How effective is the first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine?

As the COVID-19 vaccines reach more people across the country, some people have asked: Could we delay the second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allow more people to be vaccinated more quickly? And, how safe am I after my first dose? As an immunologist, I hear this question frequently. The answer is […]

U.S. FDA Approves Yescarta for Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma After Two or More Lines of Systemic Therapy

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 5, 2021– Kite, a Gilead Company (Nasdaq: GILD), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The approval makes Yescarta the first chimeric antigen receptor […]

Online dating: Super effective, or just… superficial?

According to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 10 American adults have landed a long-term relationship from an online dating app, such as Tinder, OKCupid and Match.com. But what compels people to “swipe right” on certain profiles and reject others? New research from William Chopik, an associate professor in the Michigan State University Department of […]

Accidentally Trashed, Thawed or Expired: Reports of Covid Vaccine Spoilage

As the speed of covid vaccinations picks up, so do the reports of doses going to waste. And it’s more than just a handful at the end of the day because of a few appointment cancellations. Health officials are trying to rein in waste without slowing down vaccinations. The incidents range from 335 discarded doses […]

5 factors that could dictate the success or failure of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout

As a viral immunologist who develops immunization strategies to prevent infectious diseases and treat cancers, I would like to highlight outstanding questions about the emergency use of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. These vaccines have raised hopes that the pandemic is nearing an end. Hopefully this is true, but here are some […]

What happens when your brain can’t tell which way is up or down?

What feels like up may actually be some other direction depending on how our brains process our orientation, according to psychology researchers at York University’s Faculty of Health. In a new study published in PLoS One, researchers at York University’s Centre for Vision Research found that an individual’s interpretation of the direction of gravity can […]