This Week in Virology

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TWiV 833: Grand theft kinesin Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

TWiV reviews Michael Worobey's dissection of the early COVID-19 cases in Wuhan, and the discovery that herpesviruses assimilate cellular kinesin to produce motorized virus particles.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

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Links for this episode

Early COVID-19 cases in Wuhan (Science)
Herpesviruses assimilate kinesin (Nature)
Letters read on TWiV 833
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Kathy – Power of poop Alan – Under the Sky We Make, by Kimberly Nicholas Vincent – Enzymatic amplification of beta-globing sequences

Listener Picks

Paula – Reasons to be Cheerful and The Night Witches by Bruce Myles Grant – George Carlin – Germs, Immune System

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV 832: Heavy metal flu fighters Nov 21, 2021

Show notes

TWiV reviews the vials labeled smallpox that were not, re-emergence of enterovirus D68 in Europe, efficacy of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and cellular correlates of protection for an oral influenza virus vaccine.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condi t, and Amy Rosenfeld

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Links for this episode

Smallpox vials contain vaccinia virus (6abc.com)
European re-emergence of enterovirus D68 (Eurosurveill)
Efficacy of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Lancet)
Cellular correlates of protection for oral flu vaccine (Cell Host Micr)
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – Rodney Dangerfield Amy – Calder at MoMA Rich – 'Useless Specks of Dust' Turn Out to Be Building Blocks of All Vertebrate Genomes Vincent – Structure of small viruses

Listener Picks

Charles – It is raining you lied to me Dave – A Whole New Ball Game

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV 831: COVID-19 clinical update #89 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Nov 20, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #89, Dr. Griffin reviews upcoming meeting on FDA emergency use authorization for molnupiravir, 25% of US cases in children, reinfection associates with presence of antibodies, national surveillance for acute flaccid myelitis in the US, and monoclonal antibody treatment of infection in vaccinated, high-risk individuals.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Scott Hammer on TWiV 52
Meeting for molnupiravir EUA (FDA)
SARS-CoV-2 reinfection associates with antibodies (Clinical Inf Dis)
AFM surveillance in US (CDC)
Monoclonal antibody treatment in high-risk patients (J Inf Dis)
Letters read on TWiV 831
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV 830: A culture of resistance Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

TWiV explains that a recent report suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inhibits V(D)J recombination in vitro would not impact immunity after infection or vaccination, and describes the isolation of remdesivir resistant mutants in cells in culture, and the emergence of amino acid changes in the spike protein identical to those in variants of concern, in the absence of immune selection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condi t, and Kathy Spindler

Click arrow to play Download TWiV 830 (67 MB .mp3, 112 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

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Links for this episode

Spike protein inhibition of V(D)J recombination in vitro (Viruses)
Evolutionary predictability of SARS-CoV-2 (PLoS Path)
Letters read on TWiV 830
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Kathy – When do we get back to normal? Maybe now. Rich – The Covid-19 Pandemic Alan – Yaupon Brothers American tea Vincent – Cracking the genetic code (and Niremberg's account)

Listener Picks

Justin – Partisan vaccination Lisa – The Red Flag

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV 829: Antiviral and cytotoxically empowered for COVID-19 Nov 14, 2021

Show notes

A TWiV duo reviews how SARS-CoV-2 attacks the olfactory mucosa but spares the olfactory bulb, vaccination with BNT162b2 induces virus-specific stem cell memory T cells, and development of an oral protease inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-19.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Brianne Barker

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Links for this episode

How SARS-CoV-2 attacks olfactory mucosa (Cell)
SARS-CoV-2-specific stem cell memory T cells after mRNA vaccine (Sci Immunol)
Oral SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor (Science)
Paxlovid phase 2/3 trial preliminary results (Pfizer)
Letters read on TWiV 829
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – Coronavirus Neutralizing Antibodies and mRNA Vaccine Video Vincent – MHC restriction of cytotoxic T cell lysis (Nobel description)

Listener Picks

Lisa – Shall Furnish Medicine Bistra – Saving the World by Julia Alvarez

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV 828: COVID-19 clinical update #88 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Nov 13, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #88, Dr. Griffin covers vaccine protection among US veterans, absence of long COVID in vaccinated who are infected, single dose of REGEN-COV monoclonal antibody cocktail provides long term protection, and Pfizer protease inhibitor Paxlovid is 89% effective in preventing hospitalization or death.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Vaccine protection of US veterans (Science)
Long term protection by REGEN-COV (Regeneron)
Pfizer protease inhibitor Paxlovid phase 2/3 results (Pfizer)
Letters read on TWiV 828
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV 827: A shot to save the world with Greg Zuckerman Nov 07, 2021

Show notes

Greg Zuckerman joins TWiV to discuss his book that explores the race to produce COVID-19 vaccines, with insights into the companies, scientists, and executives involved and the rivalries, ambitions, ego, and a desire to save the world.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condi t, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Greg Zuckerman

Click arrow to play Download TWiV 824 (76 MB .mp3, 127 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

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Links for this episode

A Shot to Save the World (Hardcover, Kindle)
Letters read on TWiV 827
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – Michael Palin Kathy – Science News Centennial Rich – Diverse variola virus (smallpox) strains were widespread in northern Europe in the Viking Age Vincent – Evidence for somatic rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes (and commentary)

Listener Picks

Matt – Clinical evidence that the pandemic from 1889 to 1891 commonly called the Russian flu might have been an earlier coronavirus pandemic Brigitte – The Obscure Virus Club Justin – Eddie Holmes wins Prime Minister's Prize for Science

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV 826: COVID-19 clinical update #87 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Nov 06, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #87, Dr. Griffin reviews PCR cycle threshold and RNA copy number, rapid antigen tests, hospitalization rate after infection or vaccination, allergies and vaccination, community transmission and viral RNA load, early treatment with sotrovimab, meta-analysis of tocilizumab treatment, antibiotic overuse, and guidelines on the use of anticoagulation for thromboprophylaxis.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

CDC vaccine nod to 5-11 year olds (CDC)
Sensitivity of rapid antigen tests (Front Micro)
COVID-19 among infected or vaccinated (MMWR)
Allergy and vaccination symptoms (JAMA)
Community transmission and viral RNA load (Lancet)
Early treatment with sotrovimab (NEJM)
Tocilizumab treatment meta-analysis (Leukemia)
Antibiotic overuse in COVID-19 (Am J Trop Med Hyg)
Anticoagulants for thromboprophylaxis (Blood Adv)
Letters read on TWiV 826
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV 825: COVID-19 Q&A with Dr. Daniel Griffin Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

In this special live-streamed episode of TWiV, Dr. Daniel Griffin fields questions on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 from listeners.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV 824: Immunogoblins in the nose and lungs Oct 31, 2021

Show notes

TWiV explores the properties of the spike glycoproteins of an influenza B virus discovered in the Wuhan spiny eel, and protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection one year after mRNA-1273 vaccination of nonhuman primates.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condi t, and Brianne Barker

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Links for this episode