Competence-inhibiting drugs may prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance
Novel research suggests that some drugs may prevent the acquisition of resistance genes by preventing the induction of bacterial ‘competence’.
Browsing: Genetics
Precision medicine: Hippocratic meets informatics
Take a look a this overview of precision medicine; the concept, benefits, road blocks and what the future might hold.
Could tailor-made vaccines halve rates of serious Streptococcus pneumoniae infection?
Optimizing vaccine models for Streptococcus pneumoniae suggests that vaccine programs need to be tailored to target specific subgroups including age and geographical region.
2019-nCoV related to SARS-like coronaviruses of bat origin
A new study in The Lancet has suggested that the novel coronavirus was most genetically similar to two SARS-like coronaviruses of bat origin, but that there may be the possibility of another animal host acting as an intermediate host between bats and humans.
Mosquitoes engineered to halt transmission of dengue virus
Scientists have synthetically engineered mosquitoes to prevent transmission of dengue virus to humans. This potentially could lead to genetic approaches to controlling the spread of dengue virus among populations.
New CRISPR editing technology targets antibiotic resistance plasmids
A team from the University of California, San Diego have created a new CRISPR editing system that can effectively target antibiotic resistance genes. The system is based on a positive feedback loop and has numerous potential applications, such as treating chronic bacterial infections.
Have scientists identified how P. falciparum jumped hosts 50,000 years ago?
Scientists believe they have uncovered how Plasmodium falciparum jumped hosts 50,000 years ago; from gorillas to humans. The study demonstrates a novel understanding of how pathogens can jump between species.
CARVER: CRISPR–Cas13 system kills viruses in human cells
A team from the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard have designed a Cas13–CRISPR construct, termed CARVER, that can detect and kill viruses inside human cells. The flexible CARVER system could be used as a new tool in research and the clinic.
Could game theory be used to predict antibiotic resistance genes?
Researchers have developed a game theory approach and a machine learning algorithm to accurately identify antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria.
A peek behind the paper – Enzo Tramontano on the emerging field of endogenous retroviruses
Take a look behind the scenes of a recent Future Virology editorial, entitled ‘The emerging field of endogenous retroviruses: understanding their physiological role and contribution to diseases’ as we ask author Enzo Tramontano (Università degli studi di Cagliari, Italy) about human endogenous retroviruses, whether they could be linked with disease and the future of this field.
