Virus

A new study has affirmed men seem much more vulnerable to COVID-19 than women. The study found men, independent of age, are more likely to contract the virus, suffer from severe complications, and die from the disease compared to women.

Bacteria are fast evolving resistance to antibiotics, meaning our best drugs could soon stop working entirely. Now researchers have found a way to bypass drug resistance in these so-called superbugs – by distracting them with predatory viruses.

A robust new study has comprehensively demonstrated how SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can infect the brain and central nervous system. The study validates a growing body of research attributing neurological issues to COVID-19.

Early findings from a clinical trial suggest severely ill COVID-19 patients do not benefit from a therapy involving infusions of plasma from those recovered from the disease. The trial continues to investigate the therapy in moderately ill patients.

In the largest and longest follow-up study to date investigating the lingering effects of COVID-19, researchers have found more than two-thirds of hospitalized patients report at least one ongoing symptom six months after contracting the disease.

Health authorities in the UK have recommended extending dosing schedules for COVID-19 vaccines, claiming one dose offers short-term protection despite trials only testing two-dose regimes. US authorities call the change risky and unproven.

The influenza virus has proven a very tricky foe to fight. Now, researchers at EPFL have developed synthetic molecules that can kill the flu virus by mimicking human cells, and putting the squeeze on the virus when it attaches itself to the decoy.

A rapid COVID-19 test promises accurate results in under 30 minutes using a simple hand-held device, a nasal swab and a smartphone camera. The technology can also be modified to detect other viral diseases.

A study is the first to report successful results of a Phase 1 trial testing a novel universal flu vaccine. The trial found the experimental vaccine to be both safe and effective at generating a long-term immune response in a small number of adults.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech for use in the United Kingdom, with vaccinations to begin as soon as next week.

Biotech company Moderna has revealed more data from its Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial, reporting the vaccine is 94.1 percent effective at preventing COVID-19. An FDA review evaluating Emergency Use Authorization is now scheduled for December 17.

Oncolytic viruses selectively kill cancer cells, but this can be ineffective if it alerts the immune system. Now scientists have tweaked these viruses to avoid detection by the immune system, allowing them to track down cancer even after it’s spread.