Vaccine development is usually a long process. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing researchers to innovate and test potential vaccines faster than ever before.
Finding drugs that treat the COVID-19 coronavirus may be just as important as developing a vaccine. But it’s much harder to create effective antivirals than antibiotics.
Testing in cells is an important and exciting first step.
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Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, identified nine existing drugs that show promise to treat COVID-19. The proteins they target haven’t been tried before.
Why do scientists care about mutations on the coronavirus?
Alexandr Gnezdilov Light Painting
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is constantly mutating. What do these mutations reveal about this virus’s evolution? And will this knowledge help us to develop a long-lasting vaccine?
It seems as though every other day we’re told a cure has been found for coronavirus. This is not strictly true – but there are some therapeutic options showing promise.
There are many ways to make a vaccine. In a time of crisis, the more paths towards success the better.
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Under pressure to develop a coronavirus vaccine, researchers have turned to protein synthesis, genetics and hybrid viruses. It is likely a mix of these approaches will be used to fight the coronavirus.
The U.S. has been scrambling to get testing for the coronavirus up to speed.
AP Photo/Francois Mori
A molecular biologist explains who should get tested, how the tests work and what the US government is doing to make tests available during a rapidly changing crisis.
Artist impression of neurons communicating in the brain.
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A new technology has enabled neuroscientists to examine the chemistry of individual brain cells. The finding reveal how genes are regulated differently in brain cells of people with autism compared to neurotypical people.
Like the day’s newspaper, the brain has a temporary way to keep track of events.
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How do brains convert experiences into memories? New research explores the chain of events by focusing on what genes shift into gear when neurons are firing.
MRI of healthy brain.
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One big challenge for gene therapies is delivering DNA or RNA safely to cells inside patients’ bodies. New nanoparticles could be an improvement over the current standard – repurposed viruses.
A collage of biological data visualisations.
Image from C. Stolte, B.F. Baldi, S.I. O'Donoghue, C. Hammang, D.K.G. Ma, and G.T. Johnson
Epigenetics is consistent with the theory of evolution – in fact, Darwin predicted that tiny parcels might somehow provide a flow of information from experience to inheritance.