The global eradication plan reduced polio incidence by 99% since 1988, but Polioviurs is still endemic in some countries and can circulate silently in others. Under the proper conditions, Poliovirus can spread in the population and cause the diasease, as it has happened in Gaza.
Category Archives: Topic of the day
Viral Hepatitis
Do you know that every year 1.4 million people worldwide die of viral hepatitis? It is one death every 30 seconds. World Hepatitis Day takes place every year on July 28 (the day Baruch Bloomberg, the discoverer of Hepatitis B virus, was born) to raise awareness on this disease. Five viruses cause hepatitis: HBV eContinue reading “Viral Hepatitis”
Clinical trials: rules, phases, and results
To obtain marketing authorization, all drugs must pass several phases of preclinical (in the lab) and clinical (on human volunteers) trials. During the preclinical phases, molecules are tested on models such as cells, and animal models more or less similar to humans (from mice to primates, where permitted by the local laws). Experimentation on animalContinue reading “Clinical trials: rules, phases, and results”
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines: promising results in less than one year since the beginning of the pandemic
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been hoping for a vaccine to defeat the virus and get back to “normality”, a more lighthearted daily life that we had to put aside. On March 16th, a few days after the WHO had declared the pandemic, the biotech company Moderna announced the beginning of phaseContinue reading “The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines: promising results in less than one year since the beginning of the pandemic”
The double helix of DNA: the secret of life
DNA is made up of two chains of nucleotides that pair to form a double helix. Genes are sequences of nucleotides that contain the information needed to make proteins. The central dogma explains the passage of information from DNA to proteins via RNA. Human genome sequencing and biotechnology are the basis of gene therapy and cell therapy.
What we know about SARS-CoV-2
“Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2” by NIAID is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Virus emerging from the surface of an infected cell) We have heard about a new virus that was causing pneumonia since December 2019; the virus was spreading in China and it was temporarily called 2019-nCoV. On February 11th, 2020, the International Committee on TaxonomyContinue reading “What we know about SARS-CoV-2”
COVID-19
Dear all,at the link below a letter from Italian scientists working all over the world to raise further awareness amongst academics over the apparent lack of appropriate countermeasures to the spread of the Coronavirus in several countries.Please share with your network if you find it appropriate.You can add your signature adding a comment to theContinue reading “COVID-19”
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Every year, on February the 11th, we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015 in order to promote full and equal access to science, technology, and innovation to women of all ages. With the occasion of this special date, I haveContinue reading “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”
Virus&Co. 