Find an article on Covid 19 that interests you. Science Daily is one good site to find information, but any others that have scientific information are usuable.
Post a short summary here in your own words. Explain what the main question is and what the conclusions are Describe any methods used to answer the quesition.
Give the URL
I have to approve all articles, so you may not see your post right away.
“New CRISPR-based test for COVID-19 uses a smartphone camera”
Science Daily
December 4, 2020
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201204155410.htm
A team from Gladstone, UC Berkeley and UCSF published a study entitled “Amplification-free detection of SARS-CoV-2 with CRISPR-Cas13a and mobile phone microscopy” online through Cell. The team was working on technology that would address the hurdle of mass rapid testing, essential for tracking and controlling the spread of the virus. Current testing is a two-step chemical process involving conversion of viral RNA to DNA and quantitative PCR amplification, requiring trained technicians and expensive lab equipment. This creates problems with accessibility because testing locations are limited, the bottle-neck effect can clog labs, and the multi-step process takes time. The team wanted to find a better way to test for Covid-19 that would be faster and more accessible. They developed a technology that skips the RNA to DNA conversion and amplification steps; results are read via a device that plugs into a smartphone. The test does not require bulky equipment, detects the viral RNA quickly, and is more accessible to the public, being that smartphones are mass produced and user-friendly. Traditionally, CRISPR based testing uses Cas9 and still requires RNA conversion to DNA. However, the team developed a CRISPR system that uses Cas13, which cleaves RNA, mixed with a reporter molecule. After mixing the solution with a nasal swab sample, if SARS-CoV-2 is present in the human sample, Cas13 will activate, cutting the reporter molecule which then turns fluorescent. The smartphone device will detect the fluorescent emissions using the camera and be able to calculate viral load. The team has shown the system to detect a positive sample in under 5 minutes; those with low viral loads may take up to 30 minutes. The portability makes it viable for point-of-care or at-home use and can assist in the difficulty of testing in low resource regions. Also, by using smartphones for the interface, it might be possible to collect test results and location via GPS, uploading the information to a cloud database for analysis (while protecting patient confidentiality). This system could even expand beyond Covid-19 to test for other respiratory viruses.
https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/2020/may/the-science-behind-coronavirus-antibody-testing
This articles main topics are about the testing for active Covid 19 viruses and also how the Covid 19 antibody tests work. First with tests finding the active virus. Coronaviruses contain genetic single strand RNA and the test use RTPCR where RNA turns into DNA and is duplicated until there’s enough to look for the DNA profile and if it matches the Covid 19 DNA profile then that’s what triggers a positive test. For antibody test, where they take a blood sample and look for igM antibodies and they can be found just a few days after being infected. These topics are very relevant to the our Bio class because of of learning lots about RNA, DNA, antibodies and how they work and what they do. Also in this article it speaks about how much we can learn from this new virus and about it. And the major question is if we can develop a cheap test that can be more efficient to make every single person aware if they have the virus. This question will be answered just when we get more knowledge with the virus and with more research getting done.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201203133908.htm
In this article, they explain that an oral drug called Molnupiravir suppresses virus transmission within 24 hours. They originally knew that this drug was effective against influenza, the question was will it work against Covid 19? They tested the effectiveness of the drug by infecting ferrets with Covid and started treating them with the drug when they began shedding viruses from the nose. They then placed the treated ferrets in the same cage as ferrets that had not been exposed to the virus. None of the unexposed ferrets became infected. It is said that ferrets are a good model because they spread the disease but do not develop severe symptoms. This is very similar to how Covid effects young adults. There is a good chance based on this experiment that this drug will also stop the shed of viruses in humans within 24 hours. And because it is an oral medicine it can be given quickly which keeps patients symptoms from becoming severe and shortens the amount of time someone would be contagious.
The main question the researchers in this article have, is how to help stop the Corona Virus when vaccines are still a far away solution. The Center for Biomedical Engineering has a team led by David Whitten that believe they have discovered a breakthrough. It involves the ability of specific polymers and oligomers to combine and become activated with UV light. When put together it can almost completely kill this virus. When activated the polymers provide a coating that reduces the concentration of the virus. The light starts a docking process at the surface of the virus for the polymers and oligomers. This allows the light to be absorbed and generates the reactive oxygen intermediate on the virus. The active oxygen starts the reaction that inactivates the virus. To test it, they had to obtain the live virus and develop a protocol for analyzing the samples and exposing them to UV or visible light. It can be applied to consumer and healthcare products. It will not wash away with water or leave toxic residue. The researchers are hoping to take this to the market soon and hopefully use it to also eliminate other infections as well as Covid 19. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201209115207.htm
“Some severe COVID-19 cases linked to genetic mutations or antibodies that attack the body”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200924141529.htm
The main question is, what is missing or defecting the positive protectors of COVID 19 that cause severe cases? The most severe cases of COVID 19 are directly linked to the autoantibodies in the body. The autoantibodies are antibodies that cannot distinguish self cells from non-self cells, they attack a person’s own body, therefore weakening the immune system. A study was done, with severe cases among young people, who were not only tested for COVID 19, but also for autoantibodies. The scientist found that those with severe cases, either have autoantibodies (which could attack the antibodies) or mutations in their genome that disallows the proficiency of antibodies. With either of these components, it is difficult for people to fight off pathogens and viral components. The scientists predict the vaccine would be produced with antibodies that are not affected by autoantibodies. They hope their research will play a role in determining vaccine distribution, and the formation of the vaccine itself.
