Coronavirus variants can evade antibodies by spreading via super-cells: Study
3 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus variants can evade antibodies by spreading via super-cells: Study

India Today  

The antibodies we create after we’re infected with a virus or vaccinated against it can be very powerful. A virus typically spreads within our bodies by entering a cell and using it as a factory to create copies of itself, which then burst out and find new cells to infect. The study by Alex Sigal and colleagues tested two coronavirus variants for their ability to transmit from cell to cell and investigated whether this mode of transmission was sensitive to antibody neutralisation. Like cells capable of producing antibodies, T cells can remember a previous infection and act rapidly when the same virus comes along again. In people with dysfunctional T cell responses, cell-to-cell transmission could hinder neutralising antibodies and hence prolong the infection.

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History of this topic

How does coronavirus win against human immune system? Scientists unravel Covid-19's battle plan
2 years, 8 months ago

How does coronavirus win against human immune system? Scientists unravel Covid-19's battle plan

India Today  

Nearly three years after it first struck, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, remains dominant in our lives. With new cases popping up across the world, including in India, scientists have now unraveled the battle plans of this virus, revealing the mystery of how it wins the war against the human immune system. Scientists working on coronaviruses have discovered that …

Op-Ed: Will the next coronavirus variant escape our best immune defenses?
2 years, 9 months ago

Op-Ed: Will the next coronavirus variant escape our best immune defenses?

LA Times  

An image of the coronavirus, shown as orange, emerging from the surface of cells, in green, cultured in a lab. Studies show that the strength of our long-lived T-cell response to the virus’ proteins — especially by T cells that recognize the spike protein — strongly correlates with the degree of protection. Rather, T-cell recognition occurs when a viral protein …

The future of the pandemic is looking clearer as we learn more about infection
2 years, 10 months ago

The future of the pandemic is looking clearer as we learn more about infection

NPR  

The future of the pandemic is looking clearer as we learn more about infection During the early days of the pandemic, scientists and doctors were concerned that being infected with SARS-CoV-2 might not trigger a strong immune response in many people – thus an infection might not provide long-term protection. "King's College London team found steep drops in patients' antibody …

Nano bubbles could treat, prevent current and future strains of SARS-CoV-2: Study
2 years, 11 months ago

Nano bubbles could treat, prevent current and future strains of SARS-CoV-2: Study

Deccan Chronicle  

Evanston: With the COVID-19 virus mutating and bringing in more and deadlier waves with it, medical discoveries are all that humanity is depending on to survive and defeat this dark phase of life. Now, scientists at Northwestern Medicine and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified natural nano-bubbles containing the ACE2 protein in the blood of COVID-19 …

Nano-bubbles in Covid patients’ blood could block infection from variants
2 years, 11 months ago

Nano-bubbles in Covid patients’ blood could block infection from variants

Live Mint  

Scientists in the US have identified tiny natural bubbles containing the ACE2 protein in the blood of COVID-19 patients that can block infection from broad strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. "Whenever a new mutant strain of SARS-CoV-2 surges, the original vaccine and therapeutic antibodies may lose power against Alpha, Beta, Delta and the most recent, Omicron," said study co-senior author …

Early data of COVID-19 vaccine booster to tackle multiple variants shows promise
2 years, 11 months ago

Early data of COVID-19 vaccine booster to tackle multiple variants shows promise

Firstpost  

The yet-to-be peer-reviewed results also show the vaccine, being trialled with the anticipated involvement of 20 people aged 60 and over, was generally safe and well-tolerated. London: A COVID-19 vaccine booster aimed at tackling multiple coronavirus variants shows promise in inducing a comprehensive immune response, early data suggests. The initial phase one clinical data shows the vaccine has strong levels …

Multivariant Covid vaccine booster shows promise, early data suggests
2 years, 11 months ago

Multivariant Covid vaccine booster shows promise, early data suggests

India Today  

A Covid-19 vaccine booster aimed at tackling multiple coronavirus variants shows promise in inducing a comprehensive immune response, early data suggests. The initial phase one clinical data shows the vaccine has strong levels of neutralising antibodies, similar to approved mRNA vaccines, but at up to a 10-fold lower dose in the first 10 individuals. "These initial data with samRNA Covid …

Scientists identify antibodies that can neutralise Omicron and other variants
2 years, 11 months ago

Scientists identify antibodies that can neutralise Omicron and other variants

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Identifying such “broadly neutralising” antibodies on the coronavirus spike protein, which the virus uses to …

