Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich - New method for genetic analysis of resting human immune cells [Medical Xpress, December 2021]

Title:

New method for genetic analysis of resting human immune cells 

 

By: 

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

 

Published:

Medical Xpress, 28 December 2021

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-method-genetic-analysis-resting-human.html

 

From the article:

CD4+ T cells are important parts of the immune system and play a key role in defending the body against pathogens. As they possess a great variety of defense mechanisms against HIV in their resting state, they are infected only very rarely—but these few infected cells form a latent reservoir for HIV in the body that currently cannot be reached by antiviral drugs. Consequently, the virus can spread again from there after activation of the CD4+ T cells. Understanding how HIV interacts with resting CD4+ T cells is essential for finding new therapeutic approaches. Scientists led by Prof. Oliver T. Keppler from the Max von Pettenkofer Institute at LMU have now developed a method that for the first time allows these specific immune cells to be genetically manipulated under physiological conditions in an efficient and uncomplicated manner. As the authors report in the journal Nature Methods, this permits previously unobtainable insights into the biology of these cells.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel - New Cyberattack Can Trick Scientists Into Making Dangerous Toxins or Viruses [SciTechDaily, 6 December 2020]

Title:

New Cyberattack Can Trick Scientists Into Making Dangerous Toxins or Viruses

 

By:

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

 

Published:

SciTechDaily, 6 December 2020

https://scitechdaily.com/new-cyberattack-can-trick-scientists-into-making-dangerous-toxins-or-viruses/

From the article:

An end-to-end cyber-biological attack, in which unwitting biologists may be tricked into generating dangerous toxins in their labs, has been discovered by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev cyber-researchers.

The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxford University, Diamond Light Source & Public Health England: Engineered Nanobodies – Derived From Llama Antibodies – Neutralize COVID-19 Virus

Title:
Engineered Nanobodies – Derived From Llama Antibodies – Neutralize COVID-19 Virus

By:
The Rosalind Franklin Institute

Published:
SciTecDaily, 14 July 2020
https://scitechdaily.com/engineered-nanobodies-derived-from-llama-antibodies-neutralize-covid-19-virus/

From the article:
Antibodies derived from llamas have been shown to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests, UK researchers announced today.
 
The team involves researchers from the Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxford University, Diamond Light Source and Public Health England. They hope the antibodies – known as nanobodies due to their small size – could eventually be developed as a treatment for patients with severe COVID-19. The peer-reviewed findings are published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.