by Paul Bieniasz Dr. Bieniasz is Professor and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Rockefeller University. As viruses go, SARS-CoV-2, is quite easy to neutralize with antibodies and, it turns out, straightforward to generate effective vaccines based on the spike protein. Perhaps, even probably, those two properties are causally related. Moreover, it appears …
A variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading within England, and it has been suggested that this virus is more transmissible. In this video Vincent explains the properties of the SARS-CoV-2 UK variant and why claims that it is more transmissible are not supported by experimental data. This video was recorded on Monday, 21 December 2020. …
by Helen Stillwell The results from a phase I clinical trial to test the safety and immunogenicity of a universal flu vaccine candidate reported encouraging results €“ strong titers of broad and functional antibodies persisted for over a year in healthy adults following vaccination. Influenza viruses contain segmented RNA genomes. The viral envelope contains two types glycoproteins …
Encouraging clinical data for universal flu vaccine candidate Read More »
On this episode, FDA EUA for Pfizer mRNA vaccine, efficacy of AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 COVID-19 vaccine, and an orally administered drug that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 693 (69 MB .mp3, 115 min)Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
COVID-19 vaccine candidates are garnering all the news these days, which is appropriate as they are our key to ending this pandemic. Earlier in this outbreak antiviral drugs received a good deal of attention, but they have proven less useful in curtailing infection. Less discussed are the many antiviral drug candidates that are in testing, …
An antiviral compound that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets Read More »
Recently I had a false positive PCR result for SARS-CoV-2. To confirm that I was not infected, I did an assay for viral antibodies in my blood using a rapid, at home, lateral flow assay. In this video I explain how the assay works and what my results mean.
