A new mouse model is laying the groundwork for antivirals, vaccines and antibodies in the fight against COVID-19. In some cases, the model is the first to show these medical countermeasures work in a living organism. Researchers, among them virologists and microbiologists at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, describe the mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2…

Divide, differentiate or die? Making decisions at the right time and place is what defines a cell’s behavior and is particularly critical for stem cells of an developing organisms. Decision making relies on how information is processed by networks of signaling proteins. Scientists have now revealed that ERK, a key player in stem cell signaling,…

Researchers have been able to re-engineer red blood cells and use them as a promising new vehicle for vaccine delivery. Developing new strategies and vaccine technologies is critical for controlling the pandemic and preparing for future outbreaks as the coronavirus continues to evolve and mutate, say the researchers. The new method, described in the journal…

A team of scientists has conducted promising early tests of a new strategy that might one day be used to prevent or treat type 2 diabetes. The scientists tested an experimental compound called IXA4 in obese mice. They showed that the compound activates a natural signaling pathway that protects the animals from harmful, obesity-driven metabolic…

By generating a specific mutation in lab mice, researchers determined that a protein domain in an enzyme called adenosine deaminase 1 p150 is necessary for binding and editing certain RNA molecules. Mutant mice showed inhibited growth after birth, as well as abnormally developed organs. Interestingly, their brains showed characteristics similar to encephalopathy seen in humans…

Are animals born to seek rewards or avoid punishment? Researchers found that mice have pre-programmed neurons and circuits that process ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ stimuli. Their findings may be useful for studying neurological and psychiatric disorders in humans. Previously, Li and his colleagues discovered that the amygdala is the hub for both fear- and reward-based learning.…

What makes the elderly and people with underlying conditions more vulnerable to COVID-19? According to a new study, clues can be found in the proteins involved in initiating infection, as the virus binds to host cells of different animals. Greater cellular oxidation with aging and sickness may explain why seniors and people with chronic illness…

Research highlights role of immunological imprinting — or how the immune system fights the flu after previous exposure to the virus via infections or vaccinations — in the elicitation of new antibodies. The conventional wisdom guiding our long-established annual flu shot comes from an understanding that once a person is newly vaccinated, the immune system…

An impressive number of brain pathologies are closely linked to major cerebrovascular defects, which are currently impossible to treat due to a lack of drugs. The discovery is therefore particularly promising, as not only have they developed a new class of molecules that specifically correct these dysfunctions, they have also demonstrated their effectiveness in mouse…

Parasites in the genus Plasmodium, which cause malaria, are transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes. The parasites manage to acclimatize to these two completely different hosts because the plasticity of their genome enables them to adapt as necessary. Scientists decided to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms behind this plasticity, in particular DNA methylation. They…