All University of Toronto articles
-
NewsExperts call on WHO to revisit its approach to airborne risk in light of hantavirus outbreak
In light of the hantavirus outbreak, public health experts have called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to shift its default response to emerging respiratory viruses. The starting point should not be to downplay the risk of airborne transmission until it is definitively proven, they warned.
-
NewsThe Nexus of Food Systems, Ecosystems and Human Health: Sign up for our fascinating free webinar!
What if health is not produced by humans alone, but co-created with the ecosystems, organisms, and food systems we depend on? A fascinating free webinar will explore how microbes connect people to food systems and the ecosystems that undergird food production.
-
NewsPolymer ‘bristles’ could help repel proteins — and germs — from surfaces in medical settings
A non-toxic coating made of polydimethylsiloxane prevents proteins from sticking to surfaces — potentially offering a new tool in the fight against hospital-acquired infections.
-
NewsCosmetics from waste? New microbial discovery could enable more sustainable production of high-value chemical products
Researchers have made a key discovery about how certain bacterial strains produce a set of economically valuable chemicals — opening the door to new, more sustainable production methods. A family of molecules could be made via bacterial fermentation instead of from palm oil, as they are today.
-
NewsScientists warn antibacterial soaps and wipes can fuel antimicrobial resistance
An international team of scientists is warning that everyday antibacterial soaps, wipes, sprays, and other “germ‑killing” products are quietly contributing to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) while providing no added health benefit for most consumer uses.
-
NewsA CRISPR fingerprint of pathogenic Candida auris fungi
Precision diagnostic platform integrating CRISPR and single molecule technology with AI enables rapid and accurate detection of drug-resistant Candida auris pathogens.
-
NewsNew clues in how plant microbiomes protect against bacterial speck disease
A new study gives new clues on how a tomato plant’s microbiome can be used to combat the bacterial speck pathogen. Researchers found populations of Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas bacteria on the plants that had developed a resistance against bacterial speck.
-
NewsResearchers establish link between form and function of gut bacterium
New insights into the functional differences between the various morphotypes of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron could open up new possibilities for medicine. A better understanding of their diversity could lay the foundation for novel microbiome-based therapies.
-
NewsGlobal study: COVID-19 and adenoviral vaccines tied to GBS risk, not mRNA vaccines
A large-scale study in a population covering more than 230 million people sheds light on the relationship between Guillain-Barré syndrome after COVID-19 vaccines or SARS-CoV-2 infection.
-
NewsPediatric investigation review discusses the challenges, innovations, and future directions in dengue vaccine development
A new review discusses the current status and implications of dengue vaccines like CYD-TDV, TAK-003, and Butantan-DV while exploring the challenges in Dengue vaccine development like ADE, and proposes future directions in this field.
-
NewsStudy uncovers how low-carb diet drives colorectal cancer development
A new study suggests that a low-carbohydrate diet promotes the growth of a strain of E. coli that produces DNA-damaging colibactin, which drives genetic mutations and predisposes tumour development.
-
NewsPaxlovid’s impact on hospitalization and death in COVID-vaccinated older adults far weaker than previously thought
A new study overturns the assumption that Paxlovid’s effectiveness in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in unvaccinated adults also applies to vaccinated adults.
-
NewsResearchers uncover control mechanisms of polysaccharide utilization in gut bacterium
Polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) complexes enable bacteria to bind, break down, and import specific polysaccharides, contributing to successful gut colonization. A new study explores how PULs are regulated post-transcriptionally to adapt to environmental changes.
-
NewsClimate change linked with worse HIV prevention and care
Researchers find that climate change and extreme weather events impact HIV prevention and care through numerous pathways, including increased HIV exposure, reduced testing, and worse health outcomes for people living with HIV.
-
NewsStudy uncovers how a new gut microbe drives the gut-lung axis
New findings highlight how a little-known member of the gut microbiome reshapes the lung immune environment to have both beneficial and detrimental effects on respiratory health.
-
NewsResearchers develops metagenomic profiling method
Researchers have developed a new k-mer sketching metagenomic profiler, called sylph, that allows scientists to analyze genomic data more quickly and precisely than other profilers.
-
NewsFloor swabbing could help prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in hospitals
In two Ontario hospitals, high levels of SARS-CoV-2 on floors correlated with COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers and patients, suggesting floor swabbing as a potential method to prevent outbreaks.
-
NewsSoil’s secret language: Researchers decode plant-to-fungi communication
Researchers have cracked the code of plant-to-fungi communication, using baker’s yeast to reveal that the plant hormone strigolactone (SL) activates fungal genes and proteins associated with phosphate metabolism, a system that is key to growth.
-
NewsConscience announces top performers in open science challenge to design promising pan-coronavirus drugs
The nonprofit drug discovery biotech Conscience has released seven newly discovered promising early-stage molecules that could lead to a new treatment effective against all coronaviruses, not just SARS-CoV-2.
-
NewsRSV vaccination in older adults with health conditions is cost-effective
Targeting vaccination programs for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to older adults with underlying health conditions is a cost-effective way to reduce disease, according to a new modelling study.