This Week in Virology

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TWiV 614: COVID Tetris - Test, trace, isolate May 17, 2020

Show notes

Daniel Griffin provides a clinical update on COVID-19, then we review results showing requirement for the furin site in the SARS-CoV-2 spike for replication, US state vaccine exemptions, concerns with a rapid diagnostic test, and answers to listener questions.

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

Guest: Daniel Griffin

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Links for this episode

Triple therapy for COVID-19 (Lancet)
Virology podcast goes viral (Thalia Gigerenzer)
Paul Stays Home (pdf)
Multibasic cleavage site essential for SARS-CoV-2 infection (Mol Cell)
Mumbai engulfed by CoV (NY Times)
All must be vaccinated (Stat)
FDA concerns with Abbott test (FDA)
How US lost 6 weeks (BBC)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiV 614
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Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 613: Jenner, vaccines, and COVID-19 May 14, 2020

Show notes

Vincent, Kathy and Rich explain the Jenner Institute's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, the NIH decision to stop the Remdesivir study, and answer listener questions.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

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Links for this episode

COVID-19 brings out dark side of science (Mother Jones, Wired)
Jenner Institute COVID-19 vaccine (BioSpace)
Recombineering (Nucleic Acids Res)
Vaccines lecture (YouTube)
ChAdOx1 MERS vaccines protects NHP (Lancet Inf Dis)
Chimpanzee adenovirus vector (PLoS One)
Ad-MERS vaccine protects monkeys (NIH)
Rapid COVID-19 vaccine development (Science)
Strategic approach to COVID-19 vaccines (Science)
NIH decision to stop remdesivir study (Stat)
80,000 flu deaths this winter (Stat)
Science and singing (YouTube)
COVID-19 at choir practice (Emerg Inf Dis)
20% off The Invisible ABCs for TWiV listeners! Use promo code: ABC20 at checkout.
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 612: CEPI, preventing the next pandemic May 12, 2020

Show notes

From the Nipah Virus International Conference in Singapore, Vincent speaks with Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, about its mission to stimulate and accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello

Guests: Richard Hatchett and Linfa Wang

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 611: Corona and crowns May 10, 2020

Show notes

Daniel Griffin provides a weekly clinical update on COVID-19, then Michael Schmidt discusses how dentistry can be safely practiced during a pandemic, followed by answers to listener questions.

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

Guests: Daniel Griffin and Michael Schmidt

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Links for this episode

OSHA guidance for dentistry
COVID0-19 challenges for dentistry (J Dent Res)
COVID-19 and dentistry (Int J Env Res Pub Health)
Mouthrinses for dentistry (J Clin Med)
Disingenuous plandemic documentary (Big Think)
Letters read on TWiV 611
Image credit
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 610: Coronavirus FAQ May 07, 2020

Show notes

The TWiV team summarizes serology-based tests for SARS-CoV-2, lack of effect of ACE inhibitors or ARBs on COVID-19 severity, and answers listener questions.

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

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Links for this episode

FDA revises statement on antibody tests (FDA)
Serology-based tests for SARS-CoV-2 (Center for Health Security)
ACE inhibitors, ARBs not linked to COVID-19 severity (Mehra study, Mancia study, Reynolds study)
Global COVID-19 CFR (CEBM)
Debunking transmission mutation: TWiEVO 55
Letters read on TWiV 610
Image credit
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 609: A coronavirus chronology with Susan Weiss May 03, 2020

Show notes

Susan Weiss recalls some of her 40 years of research on coronaviruses, including mouse hepatitis virus, MERS-CoV, and now SARS-CoV-2.

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

Guest: Susan Weiss

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Links for this episode

Coronaviruses by Susan Weiss (YouTube)
Forty years with coronaviruses (JEM)
No credible evidence that SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab (Emerg Micr Infect)
CoV and antagonism of RNAse L (mBio)
Exoribonuclease needed for MHV innate antagonism (J Virol)
RNAse L and ADAR (eLife)
Emerging viruses respiratory award (Amer Lung Assoc)
Image credit
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 608: Daniel Griffin's COVID-19 clinical report May 01, 2020

Show notes

Daniel Griffin updates the clinical situation with COVID-19 patients, followed by analysis of the remedesivir clinical trial results, and answers listener questions.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Rich Condit

Guest: Daniel Griffin

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Links for this episode

Pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 (Emerg Inf Dis)
Patch Study
Remdesivir in adults with severe COVID-19 (Lancet)
ACTT remdesivir trial (NIAID)
Commentary on remdesivir trials (Lancet)
FDA expected to issue remdesivir EUA (Contaigon Live)
Recovered COVID-19 patients wrong (Korea Herald)
Letters read on TWiV 608
Image credit
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 607: Coronavirus epidemiology with Jeff Shaman Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

Jeff Shaman returns to TWiV to explain why more SARS-CoV-2 testing and contact tracing is needed to stop the pandemic, and provide insights on immunity and reinfection from seasonal CoVs, the problems with antibody tests, and what to expect in the coming months.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Rich Condit

Guest: Jeff Shaman

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Links for this episode

COVID-19 findings and simulations (Shaman Lab)
Reconciling diverse estimates of infection rates (pdf)
Undocumented SARS-CoV-2 infections (Science)
Simulations of SARS-CoV-2 spread (pdf)
Repeated infections with diverse CoV (pdf)
Letters read on TWiV 606
Image credit
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 606: Evidence-based science and medicine for COVID-19 Apr 26, 2020

Show notes

Daniel Griffin provides his weekly update on the COVID-19 clinical situation, followed by our discussion of tests of an inactivated vaccine, results of serological surveys, an inhibitor of the cell protease needed for virus entry, and answers to listener questions.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Daniel Griffin

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Links for this episode

Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine protects monkeys (bioRxiv)
Saliva is more sensitve than nasopharyngeal swab (medRxiv)
NY serological survey results (NY Times)
FDA caveats on serological tests (FDA)
Federal guidelines on when to open
When to open: Roadmap, blog, video explainer
Blocking TMPRSS2 blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection (Cell)
Lawmakers want human challenge studies (Science)
Letters read on TWiV 606
Image credit
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiV 605: READDI for the next pandemic Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Ralph Baric, Mark Heise and Nat Moorman discuss their non-profit initiative READDI, Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Discovery Initiative, to start making drugs now for the next pandemic virus.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guests: Ralph Baric, Mark Heise, and Nat Moorman

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Links for this episode