Unlocking the secrets of bat immunity

Organoids unveil new defense mechanisms against zoonotic viruses

23-May-2025 - Bats are known as natural hosts for highly pathogenic viruses such as MERS- and SARS-related coronaviruses, as well as the Marburg and Nipah viruses. In contrast to the severe and often fatal disease outcomes these viruses cause in humans, bats generally do not show obvious signs of viral illness ...

PFAS influence cellular immune response to coronavirus

Study also reveals sex-specific differences as to how the immune system reacts to the virus

09-May-2025 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous, accumulate in the environment and are difficult to break down. They are known as "forever chemicals". PFAS can compromise the immune system and thus, human health. In their current study, researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for ...

CureVac Receives Positive Validity Decision from European Patent Office in Litigation Against BioNTech SE

28-Mar-2025 - CureVac N.V., a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”), announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has confirmed the validity of CureVac’s European patent EP 3 708 668 B1 subject to amendments to ...

mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines train the ‘long-term memory’ of the immune system

Findings have far-reaching implications for the development of future vaccination strategie

28-Mar-2025 - Researchers at the University of Cologne and University Hospital Cologne have shown in their study that the novel mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines not only induce acquired immune responses such as antibody production, but also cause persistent epigenetic changes in innate immune cells. The study ...

Leyden Labs raises $70 million: Novel class of broadly protective nasal sprays

Funding will propel Leyden Labs’ non-vaccine intranasal antibody programs to safeguard people from respiratory viruses

03-Feb-2025 - Leyden Laboratories B.V. announced it has raised $70M in funding to advance its Mucosal Protection Platform. This non-vaccine approach utilizes broadly protective intranasally administered antibodies to free people from the threat of respiratory viruses, such as influenza and coronaviruses. The ...

SARS-CoV-2: Cell phone and genome data allow targeted tracing of infection pathways

Scientists from the Jena start-up nanozoo GmbH and Jena University Hospital present analysis

28-Jan-2025 - To track the spread of pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 in a more targeted manner, anonymized mobile phone data and other metadata (such as zip codes) can be combined with genome data. A systematic evaluation of such combined data pools has now been presented by scientists from the Jena-based ...

SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Accumulation Linked to Long-Lasting Brain Effects

Researchers have identified a mechanism that may explain the neurological symptoms of Long COVID

03-Dec-2024 - The study shows that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein remains in the brain’s protective layers, the meninges, and the skull’s bone marrow for up to four years after infection. This persistent presence of the spike protein could trigger chronic inflammation in affected individuals and increase the ...

New therapeutic approach for severe COVID-19: faster recovery and reduction in mortality

The approach may also be applicable to other infections

15-Nov-2024 - A new clinical study shows that an inhibitor of Fas ligand (FasL), also called CD95 ligand (CD95L), led to a faster recovery of COVID-19 patients and reduced mortality. On average, it took eight days to recover for patients who received asunercept, a biotherapeutic FasL inhibitor, compared to 13 ...

Cost-effective modular system for optical imaging from the 3D printer

Like building with Lego bricks

14-Oct-2024 - Making modern microscopy and spectroscopy methods accessible to as many users as possible - Prof. Thorben Cordes and his doctoral student Gabriel G. Moya Muñoz have dedicated themselves to this goal. Cordes joined the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB) at TU Dortmund University as ...

Study confirms effectiveness of the new Omikron booster

Biontech vaccine activated for booster vaccination against the current Corona variant JN.1 Production of adapted antibodies

01-Oct-2024 - The autumn wave of coronavirus is sweeping across Germany. Those affected mainly suffer from coughs, colds, sore throats and fever, but also from headaches, aching limbs, general weakness and shortness of breath. Because new SARS-CoV-2 variants and subtypes are constantly emerging, coronavirus ...