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.
TWiV reviews additional data on the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2, the distinct variant spreading in South Africa, association of afucosylated antiviral IgG with severe COVID-19, approval of AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK, and winners of the pandemic poem contest.
Vincent visits the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and speaks with Executive Director Leo Yee-Sin and Consultant Nancy Tee about the main hub for both clinical treatment of infectious diseases and outbreak management in Singapore.
TWiV provides updates on the new coronavirus causing respiratory disease in China, the current influenza season, and the epidemic of African swine fever, including determination of the three-dimensional structure of the virus particle.
The League of Extraordinary Virologists celebrate the eradication of wild poliovirus type 3, and consider the effectiveness of an influenza vaccine produced in insect cells, and how small RNAs are protecting the Koala germline from retroviral invasion.
The TWiVologists consider whether to receive an influenza vaccine in August (in the northern hemisphere), and mice implanted with human lung fragments for studying microbial pathogens.
From the meeting of the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance, Vincent speaks with Alan, Florian and Jennifer about their careers, the purpose of CEIRS, universal influenza vaccines, and cellular responses to infection in pediatric populations.
Vincent travels to Microbiotix, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company in Worcester, MA to speak with four members of the company about their discovery and development of small molecule drugs that target serious infectious diseases.
The TWiVidae review universal influenza vaccines that are in clinical trials, and discovery of an atypical parvovirus that causes chronic kidney disease in middle aged, immunocompromised laboratory mice.
Vincent and Rich recorded this episode at Vaccines in the 21st Century, a meeting held at the University of California, Irvine, where they spoke with Stacy Schultz-Cherry, Douglas Diekema, and Andrew Noymer about vaccine facts and fiction.
