This Week in Virology

TWiV 713: COVID-19 clinical update #47 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

January 30, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #47, Daniel Griffin reviews phase 3 results for Novavax and J&J vaccines, transmission in K-12 settings in Wisconsin, data on Lilly and Regeneron monoclonal antibody therapy, and a study of colchicine for treatment of disease.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

TWiV 712: Deutscher Virus Wahnsinn

January 28, 2021

Gisa, Steffi, and César join TWiV to discuss their careers, their research, and the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guests: Gisa Gerold, Stefanie Becker, and César Muñoz-Fontela

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Links for this episode

German Society for Virology 2:42, 1:35:26
Ticks in Germany and TBEV (Sci Rep) 1:05:20
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 711: The New Heal

January 24, 2021

The TWiVers review Biden’s national strategy for COVID-19 responses and pandemic preparedness, and an evaluation of the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

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Biden’s COVID-19 strategy (pdf) 10:30
CDC evaluation of BinaxNOW antigen test (MMWR) 52:09
FDA instructions for BinaxNOW test (pdf) 52:28
Adam Neely on Sea Shanties (YouTube) 1:05:29
Letters read on TWiV 711 1:06:55
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:43:27

Dickson – Spelling Bee
Brianne – He Made a Viral Bernie Meme Site. Now He Has to Keep it Going
Alan – America’s Cup AC75 capsize and aftermath in qualifying race
Rich – Game Theory’s UNCENSORED Interview With Dr. Fauci | The Truth About COVID-19 Vaccines
Vincent – Top Science Podcasts

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 710: COVID-19 clinical update #46 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

January 23, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #46, Daniel Griffin discusses the BinaxNow rapid antigen test, efficacy of Bamlanivimab in nursing homes, associations of serum vitamin D concentrations with in-hospital mortality and need for invasive mechanical ventilation, trials of IL-6 receptor antagonists, effects of anticoagulants on in-hospital mortality, and symptom persistence in outpatients.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Evaluation of Abbott BinaxNOW (MMWR) 17:00
Lilly mAb in nursing homes (WSJ) 18:16
Vitamin D and COVID-19 severity (Mayo Clin Proc) 19:56
Anticoagulation, aspirin, in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 (medRxiv) 21:19
Long COVID symptoms in outpatients (Ann Int Med) 27:07
Letters read on TWiV 710 27:48
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

TWiV 709: COVID cherry picking

January 21, 2021

In this episode, President Biden elevates his science advisor to his Cabinet, a review of the current flu season, the scientific goals of the WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2, and answers to listener questions.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

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President’s science advisor to Cabinet (NY Times) 1:34
Letter from Biden to Lander (pdf) 2:16
Weekly flu (CDC) 5:42
Weekly NY flu (NYDOH)
WHO study on SARS-CoV-2 origins (WHO) 10:11
Letters read on TWiV 709 28:48
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:21:09

Kathy – 15 YouTubers play Telestrations
Vincent – Vince Beiser

Listener Picks

Bob, David, Janet – Sea Shanty by A Cappella Science (YouTube, TikTok, Bandcamp)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 708: Alpaca llama full of nanobodies

January 17, 2021

The TWiVy team deconstructs CoronaVac, the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech, and production of multivalent camelid nanobodies that block infection with the virus and suppress selection of neturalization-resistant variants.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

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Links for this episode

David Kessler to head Operation Warp Speed (NY Times) 3:51
Phase 1/2 results of Sinovac inactivated vaccine (Lancet) 6:09
beta-propiolactone (Wikipedia) 13:11
Multivalent anti-SARS-CoV-2 nanobodies (Science) 50:02
Letters read on TWiV 708 1:17:16
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:43:43

Dickson – Photos of mob attacking Capitol
Brianne – Video of Neutrophil Phagocytosis
Alan – Fishing Through the Apocalypse
Rich – A Word on Statistics by Wislawa Szymborska
Vincent – Letters from an American

Listener Pick

Mike – Have the new jab

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 707: COVID-19 clinical update #45 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

January 16, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #45, Daniel Griffin discusses J&J Ad26 vaccine results, reactogenicity after the second dose of mRNA vaccines, expansion of vaccine eligibility, and the finding that encephalitis after SARS-CoV-2 infection is a cytokine release syndrome.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiV 707 (24 MB .mp3, 40 min)
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Links for this episode

J&J Ad26 vaccine phase 1/2 results (NEJM) 7:08
SARS-CoV-2 encephalitis is a cytokine release syndrome (CID) 25:49
Letters read on TWiV 707 30:26
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

TWiV 706: Do as Dr. Fauci says

January 14, 2021

TWiV answers listener questions about pandemic response, excess deaths in 25-44 year olds, vaccines, vaccines, and vaccines.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

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Download TWiV 706 (58 MB .mp3, 96 min)
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Links for this episode

Poems are at Twiverse 3:57
2020 US traffic deaths (Car & Driver) 27:54
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (HRSA) 51:30
Jet injector (Wikipedia) 1:04:01
Letters read on TWiV 706 12:58
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:20:24

Brianne – We Know Almost Nothing About Giant Viruses
Rich – The Coccolithophores Project
Kathy – v-safe and Vaccine Handbook
Vincent – Gorillas at San Diego Zoo infected with SARS-CoV-2 (pdf)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 705: Rocky Mountain COVID with Emily Travanty

January 10, 2021

Emily Travanty from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment joins TWiV to discuss how her laboratory was the first in the US to detect the SARS-CoV-2 variant VOC 202012/01.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

Guest: Emily Travanty

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Links for this episode

VOC detected in Colorado (WaPo) 19:07
US has sequenced only 50,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes (CDC) 40:46
Human CoV evolves to escape immunity (bioRxiv) 1:08:47
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:38:52

Dickson – Randal Despommier on saxophone
Brianne – Giant Microbes SARS-CoV2
Alan – West of Loathing
Rich – Draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines
Vincent – SARS-CoV-2 spillover events

Listener Pick

Daniel – His Vaccine Story Inspired His Father To Write A Disney Classic

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 704: COVID-19 clinical update #44 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

January 9, 2021

In this COVID-19 clinical update, Daniel Griffin summarizes current status of vaccination in the US, discusses a study on convalescent sera from Argentina, use of remdesivir in patients with kidney disease, and provides further considerations on the use of Ct values in patient management.