Author Archives: Science Media Centre
Q&A on vaccine manufacturing
The backdrop to successful COVID-19 vaccine development and roll out is the ability to manufacture vaccines quickly and at scale. … read more
expert reaction to press release from Vir Biotechnology and GSK announcing results of their VIR-7831 antibody drug looking at hospitalisations and deaths with COVID-19
Vir Biotechnology and GSK have published a press release stating that their monoclonal antibody drug VIR-7831 reduces hospitalisation and risk … read more
expert reaction to preprint looking at antibody immune response following one dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in cancer patients
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at the safety and immune-efficacy of 1 versus 2 doses of the … read more
expert reaction to new analysis on Lateral Flow Device specificity
A new analysis from the Department of Health and Social Care suggests that lateral flow tests (LFDs) have a specificity … read more
new study from ISARIC 4C looking at inflammatory markers for severe and fatal COVID-19
A new study from the ISARIC 4C and UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium teams, published this afternoon, looks at the key biological … read more
expert reaction to paper looking at mortality in patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7
A paper published in the BMJ compares mortality of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7, with those infected with … read more
expert comment in advance of the 10th anniversary of Fukushima
Tomorrow will mark the 10th anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and the resulting nuclear accident at the Fukushima … read more
expert reaction to commentary on vaccination priorities and ethnicity
A commentary piece published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine addresses the UK’s colour-blind strategy to COVID-19 … read more
expert reaction to House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report on test, track and trace
The first examination of the test, track & trace programme and its performance has been published by the House of … read more
expert reaction to ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 26 February 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 NEJM correspondence paper looking at the neutralising activity of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants in the lab
A correspondence paper, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), looks at the neutralising activity of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine-elicited … read more
expert reaction to CDC Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People in the USA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published the first set of public health recommendations for fully vaccinated … read more
expert reaction to preprint using a simulation to look at potential outcomes of regular entire-school lateral flow testing
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, from the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge uses a simulation to … read more
make no mistake about it – women scientists are at the heart of our response to the pandemic
By Fiona Fox This blog contains the thoughts of the author rather than representing the work or policy of the … read more
expert reaction to latest data from the ONS Infection Survey
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor … read more
expert reaction to latest R number and growth rates estimates, published by the government
The government have released the latest estimates for the COVID-19 R value and growth rates. Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus … read more
expert reaction to a paper suggesting that gene drives could be used to help control grey squirrel numbers in the UK
A paper published in Scientific Reports looks at a novel combination of CRISPR‑based gene drives to control invasive grey squirrel in … read more
Brain Prize 2021 – announcement of winners
Four neuroscientists working at universities in UK, Europe and USA will be awarded the world’s most valuable prize for brain … read more
Food Standards Agency background briefing on food safety in the UK after Brexit
As the UK forges new trade relationships, how can we be sure that the standard of our food will be … read more
updated latest results from the REACT-1 study on COVID-19 prevalence across England
We recently heard from the REACT-1 scientists with interim results from round 9 of their study looking at virus prevalence … read more