Omicron can evade protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines, antibody therapies, says study
3 years ago

Omicron can evade protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines, antibody therapies, says study

Firstpost  

The study, published in the journal Nature on Thursday, also highlights the need for new vaccines and treatments that anticipate how the SARS-CoV-2 virus may soon evolve. Washington: Omicron can evade the immune protection conferred by COVID-19 vaccines and natural infection, according to a peer-reviewed study which also suggests that the new variant of coronavirus is completely resistant to antibody …

Scientists develop molecule that blocks covid-19 infection
3 years ago

Scientists develop molecule that blocks covid-19 infection

Live Mint  

Scientists have developed a new molecule that attaches to the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevents it from entering human cells and spreading the COVID-19 infection. The researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark noted that the molecule is cheaper and easier to manufacture than the antibodies currently used to treat COVID-19, and to detect viral infection using rapid antigen …

The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus
3 years, 1 month ago

The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus

Wired  

On October 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave most of the US population permission to get a Covid vaccine booster—a shot in such high demand that 10 million people somehow obtained it in advance of that approval in an effort to feel a little safer. In a fistful of papers and preprints published in the past six …

Covid-19 vaccines may protect against other coronaviruses: Study
3 years, 2 months ago

Covid-19 vaccines may protect against other coronaviruses: Study

India Today  

Covid-19 vaccines and prior coronavirus infections can provide broad immunity against other, similar coronaviruses, according to a study. The study found that plasma from humans who had been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 produced antibodies that were cross-reactive, or provided protection, against SARS-CoV-1 and the common cold coronavirus. Mice that had been immunised with Covid-19 vaccines and later were exposed to the …

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies remain stable, even increase 7 months after infection: Study
3 years, 4 months ago

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies remain stable, even increase 7 months after infection: Study

Deccan Chronicle  

Barcelona: According to a recent study in a cohort of healthcare workers, the levels of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein remained stable, or even increased, seven months after the infection. The results, published in the journal 'Nature Communications', also supported the idea that pre-existing antibodies against common cold coronaviruses could protect against COVID-19. With this goal in mind, the …

New universal coronavirus vaccine may help prevent future pandemics
3 years, 6 months ago

New universal coronavirus vaccine may help prevent future pandemics

India TV News  

Scientists have developed a universal vaccine that protected mice not just against COVID-19 but also other coronaviruses while triggering the immune system to fight off a dangerous variant. To prevent a future coronavirus pandemic, the team designed the vaccine to provide protection from the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and a group of coronaviruses known to make the jump from animals to …

Scientifically Speaking | Knowing how coronavirus hacks cells will help stop it
3 years, 6 months ago

Scientifically Speaking | Knowing how coronavirus hacks cells will help stop it

Hindustan Times  

Many people are now familiar with the spike protein that the Covid-19-causing coronavirus uses to get inside human cells. We know that the virus prevents ribosomes from making the cell’s own proteins, including tools of the immune system, and, instead, instructs it to make virus parts. In addition, immediately after NSP1 is made, it starts to slow down ribosomes, so …

Dual-antibody therapy effective against Covid-19 variants, finds animal study
3 years, 6 months ago

Dual-antibody therapy effective against Covid-19 variants, finds animal study

India Today  

Covid-19 therapies made from a cocktail of two types of antibodies were found to be effective against a wide range of variants of the coronavirus in a study on mice and hamsters, scientists say. The researchers tested single and combination antibody therapies authorised for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, or that are in late-stage clinical trials, against …

Unique Antibody Produced During Common Cold Reacts to Covid-19 Infection, Study Reveals
3 years, 6 months ago

Unique Antibody Produced During Common Cold Reacts to Covid-19 Infection, Study Reveals

News 18  

US researchers have identified that a special type of antibody is produced in patients who’ve had Covid-19 as well as common colds, an advance that may be the starting point for broader-acting vaccines. The study, by a team from the Scripps Research Institute, found that the cross-reactive antibody is produced by a memory B cell — an essential part of …

COVID19: Antibody from common cold reacts to infection, says researchers
3 years, 6 months ago

COVID19: Antibody from common cold reacts to infection, says researchers

India TV News  

US researchers have identified that a special type of antibody is produced in patients who've had Covid-19 as well as common colds, an advance that may be the starting point for broader-acting vaccines. The study, by a team from the Scripps Research Institute, found that the cross-reactive antibody is produced by a memory B cell -- an essential part of …

