{"messages":[{"status":"ok","cursor":0,"count":30,"total":31610}], "collection":[{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.11.731499","rel_title":"Circular RNA vaccine performance is determined by RNA quality and epitranscriptomic tuning rather than innate activation","rel_date":"2026-06-15","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.11.731499","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_no","type":"new results","category":"immunology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.10.731004","rel_title":"Molecular and ecological determinants of effective reassortment in orthohantaviruses","rel_date":"2026-06-12","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.10.731004","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"evolutionary biology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.11.731421","rel_title":"Emulating the gingival-tooth interface during bacterial, fungal, and viral infection in a microphysiological model of the human oral cavity","rel_date":"2026-06-12","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.11.731421","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_no","type":"new results","category":"bioengineering"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.10.731377","rel_title":"Cross-protection against Bundibugyo by Ebola and Sudan vaccines","rel_date":"2026-06-11","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.10.731377","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc","type":"new results","category":"microbiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.10.731427","rel_title":"Secreted ORF8 reprograms macrophages to enhance SARS-CoV-2 infection of lung epithelial cells","rel_date":"2026-06-11","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.10.731427","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"microbiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.10.26355375","rel_title":"Hantavirus Disease in Uruguay: Trends and Mortality Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.","rel_date":"2026-06-11","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.10.26355375","rel_abs":"IntroductionHantavirus disease is an emerging and potentially severe zoonosis of global distribution. In Uruguay, it is transmitted by rodents inhabiting peridomestic, suburban, and rural areas. Global incidence is estimated at 150,000 to 200,000 cases per year, with up to 300 annual cases in the Americas. Since 1997, Uruguays Ministry of Public Health (MPH) has monitored Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), the most common clinical presentation in the region. By 2019, a total of 271 cases had been identified in the country, with an estimated mortality rate of nearly 50%.\n\nObjectivesTo describe the clinical, epidemiological, and occupational characteristics of patients with Hantavirus disease in Uruguay during the pre-pandemic (2018-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods.\n\nMethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted, including all serologically confirmed cases of Hantavirus infection reported to the MPH between 2018 and 2021. Clinical and demographic data were extracted from the mandatory reporting form for zoonotic diseases. Incidence and case fatality rates were calculated, and factors associated with fatal outcomes were analyzed.\n\nResultsA total of 58 confirmed cases were identified between 2018 and 2021. Most patients were male (62%), with a mean age of 36.5 years (SD 16). A decline in incidence was observed during 2020-2021, with no significant change in case fatality. Direct rodent exposure was the most frequently associated risk factor. Montevideo and Canelones were the most affected departments. Renal and pulmonary involvement were significantly associated with mortality.\n\nConclusionHantavirus remains a relevant public health concern in Uruguay. Although a decrease in incidence was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic years, case fatality rates remained high. The findings underscore the need for sustained surveillance and early recognition, particularly in urbanizing regions.","rel_num_authors":9,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"zelika criscuolo","author_inst":"Internal Medicina Department, Academic Unit 1. Hospital Maciel."},{"author_name":"Leandro Blanco","author_inst":"Internal Medicina Department, Academic Unit 1. Hospital Maciel."},{"author_name":"Federico Ferrara","author_inst":"Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay."},{"author_name":"Karen Ciaccio","author_inst":"Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay."},{"author_name":"Leandro Gomez Carassale","author_inst":"Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay"},{"author_name":"Maria Gonzalez Reyes","author_inst":"Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay"},{"author_name":"Bruno Machado Rivero","author_inst":"Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay."},{"author_name":"Federico Sosa Dias","author_inst":"Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay."},{"author_name":"Jorge Antonio Facal Castro","author_inst":"Internal Medicina Department. Academic Unit 1. Hospital Maciel."}],"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc_nd","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"infectious diseases"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.10.731270","rel_title":"Mechanisms of viral budding through cellular membranes","rel_date":"2026-06-11","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.10.731270","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc","type":"new results","category":"biophysics"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.09.26355264","rel_title":"Estimating COVID-19 Cumulative Incidence from Seroprevalence Surveys accounting for Time-Varying Seroreversion: A Fully Bayesian Methodology","rel_date":"2026-06-10","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.09.26355264","rel_abs":"Seroprevalence surveys reveal the extent of humoral immunity against pathogens such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and under some circumstances represent cumulative incidence of prior infection. However, antibody waning-or seroreversion-biases these estimates by reducing assay sensitivity in a time-varying manner. Because assay sensitivity decays over time, naively using serosurveys can substantially bias estimates of SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence and fatality rates. The Bayesian assay-specific, time-varying sensitivity adjustment developed in this paper can reliably correct for this bias and account for the delay between infection and serosurvey. In seroprevalence studies conducted in the United States in 2020, adjusting for time-varying sensitivity increased cumulative incidence by up to 1.4-fold, with an adjustment of 1.08 for a national study. Our estimates contrast with a previously published 2-fold adjustment that did not account for assay design. This suggests that previous analyses overestimated cumulative incidence by applying seroreversion corrections that did not account for assay-specific effects, or underestimated cumulative incidence by not applying seroreversion corrections. These biases imply fatality rate underestimation and overestimation, respectively. Our model provides a framework for design-specific time-varying sensitivity corrections in seroprevalence surveys for other pathogens.","rel_num_authors":8,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"Nana Owusu-Boaitey","author_inst":"Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA"},{"author_name":"Mark J. Meyer","author_inst":"Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA"},{"author_name":"Daniel Herrera-Esposito","author_inst":"Computational Neuroscience Initiative, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA"},{"author_name":"Lucas Bottcher","author_inst":"Department of Computational Science and Philosophy, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Frankfurt, Germany"},{"author_name":"Maria Lukz","author_inst":"School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA"},{"author_name":"Sydney Cook","author_inst":"Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA"},{"author_name":"Michael A. Stoto","author_inst":"Department of Health Management and Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA"},{"author_name":"John D. Kraemer","author_inst":"Department of Health Management and Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA"}],"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"epidemiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.09.26355274","rel_title":"A risk-of-contagion index using a Bayesian based model for the COVID-19 epidemic in Mexico","rel_date":"2026-06-10","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.09.26355274","rel_abs":"During the COVID-19 pandemic, limited testing capacity and reporting delays complicated epidemic surveillance and decision-making in Mexico. We calibrated covidestim, a Bayesian nowcasting model, to estimate the total SARS-CoV-2 infections from reported cases and deaths using Mexican surveillance data. Disease-progression distribution priors were calibrated using Mexico City records and validated through comparisons with national seroprevalence surveys, hospitalization data, and annual reported severe-case rates across all states.\n\nUsing the reconstructed estimates of active infections, we implemented an event-based risk framework that quantifies the probability of encountering at least one infectious individual in gatherings of different sizes. This probability was subsequently translated into a four-level epidemiological traffic-light indicator and computed at both state and municipality levels. The resulting estimates revealed substantial spatial heterogeneity that is obscured by state-level aggregation, particularly in states with marked differences between urban and rural municipalities.\n\nTo evaluate consistency with public-health indicators, we compared the proposed risk classification with the official Mexican epidemiological traffic-light system, considering interpretable gathering sizes relevant to public-health decision making.\n\nWeekly reports derived from this framework were delivered to policymakers in the State of Queretaro in Mexico, as an anticipation tool for school reopening and public-space management. This demonstrates that this Bayesian reconstruction of infections combined with event-based risk metrics can provide an interpretable and generalizable municipality-level complement to routine surveillance systems, particularly in regions with limited testing capacity and heterogeneous local transmission dynamics.","rel_num_authors":4,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"Ruth Corona-Moreno","author_inst":"Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico"},{"author_name":"Manuel Adrian Acuna-Zegarra","author_inst":"Universidad de Sonora"},{"author_name":"Mario Santana-Cibrian","author_inst":"Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico"},{"author_name":"Jorge X. Velasco-Hernandez","author_inst":"Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico"}],"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc_nd","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"health