Web App Ranks Spillover Risk for Newly Detected Viruses – Current Leader: Coronavirus 229E (Bat Strain)
SARS-CoV-2 showed the world with devastating clarity the threat undetected viruses can pose to global public health. SpillOver, a new web application developed by scientists at…
Experiments Show Sunlight Destroys COVID Virus 8 Times Faster Than Scientists Thought
Researchers urge a closer examination of sunlight’s efficacy in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A year ago scientists everywhere were scrambling to get their minds around…
First Infection of Human Cells During Spaceflight Analyzed by Researchers
Astronauts face many challenges to their health, due to the exceptional conditions of spaceflight. Among these are a variety of infectious microbes that can attack…
If COVID Spread to North American Bats, It Could Be Disastrous – Here Is the Current Risk Assessment
The risk is low that scientists could pass coronavirus to North American bats during winter research, according to a new study led by the U.S….
New Decoy Protein Treatment Fools Coronavirus, Rendering It Impotent
Treatment reduces lung damage and results in mild symptoms in a preclinical study. A novel decoy protein designed by Northwestern Medicine scientists fools SARS-Cov-2 by intercepting the…
In Severe COVID-19, Cytokine “Hurricane” in Lung Attracts Damaging Inflammatory Cells
A cytokine “hurricane” centered in the lungs drives respiratory symptoms in patients with severe COVID-19, a new study by immunologists at Columbia University Vagelos College…
NIRVANA: Fast, Portable Test Can Diagnose COVID-19 and Track Variants
The field test, called NIRVANA, can simultaneously detect and sequence SARS-CoV-2, influenza and other viruses. Clinicians using a new viral screening test can not only…
Highly Contagious Coronavirus Variant Spread Across the Globe – Undetected for Months – Before Its Discovery
A highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant was unknowingly spreading for months in the United States by October 2020, according to a new study from researchers with…
Vaccinated? Here’s How Your Life May Change After Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout gains steam across the country, an increasing number of people are finding themselves with more protection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus….
Detailed Map of COVID-19 Lung Pathology Revealed With Advanced Technology
A team led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian has used advanced technology and analytics to map, at single-cell resolution, the cellular…
How to Make People Follow COVID-19 Restrictions Without Appealing to Fear
Making people fear the coronavirus may motivate us to wash our hands, keep our distance and wear a face mask. But fear also takes a…
Your Neighborhood May Influence Your COVID-19 Risk – Data Shows Racial and Economic Disparities
Data from first six months of pandemic shows racial and economic disparities by zip code in COVID-19 outcomes. Markers of the pandemic’s impact — testing…
New $2 Test Can Accurately Detect COVID-19 Antibodies in a Drop of Blood in Less Than an Hour
Igor Stagljar made his career building molecular tools to combat cancer. But when the pandemic hit last March, he aimed his expertise at a new…
Low-Dose Aspirin Use for Heart Disease May Reduce Likelihood of COVID-19 Infection
Aspirin is an established, safe, and low-cost medication in long-standing common use in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and in the past a pain…
Scientists Find Evidence That Novel Coronavirus Infects Cells in the Mouth – Saliva May Play Role in COVID Transmission
NIH-funded findings point to a role for saliva in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. An international team of scientists has found evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes…