COVID-19 News

Banner Image: Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Courtesy National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The MCB community is actively working to slow the spread of the SARS CoV-2 virus and end the COVID-19 pandemic by using their scientific expertise and resources to find ways to alleviate the crisis. Many MCB labs have pivoted to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 research, drawing on their basic research strengths to look for solutions to stop the epidemic. Others have forged new collaborations with colleagues, many across divisions and other departments, inspiring new insights and outcomes. Efforts have also been focused on providing aid to the communities most in need and increasing the public’s awareness and knowledge about the disease.

Below, read more about how MCB is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, organized around the general themes of basic research and collaborations, and public service.


BASIC RESEARCH & COLLABORATIONS


PUBLIC SERVICE

Alumni at Mammoth Bio use their tech against COVID-19
Forbes 3.9.2020
Coronaviruses 101: Focus on Molecular Virology
Video lecture 3.25.2020
Using CRISPR proteins as a diagnostic tool
Video lecture 3.12.2020
IGI pledge to share COVID-19 IP
Innovative Genomics Institute 3.29.2020
UCB PIs organize on social media to help Bay Area efforts to screen for COVID-19
Twitter 3.18.2020
Campus lab pivots from editing DNA to COVID-19 testing
Berkeleyside 3.30.2020
Berkeley Conversations: UCB computing and data science in action
Berkeley News 4.7.2020
Berkeley Fire Department delivers first COVID-19 samples to the IGI
Twitter 4.06.2020
Alumni report on their CRISPR-based SARS-CoV-2 assay test
Nature 4.16.2020
MCB labs make hand sanitizer for distribution
Berkeley News 4.13.2020
UC researchers switch to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 research
The Daily Californian 4.16.2020
IGI provides COVID-19 illustrations for public use
Innovative Genomics Institute 4.23.2020
Blueprint for a pop-up SARS-CoV-2 testing lab
Preprint 4.24.2020
Pop-up testing lab shows volunteer spirit against deadly pandemic 
NIH 5.12.2020
A rapid review of nucleic acid testing approaches for COVID-19 detection
Gitlab 4.27.2020
IGI campus lab provides COVID-19 testing to utility workers, underserved
Berkeley News 5.13.2020
Big pharma firms collaborate on new coronavirus antivirals
Chemical & Engineering News 5.1.2020
MCB undergrads compile COVID-19 resources
Magazine 5.18.2020
Robots close California's Coronavirus testing gap
Forbes 5.3.2020
Researchers aim to test high-risk groups in CA
NY Times 5.18.2020
Researchers are using robotics to expedite COVID-19 testing
The Daily Californian 5.3.2020
Campus COVID-19 lab tests ready but the US healthcare system is not 
NY Times 5.21.2020
Modeling impact of essential workers in the context of social distancing for epidemic control
Paper 5.5.2020
Berkeley Conversations: Researchers discuss the science of COVID-19
Berkeley News 6.12.2020
MCB all faculty meeting covers COVID-19 issues
MCB website 5.7.2020
Robotic pipeline increases testing capacity
Innovative Genomics Institute 6.11.2020
MCB faculty receive COVID-19 research funding
CEND 5.14.2020
A visual guide to the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
Scientific American 6.16.2020
Scientists pivot to COVID-19 research
Berkeley News 5.19.2020
Building a COVID-19 pop-up testing lab
The CRISPR Journal 6.17.2020
Diane Sawyer talks to scientists in the race for a COVID-19 cure
ABC News 5.26.2020
"Liquid Gold": Meet the alchemists of Berkeley
California Magazine 6.18.2020
An inexpensive one-step RT-qPCR master mix for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA
Gitlab 5.27.2020
Free Asymptomatic Saliva Testing (FAST) Study for UCB Employees
Innovative Genomics Institute 6.22.2020
Blueprint for a pop-up SARS-CoV-2 testing lab
Nature Biotechnology 6.18.2020
Slack-integrated lab shifts tool: built by Marqusee lab member, Sophie Shoemaker
Github 6.25.2020
Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Testing
HHMI 6.18.2020
How robots help IGI test people for COVID-19
IGI Covid Chronicles 6.26.2020
Cryo-EM structure of the SARS-CoV-2 3a ion channel in lipid nanodiscs
bioRxiv Preprint 6.18.2020
IGI COVID-19 testing lab receives astounding volunteer support from local scientists
IGI Covid Chronicles 7.3.2020
IGI partners with Salesforce to scale testing operations
Salesforce Press Release 6.19.2020
San Quentin prison declined IGI free COVID-19 testing and advice – now there's an outbreak
Nature news article 7.7.2020
Bay Area Lab Builds Fast and Secure Way to Share COVID-19 Test Results
Salesforce Blog 6.24.2020
Jennifer Doudna: 3 ways science will never be the same after COVID-19
Fortune magazine article 7.7.2020
IGI COVID-19 research projects
Innovative Genomics Institute 6.25.2020
Dr. Enrique Lin Shaio of the IGI and Doudna lab talks about testing for COVID-19
This Week In Science video 7.8.2020
Personal take from Jennifer Doudna on COVID-19 Test
KQED interview 6.25.2020
San Quentin COVID-19 outbreak could have been prevented: prison officials reject multiple IGI free testing offers
KTVU News report 7.22.2020
UC Berkeley launches trial of saliva test for COVID-19 
Berkeley News 6.30.2020
Prof. Astar Winoto: Understanding Immune Responses to COVID-19
Universitas Pelita Harapan Guest Lecutre 7.25.2020
The molecular virology of Coronaviruses
The Journal of Biological Chemistry 7.13.20
How COVID-19 escapes the immune system
IGI Covid Chronicles 8.18.2020
Associate professor Sarah Stanley lights the way to find new drugs for COVID-19
Light the Way Campaign for Berkeley video 7.14.2020
MCB students among active volunteers during pandemic
Berkeley News article 8.24.2020
Direct wastewater RNA capture and purification via the "Sewage, Salt, Silica and SARS-CoV-2 (4S)" method
protocols.io Open Access 8.3.2020
The Move for Mass Testing of COVID-19
KCBS Radio Ask an Expert series 8.25.2020
Will COVID-19 patients regain their sense of smell? MCB researchers & colleagues work to sniff out the basic biology of the nose
National Geographic 8.5.2020
Coronavirus: How It Infects Us and How We Might Stop It
Scientific American webinar 8.26.2020
Uncovering how viruses evade cell defenses
APS Physics Journal Interview 8.26.2020
Responding to COVID-19 Conversation with Mike Milken
Milken Institute interview 8.26.2020
Scientists solve structure of ORF8 in coronavirus protein
News Medical article 8.31.2020
Lecture 2, Britt Glaunsinger: "Coronavirus biology"
Fall 2020 MIT COVID-19 and the Pandemic undergraduate course 9.8.2020
SARS CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein forms condensates with viral genomic RNA
Preprint 9.14.2020
UC Berkeley's Homecoming panel discussion: "UC research should be free to all: Covid-19 shows us why."
UC Berkeley Library Panel 10.16.2020
An expert on 'undruggable' targets tackles the coronavirus
Berkeley College of Chemistry article 10.5.2020
What Science Has Learned about the Coronavirus One Year On
Scientific American Science Sessions podcast 12.11.2020
Looking for hidden states of COVID-19 spike protein
The University of Texas at Austin article 10.21.2020
As COVID-19 cases rise, so does mutual aid effort launched at UC Berkeley
Berkeley News article 12.15.2020
UC Berkeley launches pop-up lab to monitor Bay Area sewage for COVID-19
Berkeley News article 10.29.2020

