Medicine

Now proven against coronavirus, mRNA can do so much more

(CNN)When the final Phase 3 data came out last November showing the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were more than 90% effective, Dr. Anthony Fauci had no words. He texted smiley face emojis to a journalist seeking his reaction. This astonishing efficacy has held up in real-world studies in the US, Israel and elsewhere. The mRNA technology — developed for its speed and flexibility as opposed to expectations it would provide strong protection against an infectious disease — has [...]

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‘Natural killer’ cells found to be a key determinant of severe COVID-19 in patients

Findings hoped to lead to new biomarker to identify patients at higher risk. November 30, 2020 By Ross Neitz An impaired count of natural killer (NK) immune cells and reduced ability to destroy infected cells are key characteristics of severe COVID-19 infection, according to newly published research in the journal Blood Advances. A team of researchers at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary followed 12 patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms at hospitals in Edmonton. They found that the patients had [...]

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