policy"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.08.26355201","rel_title":"A Clinical Predictor of Lung Molecular Endotype Identifies Heterogeneity in Corticosteroid Response in Severe COVID-19: an Emulated Target Trial","rel_date":"2026-06-10","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.08.26355201","rel_abs":"BackgroundCorticosteroids reduce mortality in severe COVID-19 requiring oxygen or invasive mechanical ventilation, yet emerging data suggest that SARS-CoV-2-associated acute lung injury is biologically heterogeneous and that treatment response may vary across molecularly defined disease states. Lung-derived molecular endotypes of severe COVID-19-associated acute lung injury have been described, but direct molecular profiling is not routinely available at the bedside. We evaluated whether a clinical predictor of previously defined lung molecular endotype identifies heterogeneity in corticosteroid treatment effect among mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19.\n\nMethodsWe utilized a single-center cohort of 5,000 patients with COVID-19 treated at the University of North Carolina Hospital between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, to emulate a target trial assessing the effect of corticosteroid receipt on mortality, length of stay, and incident organ support. Confounding was addressed through inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Outcomes for severely ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation were compared to the RECOVERY trial results, with subsequent moderation analysis and stratified analysis by clinically predicted lung molecular endotype and vaccination status. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Secondary Outcomes were time to discharge alive and progression to additional organ support.\n\nResultsThis emulated target trial showed a directionally favorable but non-statistically significant association between corticosteroid treatment and reduced 28-day mortality in patients requiring mechanical ventilation for SARS-CoV-2 infection. A clinical predictor of lung molecular endotype moderated the effect of corticosteroids on 28-day mortality (p-value for interaction 0.038) and identified distinct predicted endotype-specific treatment effect. Corticosteroid treatment was associated with lower 28-day mortality in the predicted Hyper-Inflammatory endotype (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39, 0.99) but not in the predicted Metabolic Dysregulation endotype (OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.82, 1.61). We did not detect significant effect modification by vaccination status (p-value for interaction 0.65), although inference was limited by the small, vaccinated subgroup (28-mortality OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.37, 1.65 in vaccinated vs 0.94, 95% CI 0.70, 1.26 in unvaccinated).\n\nConclusionsIn this target trial emulation of mechanically ventilated patients with severe COVID-19, corticosteroid treatment showed a directionally favorable but non-statistically significant association with reduced 28-day mortality in the overall cohort. However, a clinical predictor of lung molecular endotype identified significant heterogeneity in treatment effect, with benefit concentrated in the predicted Hyper-Inflammatory endotype and no apparent benefit in the predicted Metabolic Dysregulation endotype. These findings support prospective validation of clinically deployable endotype-guided corticosteroid treatment strategies in acute lung injury and ARDS.","rel_num_authors":12,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"Benjamin Sines","author_inst":"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"},{"author_name":"Robert Hagan","author_inst":"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"},{"author_name":"Xi Jiang","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Ella Pavlechko","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Scott McClain","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Xin Hunt","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Julia Florou-Moreno","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Jake Acquadro","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Gabriel Risa","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Varunraj Valsaraj","author_inst":"SAS Institute, Inc"},{"author_name":"Jonathan Schisler","author_inst":"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"},{"author_name":"Matthew C Wolfgang","author_inst":"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"}],"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc_nd","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"intensive care and critical care medicine"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.09.730104","rel_title":"Enhanced Target Binding by Leritrelvir Restores Dimerization of Mpro Mutants and Mitigates Drug Resistance","rel_date":"2026-06-10","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.09.730104","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"molecular biology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.09.731069","rel_title":"Early innate immune signatures correlate with Ad26.COV2.S vaccine durability and protective efficacy","rel_date":"2026-06-10","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.09.731069","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"microbiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.09.731089","rel_title":"Sennoside A and Ceftazidime Inhibit Nucleocapsid RNA BindingAcross SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV","rel_date":"2026-06-10","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.09.731089","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_no","type":"new results","category":"biophysics"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.01.26354267","rel_title":"Polypore Mushroom Mycelia for Treatment of Active COVID-19 Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial","rel_date":"2026-06-09","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.01.26354267","rel_abs":"Use of fungal mycelia, which has antiviral properties, constitutes a novel strategy for addressing existing and newly emerging viral diseases. We evaluated safety and feasibility of fungal mycelia (Fomitopsis officinalis and Trametes versicolor, FoTv) for treatment of COVID-19 and assessed its antiviral effects and potential to reduce symptoms. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dual site (UCSD\/UCLA medical centers) clinical trial we examined non-hospitalized patients who contracted mild-to-moderate COVID-19 [≤] 96 hours, and experienced symptom onset [≤] nine days, before enrollment. FoTv was safe, well-tolerated, and feasible for COVID-19 treatment. Minor differences in biochemical markers were observed between groups (26 FoTv, 24 Placebo). FoTv significantly reduced the number and severity of symptoms, particularly sore throat\/cough, and in vitro SARS-CoV-2 (pseudovirus) cellular infection. In conclusion, FoTv was safe and reduced COVID-19 symptoms and cellular viral infection. Future studies should investigate therapeutic benefits of fungal mycelia for SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses. Clinicaltrials.gov registration:NCT04667247.","rel_num_authors":16,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"Gordon Saxe MD\/PHD","author_inst":"University of California San Diego"},{"author_name":"Andrew Shubov MD","author_inst":"University of California Los Angeles"},{"author_name":"Christine N Smith PHD","author_inst":"University of California San Diego"},{"author_name":"Shahrokh Golshan PHD","author_inst":"University of California San Diego"},{"author_name":"Tatyana Shekhtman MS","author_inst":"University of California San Diego"},{"author_name":"Stephen Wilson PHD","author_inst":"Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering"},{"author_name":"Daniel Slater MD\/FAAFP","author_inst":"University of California San Diego"},{"author_name":"Zolton J Bair PHD","author_inst":"Fungi Perfecti, LLC"},{"author_name":"Chase Beathard PHD","author_inst":"Fungi Perfecti, LLC"},{"author_name":"Renee A Davis MA","author_inst":"University of Washington"},{"author_name":"Lauray MacElhern MBA","author_inst":"University of California San Diego"},{"author_name":"Lan K Kao DACM","author_inst":"University of California Los Angeles"},{"author_name":"Phoebe Senowitz MEd","author_inst":"University of California San Diego"},{"author_name":"Natalie Gosnell BS","author_inst":"Cornell University"},{"author_name":"David Buchholz PHD","author_inst":"University of California Los Angeles"},{"author_name":"Hector Aguilar-Carreno PHD","author_inst":"University of California Los Angeles"}],"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nd","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"infectious diseases"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.05.730354","rel_title":"Conserved structural features of RNA export pores spanning the double membrane of arterivirus and coronavirus replication organelles","rel_date":"2026-06-09","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.05.730354","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"microbiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.08.730980","rel_title":"Temporal transcriptomic and microbial changes in American bison during experimental SARS-CoV-2 challenge","rel_date":"2026-06-09","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.08.730980","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_no","type":"new results","category":"immunology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.08.726938","rel_title":"Coordinated immune-epithelial dynamics in the nasal epithelium protect against respiratory virus infection","rel_date":"2026-06-09","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.08.726938","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc_nd","type":"new results","category":"immunology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.05.26355009","rel_title":"Investigation of the continuous spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the post pandemic time - Insights into the reason for the sustained spread despite the establishment of population immunity","rel_date":"2026-06-08","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.05.26355009","rel_abs":"In spite of well-established global immune landscape, SARS-CoV-2 is still able to further spread and continue causing infection waves. The current understanding about the reason behind is limited, and it is still difficult to predict the evolution or spreading tread of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate whether the establishment of population immunity has changed the virus evolution or spreading pattern.