Zika virus

• Germantown, Maryland, and State College, Pennsylvania, Jan. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced a first-in-kind collaboration with Penn State University in the United States to create a shared research and education facility for the fast-developing microbiome sciences.
• In doing so, this new partnership will provide QIAGEN with a site to support the development of new products as a testing center.
• This includes an internship program for graduate students from Penn State at QIAGEN laboratories at the European operational headquarters in Hilden, Germany, and helps them prepare for careers in the biotechnology industry.
• “Additionally, it will foster relationships with the microbiome research community and enable us to better develop new products for microbiome research based on direct customer feedback.”
  Seth Bordenstein, Director of the One Health Microbiome Center, Professor of Biology and Entomology, and Huck Endowed Chair in the Microbiome Sciences, at Penn State said: “The ‘One Health’ vision shared by QIAGEN and Penn State University is critical for microbiome research.

• In cancer immunotherapy, for example, mRNA is designed to instruct immune cells to target and attack cancer cells, harnessing the body's immune system to fight the disease.
• The Global mRNA Platform Market is poised for remarkable growth, driven by significant advancements, emerging applications, and robust growth drivers.
• The Global mRNA Platform Market is on an upward trajectory, driven by advancements, emerging applications, and a global response to pandemics.
• Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global mRNA Platform Market.

• This year is off to a bumper start, with bush flies swarming beach-goers, March flies on the march, and mosquitoes taking to the skies en masse.
• Despite their sheer diversity, we’re likely to encounter only a select few flies daily.

Familiar faces

• They slake their thirst on the sweat and tears of mammals and so linger around our heads, shoulders and faces in search of a refreshing drink.
• These small explorers are otherwise harmless, and pose no serious threat to health or home beyond being a mild nuisance.
• They are also, however, excellent pollinators, with some orchids relying on their hard work and specialised mouthparts for survival.
• Malaria is among the farthest-reaching, while Ross River Virus, chikungunya, zika and dengue all circulate with help from mosquitoes.

Shoo fly?

For the minority of flies that prove a recurring annoyance, the primary goal is to deter rather than kill them. In this case, the remedies are simple:

• Read more:
  The battle against bugs: it's time to end chemical warfare

  Avoid reaching for the bug-bombs and sprays, which have devastating impacts on beneficial insects.

• Similarly, those noise-emitting, electrified or smelly gadgets that promise a fly-free existence are best avoided, as most are either ineffective, or harm far more than their intended targets.

From pesky to paramount

• Flies are among the most diverse animals on the planet, and are utterly crucial for the healthy function of our ecosystems.
• On the other side of the circle of life are outstanding decomposers, such as black soldier flies.
• Moreover, flies have proven invaluable in forensics, medicine and scientific research, and environmental monitoring, underscoring how deeply our lives intertwine with theirs.

Fly on

• The natural world – us included – would not be the same without them.
• He is also affiliated with the conservation charity Invertebrates Australia.

• The rapid development of these vaccines changed the course of the pandemic, providing protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
• Their discovery was not only integral to COVID-19 vaccine development, but may also lead to the development of many other therapies – such as vaccines for cancer.

Life’s work

• It’s made in the body from our very own DNA in a process called translation.
• DNA is our special encoded handbook of instructions for manufacturing proteins, which are the building blocks for material in the body.
• The cells then make whatever protein they’ve been instructed to, such as haemoglobin for helping red blood cells carry oxygen around the body.
• The researchers faced two major challenges as they began their work.
• Karikó and Weissman’s research had successfully eliminated the obstacles that had previously stood in the way of using mRNA clinically.

COVID vaccines

• Researchers had already been working on developing mRNA vaccines before the pandemic, such as a vaccine for Ebola that didn’t receive much commercial interest.
• This produced a harmless COVID particle which our cells then replicated, allowing our bodies to protect us from severe COVID infections when it encountered the real virus.
• Studies have also shown mRNA vaccines might be useful in treating certain types of cancer.