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Virology

All articles tagged with #virology

science11 days ago

Scientist Develops Beer-Based Vaccine for Poliovirus

A virologist and home brewer, Chris Buck, claims to have created the world's first beer-based vaccine using genetically modified yeast, which he believes can immunize against certain viruses and potentially be used for other diseases like COVID-19 and flu. Despite concerns from the scientific community about safety and public trust, Buck has already brewed and tested his vaccine beer on himself, showing promising antibody responses, and aims to develop it further for broader use.

via The Times|
#beer-vaccine#home-brewing#immunity
obituary4 months ago

Caltech and Salk Institute Mourn the Loss of Nobel Laureate David Baltimore

David Baltimore, a Nobel Prize-winning virologist, former Caltech president, and influential scientist known for discovering reverse transcriptase, passed away at age 87. His groundbreaking work in molecular biology, immunology, and science policy significantly advanced medicine and biotechnology. Baltimore's leadership at Caltech and contributions to global health and science policy left a lasting legacy. He is survived by his wife Alice Huang and daughter TK Baltimore.

via Caltech|
#caltech#david-baltimore#nobel-laureate
obituaries4 months ago

Nobel Laureate and Former Caltech President David Baltimore Passes Away at 87

David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate and former Caltech president renowned for his groundbreaking work in virology and genetic engineering, passed away at 87. His career was marked by significant scientific discoveries, leadership in bioethics, and influential roles in academia and industry, leaving a lasting legacy in biology and medicine.

via Los Angeles Times|
#caltech#david-baltimore#genetic-engineering
health1 year ago

Rising Concerns Over Mild U.S. Bird Flu Cases and Pandemic Risks

Despite a significant increase in human H5N1 bird flu cases in the U.S., all have been mild, puzzling scientists given the virus's historically high fatality rate. Researchers are exploring various hypotheses, including the mode of transmission, the specific virus strain, and potential pre-existing immunity from exposure to similar viruses. The mildness of U.S. cases contrasts with more severe cases in Asia, raising questions about the virus's true pathogenicity and the accuracy of previous fatality estimates.

via STAT|
#birdflu#h5n1#health
health1 year ago

Scientist Uses Lab-Grown Virus to Treat Her Own Cancer, Sparking Ethical Debate

Croatian virologist Beata Halassy successfully treated her own breast cancer using lab-grown viruses, avoiding chemotherapy. Her self-administered oncolytic virotherapy, involving measles and vesicular stomatitis viruses, led to a significant tumor reduction and a four-year cancer-free period. While her case highlights the potential of oncolytic virotherapy, it raises ethical concerns about self-experimentation and the risk of encouraging unproven treatments. Despite initial journal rejections due to ethical issues, Halassy published her findings to contribute to scientific knowledge.

via The Economic Times|
#breast-cancer#ethics#health
health1 year ago

Virologist Uses Lab-Grown Viruses to Treat Her Own Cancer

Dr. Beata Halassy, an infectious disease researcher, successfully treated her stage 3 breast cancer using a self-developed experimental vaccine combining measles and flu-like viruses. This oncolytic virotherapy approach shrank the tumor, allowing for easier surgical removal, and has kept her in remission for four years. While her results, published in the journal Vaccines, show promise, they raise ethical concerns about self-experimentation and potential risks for others attempting similar treatments without medical oversight.

via Daily Mail|
#breast-cancer#cancer#ethics
science1 year ago

"The Intriguing Social Lives of Viruses Unveiled"

Recent research has revealed that viruses have a complex social life, engaging in behaviors such as cheating and cooperation within cells and hosts. Sociovirologists believe that viruses make sense only as members of a community, and studies have shown that incomplete viruses, previously thought to be lab artifacts, are actually abundant inside our bodies. These incomplete viruses, also known as cheaters, exploit the cooperation of other viruses to replicate, but some researchers believe they may also play a more benign role in viral societies. Understanding the social behavior of viruses could potentially be exploited to develop new antiviral strategies, although caution is advised due to the living and evolving nature of viruses.

via Quanta Magazine|
#evolution#medicine#science
medical-science-news1 year ago

Study Demonstrates Antibiotics' Targeting of COVID-19 in Gut Bacteria

New research suggests that antibiotics can effectively target gut bacteria that harbor the virus causing COVID-19, potentially reducing COVID-19-related symptoms and aiding in faster recovery. A study involving 211 participants found that early antibiotic treatment, specifically a combination of amoxicillin and rifaximin within the first 3 days of infection, led to quicker recovery and a lower incidence of long COVID. These findings may influence future vaccine strategies and the treatment of acute COVID-19 infections.

via News-Medical.Net|
#antibiotic#bacteria#covid-19
science1 year ago

"Rising Concern: Scientists Warn of Potential Pandemic from Arctic Zombie Viruses"

Scientists are concerned about the potential threat of "zombie viruses" trapped in Arctic permafrost being released due to global warming, which could lead to a disease outbreak or pandemic. These ancient viruses, some as old as 48,500 years, have been isolated by researchers, raising fears of a global medical emergency triggered by diseases from the distant past. Permafrost, which contains ice, soil, and organic matter, is at risk of thawing due to rising global temperatures, potentially releasing these viruses and exacerbating climate change.

via IndiaTimes|
#global-warming#pandemic#permafrost
health-science1 year ago

"Concerns Over Gain-of-Function Research: Chinese Scientists Develop 100% Lethal Covid Strain in Mice"

The World Health Organization's call for an international pandemic treaty to combat "Disease X" is seen as ineffective due to past lack of international cooperation and the ongoing risky gain-of-function research on dangerous viruses in countries like the U.S. and China. Concerns have been raised about the development of more lethal coronaviruses, with recent research in China resulting in a virus that is far more deadly than COVID-19. Experts emphasize the need for a moratorium on gain-of-function research and a scaled-up biosecurity system to address the threat posed by bioengineered pathogens.

via Washington Examiner|
#biosecurity#disease-x#gain-of-function-research
science2 years ago

"Mouse Cells Successfully Produce COVID Receptor Protein, Scientists Report"

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University have successfully produced large quantities of the human ACE2 receptor protein, which the SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to, in mouse cells. This achievement provides a new method for studying these receptors and potentially utilizing them for therapeutic purposes. The team's approach, described in a recent journal publication, could also facilitate the production of other complex proteins that have been challenging to create using traditional methods.

via Phys.org|
#ace2-receptor#covid-19#mouse-cells
science2 years ago

"US Scientists Propose Creating SARS-CoV-2-Like Viruses in Wuhan"

Newly obtained documents reveal that American scientists planned to collaborate with the Wuhan Institute of Virology to engineer novel coronaviruses with features similar to SARS-CoV-2, including furin cleavage sites and receptor binding domains adept at infecting human receptors, a year before the virus emerged. The documents detail experiments that could have generated the virus' rare properties and challenge arguments against the relevance of the research proposal to the origins of the pandemic. The grant proposal, rejected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, suggests that data central to the pandemic may be found not only in China but also in the U.S.

via U.S. Right to Know|
#genetic-engineering#pandemic-origins#sars-cov-2