Recent experiments exploring the use of patients’ own genetically reprogrammed immune cells toward the treatment of chronic diseases such as HIV and cancer have had encouraging and sometimes high-profile results. Yet, these studies have only been conducted in a limited number of individuals, and outcomes have been inconsistent, ranging from complete remission to complete inefficacy. Read more
WASHINGTON, DC — Aligning the priorities of all stakeholders involved in vaccine development can be a convoluted and thorny process. An international health organization might emphasize a candidate vaccine’s expected health benefits for disadvantaged populations, a government agency might be more focused on its own backyard, and a drug company could be driven by its monetary bottom line. With so many competing interests, what experimental product does it make the most sense for these partners to pursue? Read more
Saudi Arabian doctors scrambled last month to treat a third person who had fallen ill from a new strain of coronavirus that emerged earlier this year in the Middle East. The man survived with the help of supportive care from his physicians, but one of the other two patients who fell victim to the mysterious virus—a pathogen that resembles the coronavirus responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)—was not so fortunate. Read more
Over the past year, Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi and Yemen have all joined the growing list of developing countries that have introduced vaccines against rotavirus as part of their standard national immunization programs. Yet the vast majority of the world’s children still remain at risk of infection by this vaccine-preventable pathogen, which can cause fatal gastrointestinal disease. And the situation isn’t much better for several respiratory diseases, either. Read more
A man and a woman walk into a doctor’s office. She has a cat allergy; he has a cat. “They say, ‘You’ve got to do something or we can’t get married,’” says Michael Blaiss. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it’s actually a typical day at Blaiss’s private allergy practice in Memphis, Tennessee. People often face tough decisions when a loved one cannot cohabit with feline companions. Read more
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