‘Boston biotech conference led to 245,000 Covid-19 cases across US, genetic fingerprinting shows’
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/11/health/superspreader-covid-boston-biotech-conference/index.html
A biotech conference, last February has been linked to more than 245,000 cases of covid-19 in the US and Europe. The question is how researchers are able to link people together to trace the events of ‘super spreaders’. Scientists use genetic fingerprinting to trace the spread of the virus using a data base to track changes (mutations) of the virus, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs. The mutations that they are focusing on are called C2416T and G26233T, which they have found C2416T as a strain that may have ben originally from Europe and now the mutation is presently found in 30-46% of cases in Boston and later the mutation can be seen in 29 other states.
Scientists from the University tried to answer the question of how much the coronavirus had mutated since it first appeared in Wuhan. To answer this question, they collected the 48,935 sets of complete coronavirus genomes produced from labs across the world. From analyzing the genomes, they found out that the virus has mutated into six strains. However, they also found out that the mutations in the genome have not changed the virus dramatically. Because of this, the scientists in this study think that treatments for the coronavirus will be effective against all of the virus strains.
Science Daily article:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200803105246.htm
Frontiers in Microbiology article:
https://go-gale-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T002&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&hitCount=1&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CA630228202&docType=Brief+article&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=ZONE-MOD1&prodId=AONE&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA630228202&searchId=R1&userGroupName=lom_lansingcc&inPS=true
Blood clotting is not a rare occurence, however in Covid19 patients, this phenomenon can be life threatening. There are autoantibodies that flow through the bloodstream causing clots in places like the lungs, leading to respiratory issues. These antibodies are more specifically found in patients with autoimmune disorders, even more so if that disorder deals with inflammation. This is a main reason why it is much more dangerous for someone with an underlying health condition to contract this virus. Some researchers were curious to know what the outcome would be in these patients if the anitbodies were simply removed. While this seems like a reasonable solution, there is much more to be considered than just getting rid of them from the bloodstream. The question still remains as to why so many of the anibodies are forming, and also how long they remain in the blood. Currently, there is testing being done to see if a simple anti-clotting agent, dipyridamole, could be enough to slow the clotting and inflammation in infected patients.
sorry, here’s the article 🙂
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201102142254.htm
“Understanding COVID-19 Infection and Possible Mutations”
Science Daily
December 8, 2020
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201208163007.htm
By using computational modeling researchers were able to simulate the attachment of the protein spike found on COVID-19 called the SARS-CoV-2 to the surface protein called ACE2. The researchers had two main questions they were looking to answer using these models. The first question being which structural differences cause COVID-19 to have a higher affinity to human ACE2 proteins compared to the SARS virus. The second question they were looking to answer being trying to find out COVID-19’s affinity to other animals ACE2 proteins. By using this model, they were able to find that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was “highly optimized” to bind to human ACE2 proteins. They also found that when they simulated the viral attachment to ACE2 proteins of bats, cattle, chicken, canines, felines, and horses that humans and bats had higher values of affinity compared to the other animals. This information is substantial because in respects to COVID-19 it could help research on vaccine durability and the ability of the virus to spread to other species. In respect to viruses that could be seen in the future the computational model they created could help understand the binding and affinity of those also.
First human trial of COVID-19 vaccine finds it is safe and induces rapid immune response
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200522113708.htm
The article I have chosen to summarize provides information on the Ad5 vectored COVID 19 vaccine. The question being asked is whether or not the vaccine is safe for humans. This vaccine is the first to reach human trials. So far researchers found the vaccine is safe, well-tolerated, and generates an immune response against SARS-CoV-2. The test was conducted on 108 healthy adults. After 28 days the results are promising, but researchers need to wait 6 months before they can be certain of the effects. This vaccine uses a weakened common cold virus to deliver genetic material for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to the cells. the spike protein is then produced and travels to the lymph nodes. the immune system then creates antibodies that recognize the spike protein and fight off the coronavirus. There were some negative effects of the vaccine reported such as pain at the injection site, fever, fatigue, and headache. These effects were reported to last no longer than 48 hours. The vaccine appears to be safe for now, but more testing is required to be certain.