Antibody from common cold reacts to COVID infection: Study
3 years, 6 months ago

Antibody from common cold reacts to COVID infection: Study

India TV News  

US researchers have identified that a special type of antibody is produced in patients who've had Covid-19 as well as common colds, an advance that may be the starting point for broader-acting vaccines. The study, by a team from the Scripps Research Institute, found that the cross-reactive antibody is produced by a memory B cell -- an essential part of …

Scientists see path for the coronavirus to invade the brain
3 years, 7 months ago

Scientists see path for the coronavirus to invade the brain

LA Times  

Scientists experimenting in the lab have found that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is capable of infecting two types of brain cells — neurons and astrocytes. COVID-19 is best known as a respiratory disease, but for many victims, it also triggers an array of problems including memory lapses, fatigue and a certain sluggish, fuzzy feeling often referred to as “brain …

Coronavirus variants from Brazil, South Africa are less susceptible to antibodies, says study
3 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus variants from Brazil, South Africa are less susceptible to antibodies, says study

India TV News  

Variant forms of the novel coronavirus which were first reported in South Africa and Brazil are less efficiently inhibited by antibodies from recovered patients and vaccinated individuals, a new study confirms. "This is worrisome because the rapid spread of variants that might not be efficiently inhibited by antibodies could undermine our current vaccination strategy," said Stefan Pohlmann, a co-author of …

Brazil, South African Covid variants less susceptible to antibodies, confirms study
3 years, 8 months ago

Brazil, South African Covid variants less susceptible to antibodies, confirms study

India Today  

Variant forms of the novel coronavirus which were first reported in South Africa and Brazil are less efficiently inhibited by antibodies from recovered patients and vaccinated individuals, a new study has confirmed. "This is worrisome because the rapid spread of variants that might not be efficiently inhibited by antibodies could undermine our current vaccination strategy," said Stefan Pohlmann, a co-author …

Faster spread of some coronavirus variants could be due to sturdier protein, say scientists
3 years, 9 months ago

Faster spread of some coronavirus variants could be due to sturdier protein, say scientists

India TV News  

The spike protein of the novel coronavirus, which enables it to infect human cells, is more stable in faster spreading versions of the virus, such as the ones first reported in the UK and South Africa, compared to the original form of the pathogen from Wuhan, China, says a new study. The results, published in the journal Science, showed that …

WHICH CORONAVIRUS VARIANTS COULD WEAKEN VACCINES?
3 years, 9 months ago

WHICH CORONAVIRUS VARIANTS COULD WEAKEN VACCINES?

Daily Mail  

Viruses are constantly evolving, so there are and always will be countless 'variants' of coronavirus. Vaccines appear so far to work just as well against B117 and it does not seem to reinfect people. No, so far the variant appears to have about the same mortality risks as forms that are more prevalent in the U.S. CAN IT 'ESCAPE' VACCINES …

Covid-19 Vaccine-induced Antibodies Less Effective Against Some Coronavirus Variants: Study
3 years, 9 months ago

Covid-19 Vaccine-induced Antibodies Less Effective Against Some Coronavirus Variants: Study

News 18  

Antibodies raised by some COVID-19 vaccines are less effective at neutralising new, circulating variants of the novel coronavirus such as the ones first reported in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, according to a new study. The research, published in the journal Cell, noted that the neutralising antibodies induced by the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were less effective against …

World is in need of a universal coronavirus vaccine, warn scientists
3 years, 10 months ago

World is in need of a universal coronavirus vaccine, warn scientists

Firstpost  

The prestigious journal Science on Thursday published an editorial calling for a global effort to develop a universal coronavirus vaccine that would remain effective against other members of the same virus family that might cross over to humans. “Modern agricultural practices, viral evolution, and relentless human encroachment on the natural environment mean there is an increased risk of people encountering …

Scientists reveal how coronavirus could be hijacking human cells
3 years, 10 months ago

Scientists reveal how coronavirus could be hijacking human cells

Live Mint  

Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have identified parts of human proteins which the novel coronavirus could be using to hijack host cell processes, an advance that may lead to the development of new drugs for treating covid-19. The researchers, including Manjeet Kumar from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in HeidelbGermany, analysed the chain of amino acid molecules that makes up …

Coronavirus variants, viral mutation and vaccines: The science you need to understand
3 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus variants, viral mutation and vaccines: The science you need to understand

Firstpost  

The SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates fast. That’s a concern because these more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 are now present in the US, UK and South Africa and other countries, and many people are wondering whether the current vaccines will protect the recipients from the virus. A single change in the spike protein – which is the region of the virus that …

