Researchers at Tel Aviv University, led by Prof. Alexander Golberg of the Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences, have found that a substance called ulvan extracted from edible marine algae called ulva prevents the infection of cells with the Corona virus. The researchers: "This is a cheap natural material for production, which may help solve a serious problem - the spread of the Corona virus in large populations, especially in developing countries, which do not have access to the vaccine. The lack of access of vacine takes the lives of many victims and even accelerates the creation of new variants. The study is still in its early stages, but we hope that the discovery will be used in the future to develop an accessible and effective drug, preventing infection with the Corona virus."

Mortality rates for corona patients requiring mechanical ventilation is around 50%, and there are only a few effective treatment options. However, new research results indicate that a well-known drug, already being used at hospitals, could improve the course of these critically ill patients. The study has just been published in the prestigious American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- A computational tool allows researchers to precisely predict locations on the surfaces of human and COVID-19 viral proteins that bind with each other, a breakthrough that will greatly benefit our understanding of the virus and the development of drugs that block binding sites.

Bei der Mehrheit der Patientinnen und Patienten mit schwerem COVID-19 vernarbt die Lunge in außergewöhnlich starkem Ausmaß. Das zeigen Forschende der Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, des Helmholtz-Instituts für RNA-basierte Infektionsforschung (HIRI), des Max-Delbrück-Centrums für Molekulare Medizin in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (MDC), der Uniklinik RWTH Aachen und des Robert Koch-Instituts in einer aktuellen Studie. Wie sie in der Fachzeitschrift Cell* beschreiben, spielen Fresszellen des Immunsystems eine zentrale Rolle. Einige Prozesse des COVID-19-Lungenversagens ähneln dabei denen der idiopathischen Lungenfibrose, einer bisher unheilbaren Form der Lungenvernarbung. Die gestörte Narbenreaktion könnte erklären, warum die Lunge lange funktionsunfähig bleibt und eine langwierige ECMO-Therapie erfordert.