1/n: I had to forego the only midday nap I’ve had in over a yr yesterday to address my @instagram DMs b/c so many are hurriedly writing about vaccine dosing, w/o remembering the current dosing is great, safe, effective AND (surprise) public trust matters. instagram.com/stories/kizzyp…
2/n: We understand things can change for science-driven efficiency. Would delaying a second dose be “ok”, probs; but ppl know about efficacy data from the current schedule. I'm often scrambling to find solid data to match X scientist's op ed so of course lay ppl are confused af.
3/n: Remember how confused ppl were when masks were first deemed not needed then suddenly science suggested that in fact they are?! That was us (scientists) on our high horses, not waiting for the data to policy circle to be completed. Just stop!
1/n: Good morning esp. to our animal techs, who bled ~200 mice last yr on this day. It was the 2-wk post-prime timepoint, & we just had to peek at the antibody responses.
Do you think they knew those mice had gotten the vaccine they would themselves get only a year later? 💉 ❤️
2/n: We’d immunized 3 mouse strains, w/ multiple doses of mRNA-1273 to not just be prepared to show protection (ala @Baric_Lab@SarahRLeist), but also to be prepared to show that sub-protection was not a cause for vaccine-induced enhancement.
3/n: These figs never make it into my talks cause who care about mice when u have 94.1% human efficacy?
So fig. 2 (nature.com/articles/s4158…) shows IgG antibodies that bind the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein 2 wks after the 1st dose, particularly in the modestly-high dose (1 ug) groups.
1/n: I’m about to use this morning’s “woke up in a panic ‘cause my ‘to do’ list is longer than my day” rant to address this consistent and *flawed* argument
2/n: Because I work at the center that the Clinton Administration erected in with the purpose of developing a HIV vaccine, I’m privileged to have watched HIV vaccine development from “point A” to ummmm let’s say ‘bout “point M” over the years.
3/n: Which is darn good, considering HIV is so genetically diverse, a retrovirus, decorated in glycans, hides from immunity, probs needs a little more than “just” antibodies, etc etc etc
1/n: People are asking me for comments, and I'll tell you how my ex project manager used to tell me re: me overachieving & striving for "perfection" in some things...
"Don't let the perfect get in the way of the good enough."
This is darn good for 1-dose ... "in a pandemic".
2/n: I feared that actually... that ppl would be spoiled by mRNA and any vaccine to come after would be looked at as "lesser than". Vaccines are being transformed in front of all of our eyes, but science is going to science...
3/n: ...and the fact that science is producing multiple good-enough candidates with utilities in various niches of global acceptance/distribution/pricing/etc in only a year is...
Here’s a thread on how working in a lab that allowed me to come as my whole self, inclusive of my acrylic nails also lended to my happiness. Diversity is one thing. Inclusion another. BELONGING a third. @BarneyGrahamMD does all three to perfection.
1/n - With my @KFellowship, it was time to travel to Colorado to present to the scientific board. The board is inclusive of THE experts in any field. I, a 32 year old woman, was to come back to host a boho-themed bridal shower so I needed boho braids.
2/n - I asked Dr. Graham if I should wear boho braids to that type of meeting. He said “I think you should wear your hair how you want when speaking about our work. Now I’m going to have to ask @annedereaux what boho braids are.” 😂
Live view of already stressed out students who are navigating a pandemic in the onset of their already confusing adulthood reading y’all’s tweets discussing how their time is not worth $15/hr...
Live view of me bout to give mine “gifts” (read: bonuses) out of my pocket. Sure, my name is all over the manuscripts/news, but I have 2 post-undergrad students who are the hands behind the operation.
They deserve.
What sparked me to send this email Fri to ethics? One of my students has been out for med school interviews & rest of the team (more senior ppl) have been slammed...
Student #2 has been working double time; Fri while I was on calls, I got a pic from her running to save the day.
And, I put vaccination there because a lot of ppl use the “I’ll just wait for herd immunity argument” to justify their right/choice to not get vaccinated. Here is a thread of why that is a flawed argument.
1. There are people who may not be able to be vaccinated yet. (Immunocompromised, children, etc.) thus refusing your dose means one less able person to build that critical population immunity. Vaccination IS community service.
Live view of our neutralization assay team scrambling to make yet another virus variant every time the media publishes about a new single amino acid change without context. 😒
Here is the context: you are going to read and hear about a million and one variant viruses, because viruses mutate by nature. It’s scary, I know. But, a couple of amino acids is not the same a whole whole new virus strain in the way that we’ve been taught to think about flu.
What is happening, often times, is selective pressure. As the virus transmits it learns how to be better at transmitting. This is why you hear “circulating faster than last variant”...
Live view of me watching tv specials about the vaccine, and thinking it’s great there are infographics, but then seeing that the mRNA-expressed spike proteins aren’t transmembrane-anchored.
Ok, my lay followers are gathering me up in the comments like “huh?” I was purposely making a corny science joke, but folks are here to learn. So...
The spike protein is a surface molecule on the virus so the point of vaccination is to teach your immune system how to recognize it. So if you come in contact with the virus later your body is quick to fight off the virus.
Stop # 1: Tonight, @blackdoctor (blackdoctor.org) is hosting me, @JamesEKHildreth, and several other experts on a panel to help ease uncertainty around recent trial results and tell you exactly what they mean.
Bags 💰Secured >>> Moderna Announces Award from U.S. Government Agency BARDA for up to $483 Million to Accelerate Development of mRNA Vaccine (mRNA-1273) Against Novel Coronavirus businesswire.com/news/home/2020…
Happy Monday Tweetologists....Here is a little of our vaccine clinical trial data teaser for ya.
📊💙🦠💚
🗣️Moderna Announces Positive Interim Phase 1 Data for its mRNA Vaccine (mRNA-1273) Against Novel Coronavirus bit.ly/3g9Rzi2
4 added to My Authors
