What the FDA's accelerated approval of a new Alzheimer's drug could mean for those with the disease – 5 questions answered about lecanemab

In clinical trials, lecanemab slowed disease progression by 27% and reduced the amount of plaque found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease.

James E. Galvin, Professor of Neurology, University of Miami • conversation
Jan. 13, 2023 • ~9 min

HIV therapies currently need to be taken regularly for life – longer-lasting antibody treatments could one day offer an equally effective one-shot alternative

Antiretroviral therapies for HIV, while extremely effective, need to be taken daily for life. Designing antibody treatments that need to be taken only once could improve compliance and reduce drug resistance.

Ronald C. Desrosiers, Professor of Pathology, Vice-chair for Research, University of Miami • conversation
Sept. 23, 2022 • ~7 min

How the omicron subvariant BA.5 became a master of disguise – and what it means for the current COVID-19 surge

Face masks are still an effective way to help stop the spread of the BA.5 subvariant.

Suresh V. Kuchipudi, Professor and Chair of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Penn State • conversation
July 26, 2022 • ~8 min

The FDA approved a new drug to treat Alzheimer's, but Medicare won't always pay for it – a doctor explains what researchers know about Biogen's Aduhelm

Although Medicare has agreed to pay for Aduhelm, its coverage comes with restrictions.

Andrew Williams, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine • conversation
April 14, 2022 • ~8 min

How does the COVID-19 prevention drug Evusheld work and who should receive it? An infectious disease specialist explains

Evusheld is an antibody drug from AstraZeneca intended to help prevent COVID-19 infection for immunocompromised and other vulnerable patients.

Patrick Jackson, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia • conversation
March 29, 2022 • ~10 min

The Ebola virus can 'hide out' in the brain after treatment and cause recurrent infections

Although treatments for Ebola have helped many people overcome this deadly disease, the virus can persist in the brain and cause a lethal relapse.

Kevin Zeng, Principal Investigator of Infectious Diseases, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases • conversation
March 15, 2022 • ~5 min

New treatments for COVID-19 may stave off the worst effects of the virus

Medications to treat COVID-19 are in no way a substitute for the vaccine. But under the right circumstances, some show great promise for helping patients.

Patrick Jackson, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia • conversation
Sept. 20, 2021 • ~10 min

6 COVID-19 treatments helping patients survive

A year after it became clear that COVID-19 was becoming a pandemic, there is still no cure, but doctors have several innovative treatments. Some are keeping patients out of the hospital entirely.

Tomeka L. Suber, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
March 1, 2021 • ~10 min

The top scientific breakthrough for 2020 was understanding SARS-CoV-2 and how it causes COVID-19 – and then developing multiple vaccines

The development of multiple vaccines against the virus that causes COVID-19 has been hailed as the breakthrough of 2020. But there were many more supporting discoveries that made this possible.

David Pride, Associate Director of Microbiology, University of California San Diego • conversation
Dec. 17, 2020 • ~11 min

What monoclonal antibodies are – and why we need them as well as a vaccine

Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic molecules manufactured in the lab. But do we need them if a vaccine is on its way?

Rodney E. Rohde, Professor Clinical Laboratory Science, Texas State University • conversation
Nov. 16, 2020 • ~9 min

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