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Tweaking synonymous sites for gene therapy and vaccines
Professor Laurence D Hurst explains why understanding the nucleotide mutations in viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, can have significant implications for vaccine design.
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Disease Research
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More COVID-19 research on mucosal immune system required, scientists say
Researchers have said that more COVID-19 studies should focus on the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth, to reveal insights into SARS-CoV-2 immunity.
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Novel imaging technique captures multiple tissues in 3D
A new imaging method called FLASH can provide a visualisation of several tissue types in a 3D format, its developers say.
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SARS-CoV-2 mutations do not increase transmissibility, research shows
Having analysed the SARS-CoV-2 genomes from over 46,723 patients, researchers have found no mutations that increase transmissibility.
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New ‘smart’ cell therapies show promise in solid tumours
By combining machine learning and T-cell engineering researchers were able to develop cell therapies that can selectively and effectively target and destroy solid tumours.
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SARS-CoV-2 immune cells remain in body, providing rapid response to re-infection
A research team has shown that T-cell responses specific to SARS-CoV-2 remain in the body after infection, providing immunity from mild re-infection.
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CARD8 protein could be novel atherosclerosis drug target
Researchers demonstrate that the CARD8 protein plays a key role in regulating the inflammation that causes atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases.
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Neuropilin-1: a key receptor in SARS-CoV-2 infection
Results of a recent study by researchers at the University of Bristol indicate neuropilin-1 is an important host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The team suggests that blocking neuropilin-1 may be a valuable therapeutic intervention in the treatment of COVID-19. Nikki Withers spoke to one of the study’s lead investigators, Dr…
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Development of a physiologically relevant lung model for understanding SARS-CoV-2 infection
COVID-19 is known to infect the lungs; however, the dynamics of viral infection and replication are poorly understood. Alongside the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Professor Lyle Armstrong and colleagues have been working to develop a human lung epithelium model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication. In this article, he describes…
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Investigating cellular pathways driving severe COVID-19 with proteomics
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have studied several thousand circulating proteins within the plasma proteome of symptomatic COVID-19 patients and acutely ill non-COVID-19 controls. Nikki Withers discussed their findings and implications of the study with one of the lead authors, Dr Mike Filbin.
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CRISPR: a molecular scissor set to change the world
In October this year, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, the two scientists who pioneered the revolutionary gene-editing technology CRISPR, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Here, Pushpanathan Muthuirulan discusses the potential for this technology and the importance of using it safely, ethically and responsibly.
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COVID-19 In-Depth Focus 2020
This in-depth focus features articles on neuropilin-1, a potential new target for COVID-19 drug development, the creation of a lung model to enhance our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infections and using proteomics to uncover the mechanisms behind COVID-19 symptom severity.
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CD209 antigen could be a promising target for preventing severe COVID-19
Researchers reveal how two genetic variations may contribute to COVID-19 disease severity and suggest the product of one, the CD209 antigen, may be a potential drug target.
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Endosomal trafficking could be a target for Alzheimer’s therapies
Researchers have shown that 70 percent of Alzheimer’s patients have high levels of proteins associated with dysfunction in the endosomal trafficking system in their spinal fluid.
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Computational model used to predict drug targets against SARS-CoV-2
A model of a human lung cell has been used to understand how SARS-CoV-2 uses host cell processes to reproduce, revealing drug targets.
