Why are mRNA vaccines effective? | Long-term effects | Silver lining

Why are mRNA vaccines so effective?

ST. LOUIS, MO—Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been doing groundbreaking work around COVID. Researchers there have worked with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to figure out why mRNA vaccines are so effective and whether the protection they provide is likely to endure as new variants surface. The findings published online Dec. 22, 2021, in the journal Cell explain why the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine elicits such high levels of neutralizing antibodies and why it continues producing potent antibodies even as the virus changes.

The coronavirus has stealth moves

COLUMBUS, OH—What makes COVID-19 so highly transmissible? According to researchers at The Ohio State University’s Center for Retrovirus Research, the virus uses an underground form of transmission, adopting stealth moves to stay alive and kicking.

UofL studies long-term effects of pandemic

LOUISVILLE, KY—A University of Louisville program aimed at solving the long-term health, economic and societal problems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has selected its first round of projects. The Pandemic-Related Product Acceleration & Responsive Entrepreneurship Program (PRePARE) partners UofL researchers with companies and members of the community to scale up innovative ideas.

Number of adolescents reporting substance during pandemic abuse drops

ANN ARBOR, MI—Could there be a silver lining to the pandemic? The percentage of adolescents reporting substance use decreased significantly in 2021, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future survey of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among eighth, 10th and 12th graders in the United States. The survey is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan.