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Feb 8 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
It's great to see that the important role of #technicians in teaching and research is being acknowledged and that measures and policy are being put in play to support them into the future.
However, I still think that research councils, universities and research institutions are still ignoring the elephant in the room that is the thousands or short-term contracted research staff, without whom UK research really wood collapse...
Career pathways for these guys really hasn't changed throughout my career, and it really needs to. Even permanency of employment rules don't seem to have teeth, as their roles are still all-too-often tied to duration of research grants...
wood?? obvs I meant would 🤣🤣🤣

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More from @JonathanKBall

Jonathan Ball Profile picture
Feb 9
I posted a comment earlier about #covid19 #vaccines, #SterilisingImmunity and emergence of #variants and it's been pointed out to me (@bealelab @SwaledaleMutton et al.) that some of the points, well the header really, isn't factually correct and/or could be used mischievously.
Therefore I will append a clarification that my comments were able the status quo and covid vaccines alone and any other points I thought relevant to ensure my musing can't be misconstrued. The overall point about global vaccine inequities and emergence of variants remains, but
My comments hopefully can't be taken out of context and used nefariously by others with an anti-vaaxx agenda or similar. I have always been and remain a staunch believe proponent for vaccines. However, we need to understand what they do.
Read 5 tweets
Jonathan Ball Profile picture
Feb 9
So, to expand further. The programme (ably assembled by @BBCFergusWalsh) highlighted issues of global vaccine inequity. This is undoubtedly a major challenge and will continue to be so.
However, we need to adopt a new model of production and distribution. As the programme wonderfully illustrates. GMP manufacturing capability is incredibly imbalanced, with a few places (like US, UK, Europe, China, India) having the lion's share.
This means that too many low- and middle-income countries are reliant on those places 'doing the right thing' and providing equitable access. But there is a different way.
'Teach me to fish and I will eat for a lifetime...'
Read 8 tweets
Jonathan Ball Profile picture
Feb 9
I don't know why I (and many colleagues) have to keep saying this but #COVID19 vaccines do not prevent infection and therefore do not prevent emergence of variants. Sub-sterilising immunity through infection or vaccination will drive emergence of variants.
The tweet above should be read in context of related tweets about vaccine inequities and emergence of variants.
We know that some vaccines may generate sterilising immunity and prevent immunity. But for existing covid vaccines there is a body of evidence to show that reinfections can occur in a significant proportion of people, and this is most likely due to waning levels of circulating Ab
Read 13 tweets
Jonathan Ball Profile picture
Apr 9, 2021
Didnt get chance to answer a great Q on @sarahjulianotts show on @BBCNottingham about having #COVID19 #vaccine the starting #immunotherapy. If the therapy is designed to dampen down your immunity, then it might reduce the overall level of immunity that the vaccine produces.
But in this case, the therapy will start 14 days after vaccine, by which time immunity has often peaked (with Pfizer, maybe slight increase with AZ after this time). Therefore, the therapy will have very little, if any, impact.
And if you are currently on immunotherapy, then the vaccine committee have not precluded you from having the vaccine. Even if the overall response is reduced, I think in most people it will still offer some protection. Worried or unsure - ask your clinical orvaccination team👍
Read 5 tweets
Jonathan Ball Profile picture
Sep 2, 2020
@Psynian 1/n
Not sure I align to his views.
The virus is mutating, there is evidence/suggestion that some of those might change virus behaviour. There’s a spike change (amino acid 614) that increases infectivity of virus when grown in the lab.
@Psynian 2/n
But we don’t know if this increases infectivity, disease severity or transmissibility in humans.
@Psynian 3/n
There’s also a deletion that removes one of the non-structural genes (ORF8), which is thought to down regulate antigen presentation.
nature.com/articles/s4157…
Read 11 tweets
Jonathan Ball Profile picture
May 17, 2020
Thanks to @JanetDaly5 for flagging this. First animal data from #chadox1 #SARSCoV2 vaccine. Not sterilising immunity, but reduced viral load and pathogenesis, with half dose, BUT very quick challenge 4 week. (recall questioning this previously):
biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
1/n
 worth considering these data in detail; and what they might or might not mean
2/n
 Firstly, the challenge dose. This was a relatively large amount of virus, BUT for people exposed to virus for considerable periods of time and/or large amounts (household member or healthcare worker) then protection against higher viral load exposure is relevant.
Read 8 tweets

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