My Zoom Bookshelf
In this short video, I take you through some of the science books on my bookshelf, next to the desk where lately I have been spending a lot of time on Zoom. Not surprisingly, most of the books are about viruses.
Basic virology
An explanation for the low quality antibodies produced during serious SARS-CoV-2 infection
Although we are less than a year into the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it appears that the antibodies induced by infection are often of poor quality, and B cell memory seems limited. An explanation for this outcome might be a consequence of the loss of germinal centers in COVID-19 patients. Examination of lymph nodes and spleen of …
We missed SARS-CoV-2, what other coronaviruses are we ignoring?
After SARS-Cov came and went in 2003, we learned that bats in China harbor SARS-like coronaviruses with the capacity to infect human cells. This information was largely ignored, otherwise we would have stopped this pandemic in its tracks. A coronavirus that went from bats to pigs might represent yet another threat to human health. Swine …
We missed SARS-CoV-2, what other coronaviruses are we ignoring? Read More »
Nobel Prize for discovery of hepatitis C virus
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Harvey Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles Rice for their work leading to the discovery of hepatitis C virus. To me this prize makes a great deal of sense because each of the recipients produced key sequential discoveries, all of which were needed to find a …
You Don’t Need the Whole Antibody
by Gertrud U. Rey Antibodies are large proteins that are made by B cells of the adaptive immune system. Most people think that antibodies function only as a whole molecule, but some of the individual fragments of an antibody can also bind and neutralize antigens. An antibody consists of two heavy chains and two light …
Superspreaders of SARS-CoV-2
A super spreader is an individual who is more likely to infect others compared with a typical patient (pictured). An example is the doctor who treated early SARS-CoV patients in China, traveled to a hotel in Hong Kong, and infected 10 others who then went on bring the virus to multiple countries. Superspreaders of SARS-CoV-2 …