This Week in Virology

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TWiV 813: COVID-19 at the European Society for Clinical Virology Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

From the 2021 online meeting of the European Society for Clinical Virology, Vincent speaks with meeting speakers on COVID-19 vaccines, immunity, how countries responded to the pandemic, and how to prepare for the next one.

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guests: Sarah Gilbert, Florian Krammer, Fausto Baldanti, Thea Fischer, Ron Fouchier, and Catherine Moore

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Links for this episode

Correlate of protection needed for COVID-19 vaccines (Nat Med)
Simian adenoviruses as vaccine vectors (Future Viral)
Early SARS-CoV-2 spread in Lombardy (Nat Comm)
SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Denmark (Clin Micro Inf)
SARS-CoV-2 testing in an academic center (Nat Biotech)
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

TWiV 812: Bespoke capsids delivered Oct 03, 2021

Show notes

TWiV considers lessons learned from COVID-19 about emergency drug use during a pandemic, and selection of AAV capsids to produce vectors that efficiently deliver genes to muscle cells.

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

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Links for this episode

Emergency drug use during a pandemic (Cell)
Muscle-directed AAV capsids (Cell)
Designer AAV muscles up (Cell)
Letters read on TWiV 812
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson - Sid Caesar - The German General Brianne - These Sea Slugs Break a Cardinal Rule of Animal Life Rich - Seek by iNaturalist Alan - The hard part of making a game is ... everything Vincent - Columbia Pledges That All Future Campus Construction Will Be Fossil Free

Listener Picks

Bruce - Bat Superpowers Gary - We're Already Barreling Toward the Next Pandemic

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV 811: COVID-19 clinical update #82 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Oct 02, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #82, Daniel Griffin reviews vaccines for 5-12 years old, safety of a third vaccine dose, Oklahoma reinfection data, Regencov outcomes, Pfizer protease inhibitor, impact of Tocilizumab, and incidence of long COVID.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Data on Pfizer-BioNTech in 5-12 year olds (Pfizer)
Safety of additional vaccine dose (MMWR)
Oklahoma reinfection rates (OK DOH)
Regencov outcomes (NEJM)
Pfizer protease inhibitor trial (Pfizer)
WHO recommends antibody therapy (Hosp Health)
Tocilizumab use in hospitalized patients (Resp Care)
Long COVID (PLoS Medicine)
Letters read on TWiV 811
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

TWiV 810: Opening Pandora's box Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

TWiV reviews how a novel technology enabled development of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, and discovery of a proton gradient and an incomplete TCA cycle in a giant. virus.

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

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Links for this episode

mRNA vaccines, a novel technology (Cell)
Proton gradient in giant virus (ISME J)
Tomograms of Pandoravirus massiliensis
Pandoraviruses are not alive (virology blog)
Letters read on TWiV 810
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – PhD Comics: Words Said By No Academic Ever Kathy – Bach Cello Suite #1 visualization Rich – Hypnagogia Vincent – Landsat 9 and Wiki

Listener Picks

Lori – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Kevin – Oak Savannahs

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

TWiV 809: Vampire vax Sep 26, 2021

Show notes

TWiV reveals isolation from bats in Laos of a SARS-CoV-2 like virus with a spike protein that allows entry into human cells, and exploration of a herpesvirus vector for immunization of vampire bats against rabies virus.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit and Amy Rosenfeld

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Links for this episode

SARS-CoV-2 like viruses from Laotian bats (Res Sq)
Herpesvirus in rabies endemic vampire bats (Nat Comm)
Letters read on TWiV 809
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – George Carlin: "Stuff" Amy – The best of me by David Sedaris Rich – You could have a secret twin (but not the way you think) Alan – Nuclear powered Gameboy Vincent – No, Vaccinated People Are Not 'Just as Likely' to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People by Craig Spencer

Listener Picks

Michael – The tangled history mRNA vaccines Fernando – 1493 by Charles Mann

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

TWiV 808: Clinical update #81 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Sep 25, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #81, Daniel Griffin discusses vaccine boosters, vaccination during pregnancy, mRNA vaccine comparison, J&J vaccine booster, EUA expansion for Lilly monoclonals, remdesivir reduces risk of hospitalization, and anticoagulation regimens.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Pfizer phase III results in 5-11 year olds (Pfizer)
FDA authorizes booster (FDA)
V-safe vaccine pregnancy registry (CDC)
High antibody levels in cord blood (Am J Ob Gyn)
mRNA vaccines compared (MMWR)
Effectiveness of single shot J&J (medRxiv)
J&J booster results (J&J)
EUA expansion for Lilly mAbs (Lilly)
Remdesivir reduces hospitalization risk (Gilead)
DisCoVeRy on Remdesivir (Lancet)
Prophylactic anticoagulant dosing (Eur Heart J)
Letters read on TWiV 808
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

TWiV 807: The shot yearned 'round the world with Chadi Saad-Roy and Caroline Wagner Sep 19, 2021

Show notes

Chadi and Caroline join TWiV to describe the potential epidemiological and evolutionary impacts of vaccine nationalism, and their modeling which emphasizes the importance of rapid equitable vaccine distribution for global control of the pandemic.

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

Guests: Chadi Saad-Roy and Caroline Wagner

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Links for this episode

Vaccine nationalism and control of the pandemic (Science)
Vaccine sharing app
Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 simulation
Dynamics of vaccination simulation
Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization (MMWR)
Letters read on TWiV 807
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – Ernie Kovaks-Nairobi Trio Brianne – XKCD Summarizes this Episode Rich – Texas Coronavirus Antibody REsponse Survey (CARES) (Dashboard) Vincent – Elmer Pfefferkorn

Listener Picks

Catherine – A Life on Our Planet Attila – How to improve your chances of nudging the vaccine hesitant away from hesitancy and toward vaccinationIntro music is by Ronald Jenke Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV 806: COVID-19 clinical update #80 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Sep 18, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #80, Daniel Griffin reviews infections in children, masking, testing to limit transmission, high barrier for monoclonal antibody escape, are boosters needed, use of steroids, grants for long COVID, and how the pandemic unfolds in Africa.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Hospitalization pre- and post-vaccines (Res Sq)
Infection in children (medRxiv)
Updated mask guidance (CDC)
Transmission to masked and unmasked (MMWR)
Daily testing in schools (Lancet)
High barrier to mAb escape (bioRxiv)
Boosters not needed (Lancet)
Distribution system for mAbs (HHS)
Steroids in non-oxygen requiring patients (Int J Med)
Grants for long COVID (NIH)
Genomic surveillance in Africa (Science)
Letters read on TWiV 806
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

TWiV 805: Delta and boosters Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

The TWiVotopes review current evidence which does not show the need for widespread COVID-19 booster vaccination, and results of experiments to examine the replication and immune evasion of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant.

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

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Links for this episode

ASV Vaccine Town Halls
Vaccine boosters not needed (Lancet)
Delta variant replication and immune evasion (Nature)
Epidemiologically linked COVID-19 outbreaks (MMWR)
Letters read on TWiV 805
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – Sloan Foundation Theater Kathy – COVID vaccines work, even if you don't have side effects lay article primary article Rich – Science Alone Can't Heal a Sick Society by Jay S. Kaufman Vincent – Sandra Black SciArt

Listener Pick

Ruth – Radio Lento podcast

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

TWiV 804: A tangled web of viruses with Mya Breitbart Sep 12, 2021

Show notes

Virus hunter Mya Breitbart joins TWiV to describe her laboratory's work on viruses in spiders, insects, millipedes, freshwater springs, seawater, plants, human feces and much more.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Mya Breitbart

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Links for this episode