\n\nIn this investigation, one overall analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 spreading in the past several years have been carried out through one thorough genomic epidemiology study, with Germany being chosen as one representative location in view of the systemic efforts for genomic surveillance. The growth advantage of a few predominant variants in its early spreading period has been evaluated through a logistic regression model. The results have revealed that the major circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants since 2023 are mainly derived from the Omicron BA.2 family. Since middle of 2024, most predominant variants were produced primarily through recombination, indicating that the evolution derived from recombination might be the major driving force for the continuous spread of SARS-CoV-2 despite the existence of population immunity. Furthermore, the lower growth advantage of recently emerged variants might possibly lead to a tread of reduction in the frequency of infection wave.\n\nThe information revealed from this investigation suggests that although short-term spreading tread can be affected by specific virus feature as well as local immunity landscape, the long-term spreading tread is mainly decided by the genomic diversity of the viruses, and can be predicted through phylogenetic and genomic epidemiology investigation. The results have emphasized the importance of maintaining the efforts for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, which is essential from both medical and research perspectives.","rel_num_authors":1,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"Buqing Yi","author_inst":"Institute of Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD, Dresden, Germany"}],"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"epidemiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.05.26353587","rel_title":"Computational and Experimental Antibody Affinity and Diagnostic Accuracy Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 SD2 Major Disulfide Loop Analog","rel_date":"2026-06-08","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.05.26353587","rel_abs":"IntroductionSynthetic oligopeptides provide a rapid and cost-efficient approach to developing antibodies and diagnostics for emerging viral variants.\n\nMethodsThis study computationally and experimentally characterized a synthetic peptide analog of the SARS-CoV-2 spike subdomain 2 major disulfide loop (SD2MDL), designated S621 (CPVAIHADQLTPTWRVYSTC). Binding affinity was computationally estimated using the Heuristic Affinity Prediction Tool for Immune Complexes (HAPTIC), while experimental validation was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with rabbit-derived antipeptide antibodies. Clinical diagnostic accuracy testing was done using plasma samples from RT-PCR- confirmed COVID-19 patients and pre-COVID-19 controls.\n\nResultsS621 demonstrated nanomolar binding affinity [Formula] and high avidity (3.67 nM), closely matching HAPTIC predictions (3.54 nM). Diagnostic evaluation yielded a sensitivity of 89.92% and specificity of 27.79%, corresponding to an overall accuracy of 71.79%.\n\nDiscussionThese findings demonstrate that a single synthetic peptide derived from a conserved spike subdomain can function as a high-affinity surrogate for full-length antigens, supporting its potential application in rapid peptide-based immunodiagnostics.","rel_num_authors":9,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"Brian Andrich La Valle Pollo","author_inst":"Biomedical Innovations Research for Translational Health Science (BIRTHS) Laboratory, College of Medicine, Manila, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Glenmarie Angelica Perias","author_inst":"Biomedical Innovations Research for Translational Health Science (BIRTHS) Laboratory, College of Medicine, Manila, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Riziel Hannah Aguimatang","author_inst":"Biomedical Innovations Research for Translational Health Science (BIRTHS) Laboratory, College of Medicine, Manila, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Ayra Patrice Espiritu","author_inst":"Biomedical Innovations Research for Translational Health Science (BIRTHS) Laboratory, College of Medicine, Manila, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Danica Ching","author_inst":"Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, National Institutes of Health, Manila, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Maria Isabel Idolor","author_inst":"Biomedical Innovations Research for Translational Health Science (BIRTHS) Laboratory, College of Medicine, Manila, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Ruby Anne King","author_inst":"Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), Taguig, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Fresthel Monica Climacosa","author_inst":"Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines"},{"author_name":"Salvador Eugenio Caoili","author_inst":"Biomedical Innovations Research for Translational Health Science (BIRTHS) Laboratory, College of Medicine, Manila, Philippines"}],"version":"1","license":"cc_no","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"infectious diseases"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.04.730206","rel_title":"Single-cell profiling of innate and adaptive immune dysregulation in Long COVID","rel_date":"2026-06-08","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.04.730206","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"genomics"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.05.730251","rel_title":"Lack of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 imprinting promotes BA.3.2.2 infection in children","rel_date":"2026-06-08","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.05.730251","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc","type":"new results","category":"immunology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.06.730562","rel_title":"Broad