Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Long-acting HIV drug emerges from decades of research and advocacy

In the hunt for a remedy, when the baton is passed from dedicated academic scientists to an innovative company to trusted community advocates, outcomes for society can be especially powerful.

8 May 2025

Wildlife trade, not bats, likely moved the ancestors of SARS-CoV-2 to humans

New genetic analyses reveal that the bat virus ancestors of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 likely circulated in Western China or Northern Laos just years before human outbreaks. Their rapid appearance thousands of kilometers away suggests wildlife trade, not bat migration, was the likely transmission path.

8 May 2025

HIV drugs found to significantly reduce Alzheimer's risk in new study

UVA Health scientists are calling for clinical trials testing the potential of HIV drugs called NRTIs to prevent Alzheimer's disease after discovering that patients taking the drugs are substantially less likely to develop the memory-robbing condition.

8 May 2025

Monoclonal antibody protects mice from lethal influenza A doses

Scientists have engineered a monoclonal antibody that can protect mice from a lethal dose of influenza A, a new study shows.

8 May 2025

Scientists enhance T cell immunity for more durable vaccines

WEHI scientists have uncovered a promising new way to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines by tapping into the potential of a specific type of immune cell, opening the door to long-lasting vaccines for viruses and enhanced cancer therapies.

7 May 2025

Hidden heart and lung damage detected in patients with long COVID

Patients suffering from long COVID may exhibit persistent inflammation in the heart and lungs for up to a year following SARS-CoV-2 infection-even when standard medical tests return normal results-potentially placing them at elevated risk for future cardiac and pulmonary conditions.

6 May 2025

New AI approach speeds up antiviral discovery for human enterovirus 71

Artificial intelligence algorithms have now been combined with traditional laboratory methods to uncover promising drug leads against human enterovirus 71 (EV71), the pathogen behind most cases of hand, foot and mouth disease.

6 May 2025

A comprehensive review of vaccine approaches for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), caused by the tick-borne severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), is a disease that is endemic to East Asia and has mortality rates reaching 30%.

6 May 2025

HIV testing and outreach falter as Trump funding cuts sweep the South

Storm clouds hung low above a community center in Jackson, where pastor Andre Devine invited people inside for lunch. Hoagies with smoked turkey and ham drew the crowd, but several people lingered for free preventive health care: tests for HIV and other diseases, flu shots, and blood pressure and glucose monitoring.

6 May 2025

Shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of heart disease

People who are given a vaccine for shingles have a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, according to a study of more than a million people published in the European Heart Journal today (Tuesday).

5 May 2025

New rifamycin drugs fight antibiotic-resistant lung infections more effectively

Researchers have developed next-generation rifamycin analogs that effectively kill both replicating and nonreplicating Mycobacterium abscessus while minimizing drug-drug interactions. Lead candidates UMN-120 and UMN-121 showed superior efficacy to current treatments in mouse models and retained potency against M. tuberculosis.

5 May 2025

Scientists use AI to build mutation-proof antibodies for SARS-CoV-2

Researchers used AI models to design antibodies that neutralize over 1,300 SARS-CoV-2 strains, including Delta and Omicron. The models demonstrated faster, cheaper, and more adaptable therapeutic development compared to traditional methods.

5 May 2025

Low income linked to higher risk of dying from liver cancer

The risk of dying from the most common form of primary liver cancer is about 30 percent higher for patients with low household income compared to those with middle or high household income, according to a study at the University of Gothenburg.

5 May 2025

Trump team’s $500 million bet on old vaccine technology puzzles scientists

The Trump administration's unprecedented $500 million grant for a broadly protective flu shot has confounded vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts, who said the project was in early stages, relied on old technology, and was just one of more than 200 such efforts.

5 May 2025

Study uncovers how a mobile genetic element hijacks human cells

Viruses are known to use the genetic machinery of the human cells they invade to make copies of themselves. As part of the process, viruses leave behind remnants throughout the genetic material (genomes) of humans.

2 May 2025

Clinical trial underway to assess effectiveness and safety of potential Long Covid treatment

A clinical trial is underway to assess the effectiveness and safety of sipavibart, AstraZeneca's long-acting monoclonal antibody designed to provide protection against Covid-19, as a potential treatment for Long Covid, the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid (SILC) announced today.

1 May 2025

HHS and NIH announce the development of next-generation, universal vaccine platform

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of influenza A/H1N1 virus particles. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes for Health (NIH) today announced the development of the next-generation, universal vaccine platform, Generation Gold Standard, using a beta-propiolactone (BPL)-inactivated, whole-virus platform.

1 May 2025

Urgent action needed to close gaps in global pandemic preparedness

The Global Virus Network (GVN) is highly concerned that the world is unprepared for the next pandemic and has not incorporated the lessons learned from COVID-19.

30 Apr 2025

Home injections for HIV treatment show equal safety and satisfaction

Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) can be administered at home to persons living with HIV as safely and effectively by a health care professional as in the clinic, with equally high patient satisfaction rates, according to a new study conducted by MUSC Health Infectious Diseases clinician Eric Meissner, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor in the College of Medicine.

30 Apr 2025