Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to comments from Matt Hancock that more than half and up to three quarters of new UK COVID-19 cases could be of the B.1.617.2 ‘Indian’ variant
The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, told a Downing Street press briefing this afternoon that up to three quarters of new … read more
expert comments in response to comments made by Dominic Cummings yesterday about human challenge trials and vaccine development
Whilst giving evidence to a joint session of the Commons Heath, and Science and Technology committees on Wednesday, Dominic Cummings … read more
expert reaction to media reports that President Biden has ordered intelligence officials to redouble efforts to investigate the origins of COVID-19
There have been media reports stating that US President Joe Biden has ordered intelligence officials to find answers to the … read more
expert reaction to latest data from the ONS COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey Round 4, England: antibody data
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and Public Health England (PHE) have released the fourth … read more
expert reaction to preprint from Germany giving theory about why blood clots might rarely occur after vector-based COVID-19 vaccines
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, from researchers in Germany presents a theory for why vector-based COVID-19 vaccines, such … read more
expert reaction to the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update
The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update has been published today, led by the UK Met Office and issued by … read more
ISSCR Guidelines Update on Stem Cell Research
How are rapid advances in stem cell research raising new scientific and ethical questions, such as the ability to extend … read more
expert reaction to evidence given by Dominic Cummings to the Science and Technology Committee and Health and Social Care Committee on Coronavirus: lessons learnt
Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, has given evidence today to a joint session of the Commons Heath, and … read more
expert reaction to the latest fortnightly release on the Coronavirus Infection Survey looking at antibody and vaccination data for the UK, 26 May 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest report from the COVID-19 infection survey, looking at antibody and vaccination data … read more
fusion energy – results from UKAEA MAST Upgrade experiment
Initial results from the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) new MAST Upgrade experiment at Culham point to a solution to … read more
expert reaction to letter presenting three cases of ischaemic stroke following the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
A letter published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry discusses three cases of ischaemic stroke, blood clots in … read more
expert reaction to Moderna press release announcing that its TeenCOVE study of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents met its primary endpoint
A press release from Moderna announces the TeenCOVE study of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents meets primary endpoint and plans … read more
expert reaction to gov.uk guidance on ‘If you’re in an area where the new COVID-19 variant is spreading’
The government have issued updated guidance for those in areas where the new COVID-19 variant first identified in India is … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 14 May 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the … read more
expert reaction to a case study looking at a blind patient diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa being treated with a novel optogenetic treatment
A case study published in Nature Medicine follows the partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient after optogenetic therapy. … read more
living and dying with COVID-19 – an ethical perspective is vital
With the worst of the pandemic behind us, even as our country starts to return to normal life, challenging ethical … read more
Bio-Detection dogs – can they sniff out COVID-19?
Scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Durham University and the charity Medical Detection Dogs have carried … read more
expert reaction to preprint looking at the ability of trained bio-detection dogs to identify SARS-CoV-2 infections on clothing samples
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at using trained dogs and organic semi-conducting (OSC) sensors to identify asymptomatic … read more
expert reaction to preprint from PHE on vaccine effectiveness against the B.1.617.2 ‘Indian’ variant
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, from Public Health England (PHE) looks at the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against … read more
expert comment on published SAGE paper, ‘Potential community transmission of B.1.617.2 inferred by S-gene positivity’
A comment from the authors of the work (not third-party comments) which has just been published in the latest batch … read more