Sewage, Salt, Silica and SARS-CoV-2 (4S): An economical kit-free method for direct capture of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater
Preprint 12.3.2020
How does COVID mutate?
KCBS Radio ASK AN EXPERT: Dr. Fyodor Urnov 01.08.2021
Nobel Prize-winning technology helps UC Berkeley; UCSF researchers develop faster COVID-19 test
The Daily Californian article 11.09.2020

New CRISPR-based COVID-19 test uses smartphone cameras to spot virus RNA
Berkeley News article 12.4.2020

Bay Area researchers develop new rapid COVID-19 test that uses smartphone camera
ABC 7 News report & article 01.11.2021
'A little bit of everything': UC Berkeley researchers contribute to pandemic understanding
The Daily Californian 3.11.2021
Toolbox: Putting Corona on Ice
Berkeley Science Review article 11.30.2020
Jennifer Doudna on the Pandemic Year: The Power of Mission-Driven Science
The Wall Street Journal 3.18.2021
Robotic RNA extraction for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance using saliva samples
medRxiv Preprint 01.11.2021
CRISPR Stops Rare Genetic Disease In New Human Trial
Science Friday 8.6.2021
Structure of SARS-CoV-2 ORF8, a rapidly evolving immune evasion protein
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 01.12.2021

The Odd Structure of ORF8: Scientists Map the Coronavirus Protein Linked to Immune Evasion and Disease Severity
Berkeley Lab news release 01.12.2021
 
Can hepatitis C drugs help remdesivir fight COVID-19?
Berkeley News article 02.03.2021
 
CRISPR Breakthroughs for Neurological Disease
Innovative Genomics Institute roundtable discussion 04.08.2021
 
Open-source RNA extraction and RT-qPCR methods for SARS-CoV-2 detection
Addgene nonprofit plasmid repository 04.19.2021
 
Launching a saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 surveillance testing program on a university campus
PLoS One 05.26.2021
 
Screening a Library of FDA-Approved and Bioactive Compounds for Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV2
American Chemical Society Publications 06.15.2021
 
The SARS-CoV-2 spike reversibly samples an open-trimer conformation exposing novel epitopes
bioRxiv Preprint 07.11.2021
 
Using two CRISPR enzymes, a COVID diagnostic in only 20 minutes
Berkeley News 08.05.2021
 
Sensitive and multiplexed RNA detection with Cas13 droplets and kinetic barcoding
medRxiv Preprint 08.05.2021
 

Table Images: Artwork adapted from images by Maya Kostman and Philippa Steinberg for the Innovative Genomics Institute

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