LONDON – A new national consortium of virologists has been set up to systematically assess how mutations in SARS-CoV-2 affect key outcomes such as effectiveness of vaccines and therapies, transmissibility of the virus and the severity of COVID-19 infections.

It has been a year since Wuhan health authorities first issued a bulletin about a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause, first bringing what would become the COVID-19 pandemic to the attention of the World Health Organization. Now, a mutation that significantly increases SARS-CoV-2’s transmissibility has been detected in the U.S. 

An international study led by Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has designed and synthesized broad-spectrum antimicrobial polymers (AMPs) and demonstrated the safety and efficacy of two such agents against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in mouse models of sepsis.

BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Reversal of pumping direction is reversal of fortune for tumor cells; Cholesterol drug affects checkpoint blockade via MHC1; Heart development protein has role in adult immunity.

Australia is famous, among other things, for venomous animals. Its plants, it turns out, are just as hostile. Now, researchers at the University of Queensland have isolated “neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree,” as they titled their paper. While the tree’s venomous effects were no secret – the authors wrote that it is known for its “remarkably persistent and painful stings upon contact,” which can produce pain flares for weeks – the effect had been attributed to small molecules.

LONDON – The international commission convened in the aftermath of Chinese scientist He Jiankui’s shock announcement of the birth of gene edited twins has set a possible course to approval of heritable gene editing, but said the technique is far from ready for use.

An Australian study led by University of Melbourne scientists has identified a previously unknown role for the hepatokine, sparc-related modular calcium-binding protein 1 (SMOC1), in suppressing hepatic glucose production.

HONG KONG – Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) research enterprise in Singapore have found a way to not just reverse antibiotic resistance but also increase sensitivity in some bacteria, using hydrogen sulfide.