Decoding how coronavirus mutates
3 years, 10 months ago

Decoding how coronavirus mutates

The Hindu  

Scientists have identified a pattern of mutations in the novel coronavirus which enable it to evade the immune system’s antibodies, findings that shed light on how the virus may possibly escape existing vaccines and therapeutics. The study, published in the journal Science, assessed nearly 1,50,000 gene sequences of the spike protein collected from many parts of the world, and found …

Dangerous new coronavirus strains may incubate in COVID-19’s sickest
3 years, 10 months ago

Dangerous new coronavirus strains may incubate in COVID-19’s sickest

LA Times  

A nurse brings medication to a COVID-19 patient in an hospital intensive care unit. Among the sickest of COVID-19 patients, this population of “long haulers” appears to play a key role in incubating new variants of the coronavirus, some of which could change the trajectory of the pandemic. Indeed, situations in which patients can’t clear a viral infection are “the …

Immune system of recovered COVID-19 patients may evolve to fight coronavirus variants: Study
3 years, 11 months ago

Immune system of recovered COVID-19 patients may evolve to fight coronavirus variants: Study

The Hindu  

People who recover from COVID-19 are protected against the novel coronavirus for at least six months, and likely much longer, according to a study which says the immune system evolves long after the infection and may block even mutant forms of the virus. According to the scientists, including those from Rockefeller University in the U.S., the study provides the "strongest …

South African coronavirus variant may escape antibodies, cause reinfection, say scientists
3 years, 11 months ago

South African coronavirus variant may escape antibodies, cause reinfection, say scientists

The Hindu  

A lineage of the novel coronavirus, first reported to have emerged in South Africa, escapes neutralisation by antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients, says a new study which raises questions on the possibility of reinfection by this strain. "Here we show that the 501Y.V2 lineage, that contains nine spike mutations, and rapidly emerged in South Africa during the second half of …

‘Animals most susceptible to coronavirus infection after humans’
4 years ago

‘Animals most susceptible to coronavirus infection after humans’

Hindustan Times  

Humans, followed by ferrets, and to a lesser extent cats, civets and dogs are the animals most likely to be infected with the novel coronavirus, according to a new study which analysed ten different species for their susceptibility to the virus which causes Covid-19. The findings, published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, found that ducks, rats, mice, pigs and …

The SARS-CoV-2 virus just won’t stop evolving and disappear when the vaccine arrives
4 years ago

The SARS-CoV-2 virus just won’t stop evolving and disappear when the vaccine arrives

Firstpost  

Vaccines offer the body’s immune system a glimpse of the virus, and then the immune system builds a broad attack. Some coronavirus vaccines under development or in use in Russia and China use whole virus particles, inactivated or attenuated, to spark an immune system response. “A vaccine based on just the spike protein has the potential to generate a broad …

No evidence to suggest coronavirus cluster 5 variant found in minks increases virus transmissibility, disease severity
4 years, 1 month ago

No evidence to suggest coronavirus cluster 5 variant found in minks increases virus transmissibility, disease severity

The Hindu  

Since June, 214 people in Denmark have been reported to have been infected with a variant of the novel coronavirus associated with farmed minks. Preliminary findings indicate that this particular mink-associated variant identified in both minks and the 12 human cases has moderately decreased sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies.” Denmark epidemiologist Kare Molbak said cluster 5 was not more dangerous than …

Pre-existing antibodies may protect some people against novel coronavirus, says study
4 years, 1 month ago

Pre-existing antibodies may protect some people against novel coronavirus, says study

India TV News  

Scientists have found that some antibodies, created by the immune system during infection with common cold coronaviruses, can also target the COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2, and may confer a degree of protection against the new virus. "Our results show that children are much more likely to have these cross-reactive antibodies than adults," said Kevin Ng, lead author of the study from …

Scientists find new way to stop coronavirus from replicating itself
4 years, 2 months ago

Scientists find new way to stop coronavirus from replicating itself

India Today  

Scientists in the US have developed a new method using which they have been able to prevent the novel coronavirus from replicating itself. "This enzyme executes a double-whammy," Shaun K Olsen, associate professor of biochemistry and structural biology at UT Health San Antonio, who was the senior author for the study, was quoted as saying by PTI. Olsen added, "It …

Coronavirus immunity likely to last for months after infection, study suggests
4 years, 2 months ago

Coronavirus immunity likely to last for months after infection, study suggests

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Scientists who studied a sample of nearly 6,000 Covid-19 patients found almost all produced “high-quality” …

