Category: Science and Tech
Even as SARS-CoV-2 mutates, some human antibodies fight back
LaJolla Institute A ‘cocktail’ of human antibodies shows promise in fighting severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. An anonymous San Diego resident has become a fascinating example of how the human immune system fights SARS-CoV-2. In a new investigation, scientists from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have shown how antibodies, collected from this clinical study volunteer, bind […]
Apr 25, 2023
Covid Emerged as Chinese Lab Faced Biosafety Issues, Senate Republican Study Finds
WSJ Covid Emerged as Chinese Lab Faced Biosafety Issues, Senate Republican Study Finds. A Chinese laboratory conducting advanced coronavirus research faced a series of biosafety problems in November 2019 that drew the attention of top Beijing officials and coincided with the Covid pandemic’s emergence, according to a new report being released by Senate Republicans on […]
Apr 18, 2023
Forbes A new antibody pair neutralizes all current variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2. There is an effective need for monoclonal antibody treatments for those suffering from moderate to severe Covid-19. While a number of treatments have been developed throughout the pandemic, the virus is continuously mutating, rendering many of these treatments obsolete. The key is […]
Apr 18, 2023
Mobile Lab Detects Marburg Virus
Rapid Microbiology Marburg Virus (MARV) has been wreaking havoc in Africa, with 5 deaths reported from Tanzania in the last 24 hours. Earlier this year, Equatorial Guinea reported an outbreak of MARV with 9 fatalities. This Ebola-like hemorrhagic virus is characterized by symptoms of high fever, followed by bleeding and organ failure. Something that can […]
Apr 18, 2023
Working With Marburg in the Lab: An Investigator Explains
Infection Control Today Since the Marburg virus is deadly, what would it be like to work with it in a laboratory setting? And what can be done to protect those who work with patients with Marburg? What is it like to come face-to-face with a killer, even a microscopic one like the Marburg virus? Gene Olinger, […]
Apr 18, 2023
How a rural school teacher became a top COVID sleuth
Nature A self-taught Indiana man is among a cadre of community scientists who scour the SARS-CoV-2 genome for problematic mutations. In late January, a team of scientists reported an ominous discovery: the widely used COVID-19 drug molnupiravir might be spurring the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants1. Four of the authors work at prominent UK universities. But one […]
Apr 18, 2023
Association of Treatment With Nirmatrelvir and the Risk of Post–COVID-19 Condition
JAMA Key Points Question Is treatment with nirmatrelvir in the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with a lower risk of post–COVID-19 condition (PCC)? Findings In this cohort study of 281 793 people with SARS-CoV-2 infection who had at least 1 risk factor for progression to severe COVID-19 illness, compared with 246 076 who had no treatment, nirmatrelvir use […]
Apr 11, 2023
Palantir’s Plan to Decipher the Mysteries of Long Covid
Wired Magazine he tech giant is helping researchers and clinicians decipher vast amounts of data generated by people with persistent symptoms. AT LEAST 65 million people are still suffering from long Covid, the mysterious cocktail of symptoms that persist in some patients more than 12 weeks after an initial infection. Researchers are still working to understand this […]
Apr 4, 2023
Bats Shrug Off Viruses and Rarely Get Cancer. We’re Trying to Learn From Them.
WSJ To many people, bats are a terrifying menace, vampirish carriers of dangerous viruses—including, likely, an ancestor to Covid-19. But to researchers and biotech investors, they are a miracle mammal that could help prevent pandemics and reveal blockbuster treatments for deadly human diseases or to slow aging. Bats are infected with viruses that kill humans but don’t usually […]
Apr 4, 2023
Can you catch a hidden virus from a dog kiss or a cat cuddle?
NPR “Get ready for a silly question,” one reader wrote in response to our series on “hidden viruses” that jump from animals to people. “I love my pups very much – and I think they love me too because I get lots of kisses. Is that bad from a spillover virus perspective – for me […]
Mar 14, 2023