This Week in Virology

Latest Episodes:

TWiV 723: COVID-19 palliative care with Ginger Campbell, MD Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

Ginger Campbell joins TWiV to discuss palliative care for COVID-19 patients, and how to approach the disease from a goals of care perspective.

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

Guest: Ginger Campbell, MD

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Links for this episode

Brain Science Podcast
Dr. Campbell's video on palliative care (YouTube)
Resources on palliative care (WHO)
Interviews with Paul Offit (one, two)
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Letters read on TWiV 723
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – Soapbox Gallery Brianne – Cell Picture Show Rich – Perseverance Rover's Descent and Touchdown on Mars (Official NASA Video) Vincent – Our World in Data (see COVID-19 vaccinations)

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

TWiV 722: More coronaviruses in the pipeline Feb 21, 2021

Show notes

The entire TWiV team assembles to discuss resurgence of COVID-19 in Manaus, Brazil, discovery of SARS-CoV-2 related viruses in bats in Southeast Asia, and increased Ct values after administration of mRNA vaccine.

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

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Links for this episode

Resurgence of COVID-19 in Manaus (Lancet)
SARS-CoV-2 related viruses in Southeast Asian bats (Nat Comm)
Increased Ct following COVID-19 vaccination (medRxiv)
Letters read on TWiV 722
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – What is the polar vortex? Brianne – Cloning of the black-footed ferret Alan – Explaining mRNA vaccines with Star Wars Rich – Brighton Collaboration (BRAVATO); Ad26 vector template Kathy – Target public health ads to zipcodes Vincent – And Then the Gorillas Started Coughing

Listener Pick

Kim – Virus getting the shot (jpg)

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

TWiV 721: COVID-19 clinical update #50 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Feb 20, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #50, Daniel Griffin discusses CDC guidance on school opening, decreased viral load after vaccination, randomized clinical trial of vitamin D treatment, a study of zinc plus vitamin C, anticoagulation therapy effect on mortality, and multi system inflammatory phase in children.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Guidance on school openings (CDC)
Calcifediol Treatment and COVID-19 (Lancet preprints)
Zinc and vitamin C for COVID-19 (JAMA)
Early anticoagulant therapy (BMJ)
Multisystem inflammatory phase in children (CDC)
Letters read on TWiV 721
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

TWiV 720: With vaccines, Offit is on it Feb 14, 2021

Show notes

Paul Offit joins TWiV to discuss all things vaccine, including how COVID-19 vaccine development was accelerated, whether the vaccines are safe and efficacious, the difference between an EUA and a licensed vaccine, sterilizing immunity, herd immunity, and much more.

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

Guest: Paul Offit

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Links for this episode

Vaccine education center
Letters read on TWiV 720
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – Life in a Day 2020 Brianne – Microcosms in Glass Alan – NEJM article on promoting vaccination, interview with lead author Rich – The Microbescope Vincent – Autism's False Prophets by Paul Offit

Listener Pick

Earl – Science is Real Pins

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

TWiV 719: COVID-19 clinical update #49 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Feb 13, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #49, Daniel Griffin discusses CDC guidelines on mask use, drop in test frequency in the US, resurgence of COVID-19 in Brazil, possible impact of Pfizer vaccine on viral load, EUA for bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together, and preliminary results of Tocilizumab in hospitalized patients.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Resurgence of COVID-19 in Brazil (Lancet)
Pfizer vaccine reduces viral load (medRxiv)
EUA for bamlanivimab plus etesevimab (pdf)
Tocilizumab in hospitalized patients (medRxiv)
Bacterial superinfections in COVID-19 (Open For Inf Dis)
Letters read on TWiV 719
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

TWiV 718: Recombining vaccine schedules Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

TWiV explores single dose administration and timing of second dose of AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine, safety and efficacy of Sputnik V, and control of coronavirus recombination by a viral proofreading exonuclease.

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

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Links for this episode

AZD1222 single dose efficacy and booster timing (Lancet preprint)
Safety and efficacy of Sputnik V vaccine (Lancet)
Proofreading exonuclease regulates CoV recombination (PLoS Path)
Letters read on TWiV 718
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – Do scientists read enough fiction? Rich – Insects in flight; Insect flight|Capturing takeoff Kathy – Badger seal Vincent – MicrobeTV merchandise

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

TWiV 717: Paul and Theodora, pandemic explorers Feb 07, 2021

Show notes

Theodora and Paul return to TWiV to explain how they quickly pivoted their retrovirus laboratories towards SARS-CoV-2, their work on the antibody response to infection and its durability, and the emergence of variants with increased resistance to neutralization.

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

Guests: Paul Bieniasz and Theodora Hatziioannou

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Links for this episode

Evolution of antibody immunity to SARS-CoV-2 (bioRxiv)
mRNA vaccine elicited antibody to variants (bioRxiv)
Escape from neutralizing antibodies by SARS-CoV-2 variants (eLife)
Musings of an anonymous, pissed off virologist (virology blog)
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – Mars Perseverance Rover Alan – The Outlaw Ocean Rich – Anand Varma Photography Vincent – Virology Lectures 2021

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

TWiV 716: COVID-19 clinical update #48 with Dr. Daniel Griffin Feb 06, 2021

Show notes

In COVID-19 clinical update #48, Daniel Griffin reviews effect of spike amino acid changes on neutralization with monoclonal antibodies, Sputnik V safety and efficacy results, increased reactogenicity after a single vaccine dose in seropositive individuals, single dose vaccination in seropositive health care workers, and results of three clinical trials on the use of anticoagulants.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Resistance of variants to mAb neutralization (bioRxiv)
Safety and efficacy of Sputnik V (Lancet)
Increased vaccine reactogenicity in seropositives (medRxiv)
Single dose vaccination in seropositive health care workers (medRxiv)
Update on vaccine intervals (CDC)
Single dose AZD1222 results (Lancet preprints)
Three RCT on anticoagulants (NIH)
Letters read on TWiV 716
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

TWiV 715: Fauci ouchy Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

TWiV explains why hydroxychloroquine failed in humans despite showing antiviral effects in cells, and reviews the published data on the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine.

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

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Links for this episode

TMPRSS2 is why hydroxychloroquine failed (PLoS Path)
Safety and efficacy of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (NEJM)
Letters read on TWiV 715
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – How the Body Reacts to Viruses Rich – How do wombats poop cubes? Kathy – The Verse by the Side of the Road Vincent – Janet Iwasa's SARS-CoV-2 entry animation

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

TWiV 714: The shape of spike with Jason McLellan Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

Jason McLellan joins TWiV to reveal all we know about the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, followed by Novavax and J&S phase 3 results and a discussion of variants of concern: neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies, transmission, and virulence.

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

Guest: Jason McLellan

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Links for this episode