The Symposium - Research papers

May 19, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

New Nanobodies Beat COVID Escape Mutations

Scientists have found a way to update and reuse a special antibody, called a nanobody, that can fight the COVID-19 virus. The nanobodies were originally designed to target a specific part of the virus, but the virus has started to mutate and make it harder for the antibodies to work. To fix this, researchers used a new technique to update the nanobodies, making them work better against the new, mutated viruses. They were able to create a new nanobody that can target both the old and new versions of the virus, providing a way to keep up with the virus's constant evolution and ensuring that treatments remain effective.

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May 16, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

Breakthrough Discovery on COVID-19 Vaccine

Scientists have discovered a new molecule called Collectin-11 that plays a key role in fighting off the COVID-19 virus. Research found that Collectin-11 can recognize and neutralize the virus, preventing it from infecting cells. This is a promising breakthrough, as it suggests that Collectin-11 could be a potential treatment or prevention method for COVID-19. The study showed that Collectin-11 works by binding to the virus and activating the body's natural defense system, which helps to stop the virus from spreading. This discovery offers new hope for controlling the spread of COVID-19 and could potentially lead to new treatments or vaccines.

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May 16, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

New Vaccine Boosts Against Evolving Virus

New COVID-19 vaccine boosters have been shown to significantly increase neutralizing antibodies against the latest variants of the virus, including those that have evolved from earlier strains. In a recent study, researchers found that the updated vaccine boosters, designed to target the LP.8.1 subvariant, elicited the highest antibody responses against this specific strain and also against another emerging variant, XFG. This is a significant breakthrough, as it suggests that the updated vaccines can help mitigate the effects of "immune imprinting" - a phenomenon where the immune system becomes less responsive to new variants of the virus. The study also found that the antibody responses remained durable for several months after the booster, providing long-term protection against COVID-19.

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May 04, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

COVID-19 Protein Disrupts Key Immune Response

Scientists have discovered a key way that the SARS-CoV-2 virus evades the immune system, making it harder for our bodies to fight off the infection. The virus's "nonstructural protein 1" (Nsp1) interferes with a critical pathway that helps our bodies respond to inflammation and infection, called the NF-κB pathway. By binding to a protein called TAK1, Nsp1 triggers its destruction, which in turn shuts down the NF-κB pathway. This means that the virus can suppress the immune system's response to the infection, leading to more severe symptoms and potentially worse outcomes.

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Apr 28, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

COVID-19 Seasonality Revealed

New research suggests that the COVID-19 epidemic has a unique pattern of seasonal waves, with cases peaking in both winter and summer. Scientists analyzed data from the pandemic and found that the timing of these waves is linked to colder temperatures, but this alone doesn't fully explain why the virus is causing multiple outbreaks every year. Instead, researchers believe that the virus's immunity wanes at a specific rate, leading to new waves of cases as the population's defenses weaken. This seasonal pattern is unlike other respiratory viruses, which typically peak in winter.

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Apr 22, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

New Vaccine Shows Promise Against COVID-19

Researchers have found that a new vaccine candidate can protect older mice from severe illness caused by COVID-19, even in models that are genetically engineered to closely mimic the human form of the virus. The vaccine, known as LAV, was tested in mice that are older than usual, as age is a major risk factor for severe COVID-19 in humans. The results show that the vaccine is effective in preventing severe illness in these older mice, and it also induces a strong immune response that can protect against different strains of the virus. This breakthrough could lead to the development of more effective vaccines for older adults, who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

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Apr 21, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

New Bat Virus Sparks COVID Concerns

Scientists have discovered a bat virus that is closely related to COVID-19 and can infect both bats and humans. The virus, called BANAL-236, was found to be able to replicate in human cells, but not in normal bat cells, and was able to evade the human immune system's response to infection. This is a key finding because it suggests that the virus was able to jump from bats to humans, a process known as zoonotic spillover, and that it has developed ways to avoid being detected by the human immune system. The study provides new insights into how COVID-19 and other similar viruses are able to spread from animals to humans.

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Mar 26, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

New Antibody Shows Promise Against SARS-CoV-2

Scientists have discovered a new antibody that can effectively neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, and it works in a unique way. The antibody, called IgM-14, is able to target and block the virus in a way that other antibodies can't, and it's particularly effective against older variants of the virus. However, it loses its effectiveness against newer variants, such as Omicron BA.1 and JN.1. Researchers found that these newer variants have mutations that disrupt the antibody's ability to bind to the virus, and that the antibody can only work if it binds to two specific parts of the virus. This discovery could lead to the development of new and more effective antibody treatments for COVID-19.

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Mar 20, 2026 PLoS Pathogens

New Breakthrough in COVID-19 Research

New research has found that a protein called SAMHD1 plays a crucial role in preventing the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting lung cells. The study discovered that when SAMHD1 is removed from lung cells, the virus is unable to enter the cells and replicate. This happens because SAMHD1 helps to suppress the production of a protein called ACE2, which is necessary for the virus to attach to and enter the cells. Without ACE2, the virus is unable to infect the cells, making SAMHD1 a potential target for developing new treatments for COVID-19.

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Mar 18, 2026 BMJ Medicine

NHS Primary Care Guidance Gap Exposed

A new study has found that the number of people receiving advice and guidance from their primary care doctor has skyrocketed over the past eight years, increasing by 19 times from 2015 to 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this number doubled, with over 1 in 10 patients receiving advice and guidance. However, the study also revealed significant inequalities in the use of these services, with older, white, and less deprived patients receiving more advice and guidance, while minority ethnic and more deprived groups took longer to recover from the pandemic.

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