Viruses under the super microscope: How influenza viruses communicate with cells

Researchers uncover new mechanisms for influenza viruses to enter cells

09-May-2025 - Influenza viruses are among the most likely triggers of future pandemics. A research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has developed a method that can be used to study the interaction of viruses with host cells in ...

Videos with cold symptoms activate brain regions and trigger immune response

Study on brain activity and antibody concentration

07-Feb-2025 - People who watch videos of sneezing or sick people show increased activity in brain regions that represent an interface between the brain and the immune system and react to potential dangers. At the same time, the concentration of antibodies in their saliva increases. The findings of a study by ...

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 ...

Small antibody offers broad protection against influenza

“It’s rare to find a molecule capable of protecting against so many different influenza viruses”

14-Jan-2025 - Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in collaboration with colleagues in China, have discovered an antibody-like molecule that can protect mice from various influenza viruses. The findings could pave the way for new treatments and the development of broader influenza ...

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 ...

Why the flu vaccine is less effective in older people

Study identifies key molecules and possible approaches to improve the vaccination response

02-Oct-2024 - So-called high-dose flu vaccines are available for older people. The reason: their immune system does not always respond sufficiently well to the standard flu vaccines. Why this is the case and the molecular processes behind it are not yet understood. However, in their current research work, ...

Vicebio Announces $100 Million Series B Financing

Funding will support and accelerate development of next-generation multivalent respiratory virus vaccines

30-Sep-2024 - Vicebio Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel vaccines against life-threatening respiratory viral infections, announces a $100 million Series B financing led by TCGX with investment from Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Avoro Ventures, venBio, and participation from UniQuest and founding ...

High H5N1 influenza levels found in mice given raw milk from infected dairy cows

30-May-2024 - Mice administered raw milk samples from dairy cows infected with H5N1 influenza experienced high virus levels in their respiratory organs and lower virus levels in other vital organs, according to findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results suggest that consumption of ...

Measles-Based Vector Vaccine Protects Mice against Influenza A (H7N9) Virus

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses such as the influenza A virus subtype H7N9 could potentially cause future influenza pandemics

11-Jul-2023 - Researchers at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), in cooperation with the Philipps-Universität Marburg, used the "recombinant measles vaccine virus" vaccine platform to test vaccine candidates against the dangerous avian H7N9 influenza virus in an animal model. Vectored vaccines with a blueprint of ...

How the flu virus hacks our cells

A UNIGE team has discovered how the influenza A virus hijacks the mechanism for importing iron into cells to invade its host

07-Jun-2023 - Influenza epidemics, caused by influenza A or B viruses, result in acute respiratory infection. They kill half a million people worldwide every year. These viruses can also wreak havoc on animals, as in the case of avian flu. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified how the ...