New research demonstrates that a candidate COVID-19 vaccine elicited robust immune response in Syrian golden hamsters and prevented severe clinical disease — including weight loss, pneumonia and death. «We recently reported that an Ad26-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine provided robust protection in rhesus macaques, and this vaccine is currently being evaluated in humans,» said Barouch, who is…

Infections with several pathogens simultaneously increase the risk of cervical cancer, according to a new study conducted on artificial 3D tissue models. Dr. Cindrilla Chumduri, head of the research group, Department of Microbiology at the Julius Maximilians University of Wurzburg (JMU) and her team, has now demonstrated for the first time that this is not…

Some common strains of influenza have the potential to mutate to evade broad-acting antibodies that could be elicited by a universal flu vaccine, according to a new study. The findings highlight the challenges involved in designing such a vaccine, and should be useful in guiding its development. The findings highlight the challenges involved in designing…

GluN3A-deficient mice display all aspects of Alzheimer’s neurodegeneration. A new paper in Alzheimer’s & Dementia from Emory neuroscientist Shan Ping Yu and colleagues focuses on an unusual member of the family of NMDA receptors, signaling molecules that are critical for learning and memory. Their findings contain leads for additional research on Alzheimer’s, including drugs that…

Researchers argue that cognitive studies in comparative psychology often wrongly take an anthropocentric approach, resulting in an over-valuation of human-like abilities and the assumption that cognitive skills cluster in animals as they do in humans. The authors advocate for philosophical and procedural changes to the discipline that would lead to a better understanding of animal…

Researchers have discovered that heparanase, HPSE, a poorly understood protein, is a key regulator of cells’ innate defense mechanisms. Innate defense responses are programmed cellular mechanisms that are triggered by various danger signals, which have been conserved in many species throughout evolution. These systems can be set into action by pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria…

Researchers report that a drug used in the treatment of HIV also suppresses Zika virus infection. In cell and animal models, they show that rilpivirine stops Zika virus by targeting enzymes that both HIV and Zika virus depend on for their replication. These enzymes occur in other viruses closely related to Zika, including the viruses…

A study of influenza virus transmission in Nicaraguan households reveals new insights into the type of immune responses that may be protective against influenza virus infection, report investigators. The findings could help scientists design more effective influenza vaccines and lead to the development of novel universal influenza vaccines. The research team included scientists from the…

Scientists have identified a protein that is critical in controlling replication of West Nile and Zika viruses — and could be important for developing therapies to prevent and treat those viruses. The researchers found Z-DNA binding protein 1 (ZBP1) is a sensor that plays a significant role in triggering a robust immune response when it…

A new study has opened the door to a new approach to attacking herpesviruses. The study demonstrated that targeting 2 metal ion-dependent enzymes of human herpesviruses with 2 compounds, AK-157 and AK-166, can inhibit the replication of the virus. The finding provides new opportunities to developing agents against herpesviruses. «A lot of people know the…