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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Can biomaterials offer novel therapeutic strategies against COVID-19?
The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic rages on. To date, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, has infected over 138.3 million and caused over 2.9 million deaths the world over. Despite major gains…
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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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Researchers identify SARS-CoV-2 antiviral compounds using protein assay
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to be a pandemic. COVID-19 is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen, which is deemed to be highly contagious…
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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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Research surveys hygiene practices in food supply chains during COVID-19 pandemic
With the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many worried they could be exposed to its causative pathogen – severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – through their food. While more research has suggested transmission through food…
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Researchers find cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome outbreak in Peru
In the spring of 2019, Peruvian neurologists saw a significant increase in the number of patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). This rare disorder occurs when a person’s immune system damages the nerves, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. Although GBS…
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Developing orally administrable drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2
Researchers in China have reported the successful design and synthesis of two antiviral compounds that target the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)’s main protease, essential in virus replication. These compounds can inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in mice…
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