RNA, in a Nutshell
The mRNA vaccine platform is based on decades of previous studies, highlighting the importance of regularly funding basic research.
Gertrud Rey
Pandoraviruses Are Not Alive
Pandoraviruses seemingly have the ability to produce an electrical potential across their membrane, a feature that is typically only associated with living cells.
T Cell Responses to Coronavirus Infection are Complicated
Some have suggested that pre-existing cross-reactive memory T cells in people with no prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 may have a protective effect. However, recent findings indicate that this may not be the case.
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 …
The Route Matters
by Gertrud U. Rey There are currently 315 therapeutic drugs and 210 vaccine candidates in development to treat or prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Many of these vaccines are designed to be administered by injection into the muscle. Intramuscular injection of a vaccine antigen typically induces a systemic (serum) immune response that involves the action of IgM and IgG …
How to End this Pandemic
by Gertrud U. Rey As of today, SARS-CoV-2 has infected 18.7 million people and caused 700,000 deaths worldwide. The most realistic way to quickly curb the spread of the virus would require daily identification and isolation of individuals who are contagious, a process that is hampered by cumbersome sampling and testing methods with slow turnaround …