SARS-CoV-2 tagged posts

New research may explain Severe Virus Attacks on the Lungs

The development of human macrophages.
The development of human macrophages. Illustration: The research team.

In some cases, immune cells in the lungs can contribute to worsening a virus attack. In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden describe how different kinds of macrophages, develop in the lungs and which of them may be behind severe lung diseases. The study, which was published in Immunity, may contribute to future treatments for COVID-19, among other diseases.

The structure of the lungs exposes them to viruses and bacteria from both the air and the blood. Macrophages are immune cells that, among other things, protect the lungs from such attacks...

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Strong Activation of Anti-bacterial T cells linked to Severe COVID-19

Illustration of T cells fighting virus
Illustration: Getty Im“MAIT cell activation and dynamics associated with COVID-19 disease severity,” Parrot, T., Gorin, J. B., Ponzetta, A., Maleki, K. T., Kammann, T., Emgård, J., Perez-Potti, A., Sekine, T., Rivera-Ballesteros, O., the Karolinska COVID-19 Study Group, Gredmark-Russ, S., Rooyackers, O., Folkesson, E., Eriksson, L. I., Norrby-Teglund, A., Ljunggren, H. G., Björkström, N. K., Aleman, S., Buggert, M., Klingström, J., Strålin, K., and Sandberg, J. K., Science Immunology, online 28 september, 2020, doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abe1670ages

A type of anti-bacterial T cells, so-called MAIT cells, are strongly activated in people with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden that is published in the journal...

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Far-UVC Light Safely Kills Airborne Coronaviruses, study finds

Equipment used to test the effect of far-UVC light on airborne coronaviruses. Photo: Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University.

More than 99.9% of seasonal coronaviruses present in airborne droplets were killed when exposed to a particular wavelength of ultraviolet light that is safe to use around humans, a new study at Columbia University Irving Medical Center has found.

“Based on our results, continuous airborne disinfection with far-UVC light at the current regulatory limit could greatly reduce the level of airborne virus in indoor environments occupied by people,” says the study’s lead author David Brenner, PhD, Higgins Professor of Radiation Biophysics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and director of the Center for Radiological Res...

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Super-potent Human Antibodies protect against COVID-19 in Animal Tests

A human antibody (blue) attaches to the receptor binding domain (red) on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (Model courtesy of the Burton lab.)

Scientists isolate powerful coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients and successfully test in animals. A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

The research, published today in Science, offers a paradigm of swift reaction to an emergent and deadly viral pandemic, and sets the stage for clinical trials and additional tests of the antibodies, which are now being produced as potential treatments and preventives for COVID-19.

“The discover...

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