Collaborate Disseminate
Surprisingly there are no pre-symptomatic screening methods for the common cold or the flu, allowing these viruses to spread unbeknownst to the infected. However, if we could detect when infected …read more Continue reading Wearables Can Detect the Flu? Well…Maybe…
Biotech firm Moderna has commenced human trials testing an mRNA influenza vaccine targeting four separate viral strains. Building on its profoundly successful mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, the company is ultimately planning to develop a single vaccine against… Continue reading The mRNA flu vaccine race heats up with two human trials commencing
The influenza virus as proven to be a very tricky foe to fight. Now, researchers at EPFL in Switzerland have developed synthetic molecules that can kill the flu virus by mimicking human cells, and putting the squeeze on the virus when it attaches itsel… Continue reading Synthetic molecules mimic human cells to lure and kill the flu virus
Even after decades of research and expansive global vaccination strategies, seasonal influenza still kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. The virus’s ability to mutate and evade our vaccines means we are constantly chasing the latest strai… Continue reading Phase 1 human trial for universal flu vaccine reports promising results
As the current COVID-19 situation shows, viruses are a major health risk. But what if we could fight them using other viruses? Scientists in Berlin have created virus shells that mimic the target cells that the flu virus latches onto in the body, preve… Continue reading Harmless virus fights the flu by mimicking lung cells
In the early 1950s, the only thing scarier than the threat of nuclear war was the annual return of polio — an easily-spread, incurable disease that causes nerve damage, paralysis, and sometimes death. At the first sign of an outbreak, public hot spots like theaters and swimming pools would close …read more
Continue reading Jonas Salk, Virologist and Vaccination Vanguard
Did you get a flu shot this year? How about last year? In a world of next-day delivery and instant downloads, making the yearly pilgrimage to the doctor or the minute clinic feels like an outdated concept. Even if you get your shots free at the office, it’s still a …read more
The over-prescription of antibiotics is a major problem in the world today, leading to the dramatic rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. New research led by scientists from the Francis Crick Institute in London is suggesting not only are an… Continue reading How antibiotics can make flu infections worse by wiping out important gut bacteria
The NIH lifted a 3-year funding moratorium on “gain-of-function” research meant to make deadly viruses stronger and more transmissible. Continue reading The US Will Fund Research to Make Pathogens Deadlier Again
Few people outside the field know just how big bioscience can get. The public tends to think of fields like physics and astronomy, with their huge particle accelerators and massive telescopes, as the natural expressions of big science. But for decades, biology has been getting bigger, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. Specialized labs built around the automation equipment that enables modern pharmaceutical research would dazzle even the most jaded CERN physicist, with fleets of robot arms moving labware around in an attempt to find the Next Big Drug.
I’ve written before on big biology and how to get more visibility …read more
Continue reading Go Small, Get Big: The Hack that Revolutionized Bioscience