All Rockefeller University articles
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NewsResearchers discover how to turn one germ’s drug resistance into an Achilles’ heel
As Mycobacterium tuberculosis mutates to protect itself from rifampicin, it also creates new weak points that other therapies could exploit. A new study shows that the most common rifampicin-resistance mutation slows bacterial RNA polymerase, creating vulnerabilities that future combination therapies may be able to target.
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NewsFlawed but correctable research hindered progress in infection-triggered chronic conditions
Researchers contend that studies of infection-associated chronic illnesses such as Lyme disease and COVID-19 suffer recurring problems such as the failure to prove participants have the relevant pathogen.
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NewsResearchers track the mutations that allow HIV-1 to escape broadly neutralizing antibodies
Scientists have established the most comprehensive view to date of how HIV-1 can escape broadly neutralizing antibodies. They have discovered viral mutations that make HIV-1 strains resistant to two bNAbs, 3BNC117 and 10-1074.
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NewsScientists use ultrasound to destroy influenza A and COVID-19 viruses without damaging human cells
Researchers have discovered that high-frequency ultrasound waves similar to those used in medical exams can eliminate viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 without damaging human cells. Acoustic resonance causes structural changes in viral particles until they rupture and become inactivated.
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NewsStudying two very different viruses helps to develop new strategies
When the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic began, virologist Theodora Hatziioannou, in conjunction with Paul Bieniasz brought her HIV-honed skills and tools to this new global threat, which made it easier and faster for researchers to gain insights into the virus and test antibodies for potential therapeutic candidates in real time.
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NewsNew strategies aim at HIV’s last strongholds
A new study has overcome a long-standing challenge—how to isolate and study elusive HIV-infected cells called authentic reservoir clones (ARCs) that evade the immune system, making the disease difficult to cure.
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NewsIn rare cases, autoantibodies can cause severe reactions to a live-attenuated virus Chikungunya vaccine that has been discontinued in the U.S.
A new study shows that preexisting autoantibodies in a small subset of the population can allow weakened vaccine viruses to escape control, explaining some adverse events tied to one kind of Chikungunya vaccine, which is no longer available in the U.S.
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NewsNew one-two punch could knock out drug-resistant TB
Researchers found that pairing the antibiotic rifampicin with a second compound turned multidrug resistance into a weakness—providing proof of concept for using basic science to design life-saving dual-drug strategies.
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NewsMethod probing dark matter uncovers hundreds of new bacteria, and two potential antibiotics
A new approach to exploring untapped soil resources circumvents the need to grow bacteria in the lab by extracting very large DNA fragments directly from soil to piece together the genomes of previously hidden microbes, and then mines resulting genomes for bioactive molecules.
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NewsScientists find flawed data in recent study relevant to coronavirus antiviral development
A new study shows why scientists still don’t know how the NiRAN domain works. The findings could have sweeping implications for drug developers already working to design antivirals based on flawed assumptions, and underscore the importance of rigorous validation.
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NewsResearchers find CRISPR is capable of even more than we thought
Researchers studying key immune components of some CRISPR systems have announced the newest CARF effector they’ve discovered, which they coined Cat1 - it can deplete a metabolite essential for cellular function.
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NewsProof of concept for HIV vaccination that deploys germline-targeting
For a preventative HIV-vaccine to work it should induce broadly neutralising antibodies against all the diverse strains of the virus. The first in-human assessment of germline-targeting strategy with a trimer displays positive results.
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NewsA new class of antivirals could help prevent future pandemics
A new study introduces a proof-of-concept for a novel class of antivirals that would target a type of enzyme essential not just to SARS, but also many RNA viruses, including Ebola and dengue, as well as cytosolic-replicating DNA viruses, including Pox viruses.
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NewsCould a bout of COVID protect you from a severe case of flu?
More than 200 viruses can infect and cause disease in humans; most of us will be infected by several over the course of a lifetime. Does an encounter with one virus influence how your immune system responds to a different one?
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NewsResearchers may have found an Achilles heel for Hepatitis B
Researchers have revealed never-before-seen mechanisms that may lead to new therapeutic approaches for HBV.
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NewsInexpensive way to produce anti-Covid nanobodies cuts down on the llamas
Researchers have come up with a less expensive way to isolate and identify nanobodies that target various parts of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and are currently derived from llamas.