COVID-19 Surveillance & Consumer-Driven Healthcare
by Tawny Hammett, M.S. JHU Alumna The COVID-19 pandemic has transcended a mere influenza-like disease, showcasing a range of severity from mild cold symptoms to multi-organ failure and death1. Given the spectrum of COVID-19’s virulence, testing is a crucial epidemic surveillance strategy to detect, contain, and mitigate viral spread throughout the population. In April 2020, […]
New Molecular Tool for Mitochondrial Genome Editing
by Yazmin I. Rovira Gonzalez, Ph.D., JHU Alumna CRISPR-Cas9 technology is a powerful tool for editing genomes, as it allows researchers to alter DNA sequences and modify gene function. It can potentially correct genetic defects, treat, and prevent the spread of diseases. CRISPR works alongside different types of “Cas” proteins found in bacteria, where they […]
“How children may be affected by misinformation about vaccines”
John Jones, M.S. Biotechnology Johns Hopkins University Alumnus In 1796, Edward Jenner devised a method to protect individuals from smallpox by using blisters of someone infected with cowpox to inoculate another person against the virus. This was the genesis of vaccine science. Since that time, the understanding of infectious disease and the mass development and […]
Innovation in American Healthcare in the Search for a Vaccine
Tawny Hammett, M.S. Individualized Genomics & Health Johns Hopkins University Alumna The COVID-19 pandemic is slowly starting to makes its way to a period of tenuous recovery, bringing a welcomed sigh of relief to those feeling pandemic fatigue. Though many uncertainties still lie ahead, states are cautiously opening back up, providing a small sense of […]
COVID-19 and mRNA Vaccines: Fundamentals and Therapeutic Potential
Yazmin I. Rovira Gonzalez, PhD, Johns Hopkins UniversityAlumna On May 18th 2020, Moderna, Inc. – a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on mRNA technologies, including messenger RNA-based vaccines and therapies – announced their Interim Phase 1 results for their messenger RNA vaccine (mRNA-1273) against novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. But first, what is an mRNA vaccine and how […]