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Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. Profile picture
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12 Feb, 4 tweets, 2 min read
The variants are concerning, to be sure. But let's not forget that immune responses aren't all or nothing. I wrote about how it takes a lot more than a couple mutations to stump B cells and T cells.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…
Thank you to @Masopust_Vezys @KimLJacobson
Marc Jenkins Smita Iyer Laura Su, and to @PepperMarion for always being willing to text with me about B cells.

And thank you to my germinal centers, which I'm sure are doing something very cool right now that I don't even know about.
For full disclosure, I attempted to title this piece "Your Antibody is a Wonderland." It didn't work out.
Failed to find @TheBcellArtist on Twitter before, but so glad Ali was able to talk to me!

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More from @KatherineJWu

Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. Profile picture
4 Feb
In our attempt to contain one virus, we silenced several others. I wrote about this year's bizarre flu season—our quietest in years—and what it could mean for our future. 1/4

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…
One big takeaway from this? Masking and distancing work. Neither is a silver bullet, but viruses that have been with us for a while, like flu viruses, are easier targets than something new and unwieldy, like the coronavirus. 2/4
What happened this year with the flu is perhaps a harbinger of what we could accomplish next: with other viruses, new or old, if we decide to commit. 3/4
Read 5 tweets
Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. Profile picture
26 Jan
One last story for @nytimes : a dive into the amazing field of virus physics.

Virology isn't just a life scientist's game. To truly understand viruses, we need to understand how they build themselves — then learn to tear them apart. 1/

nytimes.com/2021/01/26/sci…
Virology isn't just about proteins and genes. It's about forces. It's about chaos and order. It's about the improbability of teeny, tiny structures coming together in ways we can't explain. It's incredible. 2/
I am so grateful to @AlxndriaTH3Gr8 for introducing me to this world and walking me through it. Also to Vinny Manoharan, Juan Perilla, Jodi Hadden-Perilla, Bill Gelbart, Adam Zlotnick, Jasmine Cubuk, @royalzandi @BustamanteLab for sharing their work. 3/
Read 4 tweets
Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. Profile picture
1 Jan
It's 2021! Time for a crash course in four terms that I often see mixed up when people talk about testing: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value.

These terms help us talk about how accurate a test is, but from different viewpoints. 1/
Viewpoint 1 is about the status of the person taking the test. Are they infected, or not infected? How good is the test at identifying these people? That's sensitivity/specificity. 2/
A test that is very *sensitive* will be very good at accurately identifying people who are infected.

A test that is very *specific* will be very good at accurately ruling out infection in people who are not infected. 3/
Read 13 tweets
Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. Profile picture
31 Dec 20
Spouse got his first dose of Moderna's vaccine today! His arm's sore and he's a bit tired and not feeling 100%, but that's not a worry at all — it's evidence that his immune system is already hard at work. 1/ Image
Protection takes energy and effort and I'm proud to say his body is rising to the challenge.

He got the vaccine this morning, so right now we can expect that his cells are starting to churn out some spike protein. Spike is not infectious and it can't cause Covid. 2/
But those proteins will teach a cadre of immune cells to recognize one of the coronavirus's most salient features. That way, if the real virus comes around, his body will recognize it and marshal forces to keep him from getting sick.

It's pretty incredible stuff. 3/
Read 4 tweets
Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. Profile picture
23 Dec 20
Tests don't stop when you get your result. Think about the circumstances under which you took that test — they could really influence how you interpret what that test tells you. 1/

nytimes.com/2020/12/23/ups…
For starters: Positive and negative can be useful words, but we should be careful not to overinterpret them. Think instead about "detected" and "not detected." We're describing what a test has found — not a permanent identifier that says anything about who you are as a person. 2/
A "negative" result could be outdated within hours, either because the virus has built up to detectable levels, or because you were exposed anew.

"Positive" in the context of disease can also sound incriminating. 3/
Read 6 tweets
Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. Profile picture
3 Dec 20
Hundreds of millions of coronavirus tests have been run in labs across the country since the pandemic first hit.

Behind every single one of those tests is a team of people. I wrote about a few of them, and the herculean efforts they've put in. 1/

nytimes.com/2020/12/03/hea…
The world has never asked this much of clin micro and public health lab workers.

Tests are not just pushed buttons and sloshing liquids. They make fingers ache. They make eyes water. They require sprinting back and forth, and perfect pipetting precision. 2/
We do not often look inside these labs. And for decades, that's been okay. “We’re accustomed to holding things up in the background," one scientist told me. "We enjoy doing it because we know we’re helping people.” 3/
Read 10 tweets

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