COVID-19. Large quantities of SARS-Cov-2 virus have been grown in cell culture and are now available in a specially equipped laboratory at Microbiology. The cell-culture grown virus will be used to test if existing substances in 1500 already approved medicines may be effective against COVID-19. “I am hopeful that we will find something interesting,” explains Kristina Nyström, docent at Medical Microbiology. The studies now starting at Microbiology will give medicine…
Complex patterns of spread in respiratory viruses How and when is the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, transmitted and what can we expect from this outbreak in the months ahead? Respiratory viruses generally have complex patterns of spread, but there are similarities with earlier known coronaviruses, research from the University of Gothenburg shows. “We have four coronaviruses that normally circulate in the population. What we’ve seen is that they’re extremely seasonal,…
Helena Carén receives Senior Investigator Award from the Swedish Cancer Society
GRANTS. As the recipient of the Senior Investigator Award, Helena Carén, team leader at Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, is receiving funding for six years of salary by the Swedish Cancer Society. She is developing methods based on DNA methylation for use in diagnosing different types of tumors. Helena Carén is thrilled by the grant, which will provide financial stability to focus on her research in the coming years: “The Swedish Cancer…
Highly topical training in infection control and hospital hygiene
EDUCATION. Infection control and hospital hygiene are key concepts in health care — especially now, during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. They are also the subjects of a new study program at the University of Gothenburg, designed for health professionals in the Nordic region. The application period for the fall semester is now underway. The Master’s degree in microbiology, infection control, and hospital hygiene started in fall 2019 when the University…
Completely new antibiotic resistance gene has spread unnoticed to several pathogens
STUDY. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are critically important for treating several types of infections with multi-resistant bacteria. A completely new resistance gene, which is likely to counteract the newest aminoglycoside-drug plazomycin, was recently discovered by scientists in Gothenburg, Sweden. The bacterial gene the team discovered in river sediment from India does not resemble any known antibiotic resistance gene. But when the scientist compared its DNA sequence to already published bacterial DNA sequences,…