Although of great concern, vaccination will help

When will the pandemic end? How many more COVID-19 waves will the U.S. go through? Will we go back to “normal” in the fall? All these questions depend largely on one factor: the epidemiology of the variants.

As the virus spreads around the world, variant strains hav...

How far do we have to go to reach herd immunity?

First of all we must know that herd immunity is defined as a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that can occur with some diseases when a sufficient...

Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation of molecules for large-scale manufacturing purposes. It is a broad field of science, which combines chemistry, physics, energy storage, microfabrication, and molecular engineering.

Recently, it has been popularized by its role in nanomedicine for the COVID-19 vaccine. (1) Currently...

Could this explain why some are more susceptible to COVID-19?

The SARS-CoV-2 virus gains entry to the epithelial cells lining the respiratory tract by way of the ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptor. This is the protein to which the viral spike proteins attach in order to gain entry into the cell.

...

The Gut Microbiome Composition and COVID-19 Related Disease Severity

The gut microbiome refers to a group of commensal or symbiotic bacteria that make up the composition of microorganisms in the human intestines. At any given period in time, most healthy adults may have up to 1,000 different species of bacteria that inhabit...

A novel test for T cells show great promise in detecting immune status

Antibodies often steal the spotlight when talking about immunity, but they are not the only protagonist in the immune system.

T cells are specialized defenders activated in the adaptive...

What are the differences and will they work?

COVID-19 has dominated our lives for the better part of a year and yet we are left with more questions than we are answers. One of these questions most frequently brought up is how long will the antibodies be effective after a vaccination is given?
IgG is a specific type...

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a pandemic on March 11, 2020. ¹ Since then—at the time of writing—63,098,003 cases and 1,465,111 deaths have been reported from 191 afflicted countries/regions across the globe. ² Along with its high transmissibility and...

Is this why President Trump Recovered so Quickly?

In 1900, Nobel Laureate Emil von Behring demonstrated antibodies in blood plasma, or serum, could be transferred from one person or animal to another person, conferring immunity against an infectious agent-as illustrated in his work with horses to cure and prevent diphtheria...

Bacteria are commonly considered a culprit leading to cancer. However, recent research suggests that some bacteria, being a potential enemy can also be a friend, and thus be utilized to create novel cancer therapeutics and treatments.(1, Figure 1)

A great deal of research ahs centered on using bacteria to reduce the size of tumors...

As the number of global coronavirus cases continues to increase beyond 20 million, there is an urgent need for treatment for those infected with SARS CoV2. Internationally, biotech companies are working feverishly towards developing a vaccine to reduce infection rates. However, it is still unclear when a final product will be released and to what degree of immunity will be achieved. Until a permanent...

The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike any public health emergency we have seen in many decades. Nations have shut down borders, businesses, and life as people knew it. Aside from the obvious economic side effects of shutting down businesses, offices, schools, and other buildings, another potentially deadly disease may be on the rise as a consequence of the COVID-19 lockdowns and a sudden reopening of previously...