Category: Science and Tech
Washington University Scientists Develop An Air Monitor That Can Detect Covid-19 Virus
Forbes A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a real-time air monitor that can detect any of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants that are present in a room in about 5 minutes. The proof-of-concept device was created by researchers from the McKelvey School of Engineering and the School of Medicine at Washington University. […]
Jul 11, 2023
Researchers discover unique blood plasma protein patterns in patients with long COVID
Medical Express Using advanced research techniques, including a form of artificial intelligence, a team of researchers has discovered unique patterns of blood plasma proteins in patients with suspected long COVID that could improve patient outcomes. This research, which used multiple state-of the-art technologies, was enabled by existing expertise and infrastructure through CHRI. It was published […]
Jul 5, 2023
Trove of new coronaviruses uncovered in bats — but threat is unclear
Nature Horseshoe bats carry viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2, but they probably can’t spread in people yet. Coronavirus hunters looking for the next pandemic threats have focused on China and southeast Asia, where wild bats carry SARS-CoV-2’s closest known relatives. But a survey of UK bat species suggests that researchers might want to cast a […]
Jul 5, 2023
Evotec’s latest DOD contract provides $74M to tackle mpox
Fierce Biotech Evotec has secured yet another contract from the Department of Defense (DOD). This time, the U.S. government is committing $74 million for the development of monoclonal antibodies against mpox, chickenpox and smallpox. The German biotech-CRO hybrid company’s Seattle-based unit, called Just – Evotec Biologics, is in receipt of the contract for the “rapid […]
Jul 5, 2023
How the Brain Protects Itself From Blood-Borne Threats
Quanta Enough pints of beer can have you falling off your bar stool or loudly reciting lyrics to early 2000s jams to total strangers, because alcohol can get past one of the strongest defenses in the body. If you’ve ever been drunk, high or drowsy from allergy medication, you’ve experienced what happens when some molecules […]
Jun 20, 2023
Malaria Parasite Found in Medici Organ
Archeology.org Evidence of the parasite that causes a virulent type of malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) has been detected in a 500-year-old organ stored in a terracotta jar bearing the Medici family crest by researchers led by Albert Zink of Italy’s Institute for Mummy Studies, according to a Live Science report. Zink and his colleagues were working to match […]
Jun 14, 2023
NIH Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, monoclonal antibodies played an important role in treating some people with severe disease. A combination of antibodies was also approved as a prevention strategy for people with certain immune system problems. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to mutate, the spike protein it uses to enter human cells has changed […]
Jun 14, 2023
Acute COVID-19 Might Cause False-Positive HIV Screens
NEJM In Michigan, COVID-19 brought a wave of erroneous HIV test results. Serologic screening tests are fast and inexpensive, but their accuracy can be compromised by a range of unpredictable circumstances. Several years ago, Michigan physicians noted a surge in false-positive HIV screening tests, just as the COVID-19 epidemic also was surging. A retrospective chart […]
Jun 13, 2023
Why scientists have a hard time getting money to study the root causes of outbreaks
Popular Science Government and groups that award grants to scientists favor research that’s high tech and treatment oriented rather than studies that seek to understand why contagions leap from animals to people. The outbreaks keep coming. Mpox, the virus formerly known as monkeypox, last year crossed borders with unprecedented speed to infect nearly 90,000 people. […]
Jun 6, 2023
Martha Nelson on the SARS-CoV-2 virus in deer
Penn State “There don’t appear to be evolutionary adaptations required for human SARS-CoV-2 virus to transmit in deer so far,” said Eberly College of Science alumna Martha Nelson, reflecting on her past two years of work as a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She discussed how the same variants of the […]
Jun 6, 2023