Sarbecovirus Neutralization by an S2-Directed Plasma Antibody Defines a New Site of Vulnerability in SARS-like Viruses","rel_date":"2026-06-08","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.06.730562","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_no","type":"new results","category":"immunology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.07.730729","rel_title":"Salivary microRNA Profiling of Long COVID Subjects Reveals Host-Encoded Regulators of Inflammation and Viral Persistence","rel_date":"2026-06-08","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.07.730729","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_no","type":"new results","category":"immunology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.03.729993","rel_title":"Detection and genomic characterisation of a novel hantavirus in Australian dolphins","rel_date":"2026-06-08","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.03.729993","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"microbiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.04.26354892","rel_title":"Disentangling infectiousness and susceptibility by age group using transmission pair data: a study of SARS-CoV-2 household transmission","rel_date":"2026-06-05","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.04.26354892","rel_abs":"BackgroundDifferential contributions to transmission across age groups have been reported for many respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2. They are crucial for estimating the impact of age-specific interventions. Disentangling these age-dependent contributions remains challenging, as they may reflect differences in contact rates, biological susceptibility, or infectiousness.\n\nAimWe aim to jointly estimate age-specific per-contact infectiousness and susceptibility and their effect on the impact of age-specific interventions.\n\nMethodsThe age-specific infectiousness and susceptibility were jointly estimated in a Bayesian framework by combining contact data with transmission pair data (who-infected-whom). We applied this approach to 197,840 self-reported household transmission pairs collected in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using these estimates, we projected the expected impact of school closure and work-from-home measures during the early stages of an epidemic in the absence of other interventions.\n\nResultsBoth infectiousness and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection were lowest in children aged 0-9 years and highest in adults over 30 years old, with 2-to 4.5-fold differences between these groups. Projected impacts of age-specific interventions indicated that school closures would reduce the reproduction number by 8% or 29% when age-specific susceptibility and infectiousness were or were not considered, respectively. Conversely, working-from-home policies would lead to reductions of 41% with and 20% without age-specific infectiousness and susceptibility.\n\nConclusionOur method enables robust estimation of age-specific infectiousness and susceptibility. Accounting for these age heterogeneities is essential for projecting the impact of age-targeted interventions. Our approach is adaptable to other respiratory infections and can guide more tailored public health responses.","rel_num_authors":3,"rel_authors":[{"author_name":"Ka Yin Leung","author_inst":"National Institute for Public Health and the Environment"},{"author_name":"Fuminari Miura","author_inst":"National Institute for Public Health and the Environment"},{"author_name":"Jantien A. Backer","author_inst":"National Institute for Public Health and the Environment"}],"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc_nd","type":"PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT","category":"epidemiology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.05.30.727266","rel_title":"MarkerScout: A Disease-Agnostic Machine Learning Framework for Biomarker Prediction from Multi-Scale Mechanistic Models","rel_date":"2026-06-05","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.05.30.727266","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by_nc","type":"new results","category":"bioinformatics"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.05.30.728980","rel_title":"Hierarchical classification of immune cell transcriptomes at population-scale","rel_date":"2026-06-04","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.05.30.728980","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"bioinformatics"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.03.723612","rel_title":"No objective evidence of neuropsychological deficits in people with subjective cognitive changes following COVID-19 infection","rel_date":"2026-06-04","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.03.723612","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc0","type":"new results","category":"neuroscience"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.02.729678","rel_title":"Systems-Scale Structural Modeling Reveals the Germline Architecture of Immunodominance","rel_date":"2026-06-04","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.02.729678","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"immunology"},{"rel_doi":"10.64898\/2026.06.03.729821","rel_title":"A designed overlapping variant immunogen pool elicits broad sarbecovirus neutralization","rel_date":"2026-06-04","rel_site":"medRxiv","rel_link":"https:\/\/medrxiv.org\/cgi\/content\/short\/10.64898\/2026.06.03.729821","rel_num_authors":0,"rel_authors":null,"version":"1","license":"cc_by","type":"new results","category":"microbiology"}]}