Cancer cells proliferate despite a myriad of stresses—from oxygen deprivation to chemotherapy—that would kill any ordinary cell. Now, researchers at UC San Francisco have gained insight into how they may be doing this through the downstream activity of a powerful…
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Differential localization may explain different physiological functions of receptors
In the heart there are two different subtypes of beta-adrenergic receptors – beta1 and beta2 – which are activated by the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. They both trigger the strongest stimulation of the heart rate and pumping capacity that…
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Novel mRNA delivery vehicle provides alternative to LNPs for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines
Researchers in the United States have developed an alternative messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery platform to the lipid nanoparticles that are currently used in vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019…
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Experimental evidence that ADAM17 inhibition prevents severe COVID-19
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that is contagious in humans. It is the causal agent of the ongoing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This virus causes a mild to severe infection and has…
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Broadly cross-reactive antibody to SARS-CoV-2 RBD with robust resistance to mutational escape
The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has triggered an intensive hunt for effective new and repurposed antivirals and antibodies, for prevention and treatment of the infection. A new preprint…
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Researchers explore an inhalable SARS-CoV-2 nanobody therapy
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the world’s third major coronavirus outbreak. To date, the SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 135 million lives and caused over 2.9 million deaths. Even…
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Researchers discover a new monoclonal antibody that is effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants
A new monoclonal antibody targets a particular region of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This region is usually not accessible to immune cells, which may be why it has broad neutralizing capabilities….
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Identification of specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies with cross-neutralization potency
A team of scientists from the USA and Canada recently characterized the cross-neutralizing potency of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies isolated from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The findings reveal that some of the isolated antibodies targeting…
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Neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in mice depend on Fc effector function
The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought about intensive research on the biological characteristics of the pathogen responsible, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The immune response mediated by neutralizing antibodies, elicited by the virus or…
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Researchers identify inflammatory mechanism related to bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis
In a study aimed at investigating the mechanism responsible for exacerbating rheumatoid arthritis in smokers, researchers at the Center for Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CRID), linked to the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, discovered a novel path in…
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