Enlarge / False-color image of a T-cell (orange) latching on to a cell in preparation for killing it. (credit: Getty Images) From the start, the omicron variant had people worried because its version of the spike protein carried mutations in many of the sites that are recognized by antibodies. This meant that antibodies generated to […]
Enlarge If ever there was a moment to brush up on your knowledge of the immune system, this is that moment. (Okay, March-April 2020 may have been preferable, but you can still catch up. ) And Immune is the perfect vehicle in order to help you do that. This book is phenomenal. It is engaging, […]
Enlarge / This photomicrograph depicts leukemia cells that contain Epstein Barr virus using an FA staining technique, 1972. Epstein-Barr virus, EBV, is a member of the Herpesvirus family and is one of the most common human viruses. (credit: Getty | CDC) Evidence is mounting that a garden-variety virus that sometimes causes mono in teens is […]
Enlarge / Illustration of antibodies responding to an infection of SARS-CoV-2. (credit: Getty Images/Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library) Right from omicron’s first description, researchers were concerned about the variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Looking over the list of mutations it carried, scientists could identify a number that would likely make the variant more infectious. Other mutations […]
Enlarge (credit: RAJESH JANTILAL / GETTY IMAGES ) Based on various measures, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has appeared to be less effective than those based on mRNA technology. It has also been associated with some rare blood clotting complications that recently caused the CDC to revise its endorsement associated with the vaccine. Still, […]
Enlarge (credit: Reshi Irshad / Getty Images ) On Friday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their latest vaccine trial was showing some odd results in children within a specific age range. Children in the 2- to 5-year age group didn’t produce as strong of an antibody response to the particular vaccine as older and younger […]
Bill Belichick took heat this week for his contention that “[the] implication that vaccination solves every problem … has not been substantiated.” Read more…
Enlarge / A phlebotomist draws blood meant for antibody testing. (credit: Frederic J. Brown / Getty Images) We’ve tended to treat the RNA-based vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech as functionally equivalent. They take an identical approach to producing immunity and have a very similar set of ingredients. Clinical trial data suggested they had very similar […]
Tennessee State Representative Jason Zachary is trying to bring Volunteer nation down while the rest of the conference seems to be heading in the right direction. Read more…
Enlarge Every living thing on the planet plays host to viruses, and bacteria are no exception. Bacteriophages—or just “phages” in order to those in the know—are the viruses that attack bacteria. And we are in dire need of things that attack bacteria, since many pathogenic bacterial species have developed resistance to the antibiotics we’ve been […]