An infectious childhood encounter with a stranger: Drew Weissman, a human immunopathologist, and his mentor, K”arikó
Many think the now-famous mRNA vaccines came into existence in the blink of an eye, at warp speed, in the throes of a deadly pandemic. Drew Weissman, who is credited with developing the platform that made the life-saving mRNA vaccines possible, believes that it was a long time coming.
Weissman graduated from Boston University with a Doctor of Medicine and a Doctor of Sciences, as well as a master’s degree in psychology. He spent the better part of the 1990s researching the function of dendritic cells, a key biological player in starting the body’s immune response. So, when he found himself at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, the question of how to bolster the human immune system was already burning in his mind.
Then, serendipity stepped in. While waiting at a Xerox machine for an article to be photocopied Weissman bumped into another person, a researcher at the university. They began talking about their shared research interest. Karikó, a native of Hungary, had spent decades researching messenger RNA – the biological instruction manual for the production of proteins in human cells – and was convinced of the potential it held for human therapeutics.
RNA-enabled vaccines against SARS-coV-2, Omicron BA.4/BA.5, and influenza: progress towards a better treatment of infectious diseases
Since then, millions of lives have been saved by the vaccines. Americans have been able to return to a normal routine despite the threat of Covid-19.
The easing of China’s policy may be heralded as a victory, but it’s one that could come with a steep cost. Chinese officials said that as of late November most of the population had completed two doses of the vaccine, while people over the age of 80 only received one dose. The vaccines that are available to Chinese citizens use an inactivated SARS-coV-2 virus and pales in comparison to the ones approved in the US, says Weissman.
In November, BioNTech and Pfizer began their phase I trial of an mRNA vaccine designed to protect against both COVID-19 and influenza. The combination vaccine contains mRNA strands encoding binding proteins for SARS-CoV-2, Omicron BA.4/BA.5 and four influenza variants.
The institutions that treat genetic diseases only afflict 200 people. There is such a small population affected that no pharmaceutical company, and very few academics, are interested in researching them. But there is potential for RNA to be the key to treatment of these diseases because instead of having to reinvent the gene therapy for each disease, we can use the RNA platform we’ve already developed and easily plug in different diseases. There is no need to spend more than $100 million on research for a new treatment.
It isn’t just Covid vaccines. If countries have access to the right infrastructure, they may be able to protect their citizens from some of the biggest infectious diseases. So, the most important thing is building the infrastructure where it’s needed.
Weissman: There is an institute at the University of Pennsylvania that does all kinds of RNA research. Muscular diseases are caused by incorrect smal coding of ourRNA. So, we’re looking at new therapies to correct that splicing problem, which use different types of RNA.
Science isn’t the enemy: X-ray imaging, spectroscopy, and the world health organisation (ESA) priorities
There are many ways to address that problem. Scientists aren’t vocal enough about science. Some of our far right-wing politicians and religious leaders are being cultured by some of the people who think scientists are all frauds and don’t like science. We need to get to those leaders and tell them to stop creating this unwarranted fear. We need to tell them that science isn’t the enemy.
Some are looking into using fast-acting nasal sprays to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. The road to human trials could be long, despite these sprays being effective in animals.
The first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) left the world in awe. Astronomers will continue to share the results from the telescope in the year ahead after some of the findings were published this year.
The Euclid space telescope, under development by the European Space Agency (ESA), is intended to orbit the sun for 6 years and capture photos to create a 3D-map of the universe; it is due to blast off in 2023. So is the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission — an Earth-orbiting satellite that will detect X-ray radiation from distant stars and galaxies.
The World Health Organization is due to make a revision to its list of priorities. Around 300 scientists will review the evidence on more than 25 viral and bacterial families to identify pathogens that could potentially cause future outbreaks. The research and development of vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests will be helped by the research and development of the priority pathogen.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04444-3
Moonwards: a lunar mission, an exploration mission and a roadmap for the United Nations COP27 loss and damage fund (COP28)
Just as NASA’s uncrewed Orion capsule splashed back down to Earth on 11 December, three other missions were launched Moonwards: the United Arab Emirates’ Rashid rover, NASA’s lunar flashlight and the Japanese HAKUTO-R Mission 1, which will attempt a soft lunar landing in April. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s third moon-exploring mission, Chandrayaan-3, will land near the south pole in mid-2023. Next year will also see the first civilian trip to the Moon, with 11 people embarking on a 6-day private spaceflight aboard the SpaceX rocket Starship.
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, which is scheduled for launch in April, aims to study the environment on Jupiter and three of its moons.
Next year might herald the first approval of a CRISPR gene-editing therapy, following promising results from clinical trials that used the CRISPR–Cas9 system to treat beta thalassaemia and sickle cell disease, two genetic blood disorders. The exagamglogene autotemcel (exa-cel) treatment is being developed by the Massachusetts companies Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston and CRISPR Therapeutics in Cambridge. It works by collecting a person’s own stem cells and using the CRISPR–Cas9 technology to edit the faulty gene, before infusing the cells back into the person. Vertex is expected to apply to the US Food and Drug Administration in March for approval to make exa-cel available to people with beta thalassaemia or sickle cell disease.
The agreement on a loss and damage fund during the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt last month marked an important step towards climate justice. Wealthy countries that have historically been responsible for high emissions will compensate poorer nations which have been hardest hit by climate change. The details need to be worked out. A ‘transitional committee’ is expected to meet before the end of March to make recommendations on how to arrange these funds, which will be presented to delegates from around the world during the United Nations COP28 conference in Dubai next November.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04444-3
The first results of the muon g-2 experiment and their implications for lecanemab, a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s disease
The first results of the muon g–2 experiment were unveiled in April this year, and are expected to be more precise in three years. The experiment studies how short-lived particles known as muons behave in magnetic fields, and creates a sensitive test of the standard model of particle physics.
The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory in southern China will be the first to search for physics outside the standard model by using a detector 700 metres underground.
The opening of the European Spallation Source near Lund, Sweden, is expected to be one of the most anticipated events for particle physicists. The pan-European project will generate intense neutron beams to study the structure of materials, using the most powerful linear proton accelerator ever built. The first researchers will be welcome at the ESS.
The US regulators will announce in January if the drug can be used to treat people with Alzheimer’s disease. lecanemab was created by Biogen and Eisai and is a tool to fight amyloid- in the brain. The study found that lecanemab slowed the mental decline of people with early-stage Alzheimer’s. However, some scientists think this is only a modest benefit and others are concerned about the safety of the drug.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04444-3
The Olkiluoto repository: a deep underground facility for nuclear waste management on an island off the northwest of Finland, and its environmental impact on the environment
The world’s first nuclear-waste storage facility is due to begin operating next year in Olkiluoto, an island off the southwest coast of Finland. In 2015, theFinnish government approved construction of the deep underground repository to safely dispose of spent nuclear fuel. It is estimated that up to 6,500 metric ton of radioactive Uranium will be buried within 400 metres of granite bedrock. The nuclear material will remain sealed off there for several hundred thousand years — by which time the radiation levels will be harmless.