How mutating coronavirus poses challenge to Covid-19 vaccine development
4 years, 3 months ago

How mutating coronavirus poses challenge to Covid-19 vaccine development

India Today  

Going by the claims of people and agencies involved in Covid-19 vaccine development, the period of October-November may see a major announcement. This comes even as virologists studying SARS-CoV-2 -- the coronavirus that has caused the deadly Covid-19 pandemic -- say the virus is yet not fully understood. But simply put, a similar mutation could take place in the real …

There are now three known cases of patients contracting COVID-19 twice
4 years, 3 months ago

There are now three known cases of patients contracting COVID-19 twice

Salon  

There are now three known cases around the world of patients who had been previously afflicted by COVID-19 who contracted the virus a second time, months after clearing the first infection. "Our understanding of the interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with the human immune system is at a very early stage," Medford explained by email. Medford said the next step …

The coronavirus is mutating, just like most viruses, but the effect isn't as pronounced as some headlines suggest
4 years, 4 months ago

The coronavirus is mutating, just like most viruses, but the effect isn't as pronounced as some headlines suggest

ABC  

You may have seen headlines popping up during the pandemic that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has split into "strains" that are more contagious, more virulent or even easier to vaccinate against. For living things made up of cells, like animals, plants, fungi and bacteria, that genetic material is in the form of DNA, and there's a built-in "proofreading" …

Scientists identify cellular structure that may play critical role in coronavirus replication
4 years, 4 months ago

Scientists identify cellular structure that may play critical role in coronavirus replication

India TV News  

Scientists have identified a structure in host cells which the novel coronavirus likely uses to synthesise components that will be assembled into fully infectious viruses, an advance which may lead to the development of new drugs against COVID-19. Seeking to understand how viral RNA is exported from sealed DMVs, the scientists, Georg Wolff and his colleagues, used a powerful microscopy …

Forget antibodies, scientists look towards T-cells in the immune system to fight Coronavirus infection
4 years, 5 months ago

Forget antibodies, scientists look towards T-cells in the immune system to fight Coronavirus infection

Firstpost  

There is evidence that T-cells developed after exposure to other coronaviruses that cause the common cold could help fight off SARS-CoV-2. “There is mounting evidence that people exposed to the virus have a transient antibody response, or have a T cell response in spite of a minor or absent antibody response,” Dr Alessandro Sette, professor and member of the La …

Antibodies acquired after coronavirus infection won't be effective for very long: Study
4 years, 6 months ago

Antibodies acquired after coronavirus infection won't be effective for very long: Study

Firstpost  

The results offer a strong note of caution against the idea of ‘immunity certificates’ for people who have recovered from COVID-19. Antibodies — protective proteins made in response to an infection — may last only two to three months, especially in people who never showed symptoms while they were infected. Several studies have now shown that most people who are …

Antibodies against coronavirus start to decrease in 2-3 months, study finds
4 years, 6 months ago

Antibodies against coronavirus start to decrease in 2-3 months, study finds

The Hindu  

A few countries, including the U.K., were toying with the idea of issuing some form of a certificate to people who have been infected with novel coronavirus and recovered subsequently, as such people were assumed to be resistant to reinfection. “We observed that IgG levels and neutralizing antibodies in a high proportion of individuals who recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection start …

Coronavirus more efficient at infection after mutation; diseased lungs more receptive to virus
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus more efficient at infection after mutation; diseased lungs more receptive to virus

Live Mint  

The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. The mutation, designated D614G, increased the number of "spikes" the virus uses to bind to and break into cells, and made them more stable, researchers found in the …

Nearly 160 coronavirus vaccines are in the works. Here’s a closer look at the science
4 years, 6 months ago

Nearly 160 coronavirus vaccines are in the works. Here’s a closer look at the science

LA Times  

Vials used to prepare syringes in a safety study of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. Live attenuated virus vaccine Developed in 1937 by virologist Max Theiler to create a yellow fever vaccine, this protocol takes a live virus and introduces it to mice, chicken embryos or other non-human species. Because the …

Coronavirus: New vaccine in development using decades-old methods
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus: New vaccine in development using decades-old methods

NL Times  

A team at Amsterdam UMC are using vaccines developed in 1927 to try to coax the human immune system into attacking the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. According to the medical center, the new vaccine is aimed at producing antibodies which attach to protein protrusions, or spikes, present on each individual virion. The research team, which is working in collaboration with biotech …

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