Understanding the flexibility of T cell memory can lead to improved vaccines and immunotherapies. Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images Kathleen Abadie, University of Washington; Elisa Clark, University of Washington, and Hao Yuan Kueh, University of Washington How does your immune system decide between fighting invading pathogens now or preparing to fight
ph. nobeastsofierce/Shutterstock John Fraser, University of Auckland Many people first became familiar with the term “mRNA” when Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID vaccines were rolled out. In the simplest terms, mRNA, which stands for messenger ribonucleic acid, is a type of genetic material that gives cells in our bodies instructions to make specific proteins.
Antonie S/Shutterstock Michael Head, University of Southampton Three years ago, on March 11 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus first formally described COVID-19 as a pandemic. The impact of the pandemic on all aspects of society has been enormous, but we’ve come a long way since March 2020. The toll
Rachana Pradhan December 2, 2022 After finding success investing in the more obviously lucrative corners of American medicine — like surgery centers and dermatology practices — private equity firms have moved aggressively into the industry’s more hidden niches: They are pouring billions into the business of clinical drug trials. To bring a new
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide since December 2019. Up to July 2022, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 570 million people and contributed to the death of more than 6.4 million individuals around the world. Intriguingly, after more than
To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, an assortment of vaccines has been developed. Nucleic acid vaccines have the advantage of rapid production, as they only require a viral antigen sequence and can readily be modified to detected viral mutations. DoggyboneÔ DNA vaccines targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 have been generated and compared with
With Abdala, Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus, Cuba has developed three highly effective protein vaccines against Covid-19. After the third vaccination, they provide 90% protection against severe symptomatic courses. Unlike mRNA and vector vaccines, protein vaccines are cheaper and easier to produce and store. Cuba’s willingness to share knowledge of vaccine development and
Clodagh Harrington, De Montfort University and Alex Waddan, University of Leicester When Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president in January 2021, 51.3% of American voters heaved a sigh of relief – along with much of the world. After four tumultuous and unscripted years of Donald Trump, restoration of calm
Trish Greenhalgh, University of Oxford UK prime minister Boris Johnson recently announced a fuzzy blueprint for his “winter plan”, in which further lockdowns and compulsory mask-wearing were not being introduced but could not be ruled out. As an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in complex systems and health policy, it looks to me like the
From December to April, the two countries’ state media outlets pushed fake news online in multiple languages sensationalising vaccine safety concerns, making unfounded links between jabs and deaths in Europe and promoting Russian and Chinese vaccines as superior, the EU study said. The Kremlin and Beijing deny all disinformation allegations by the EU,