Tag: immunity
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Turning Over a New Leaf in Vaccine Production
Vaccines are one of the most valuable innovations in modern medicine, saving an estimated four to five million lives every year (World Health Organization, 2019). Carter et al. (2021) estimate that vaccines could prevent 51 million deaths between 2021 and 2030. However, millions of people around the globe do not have access to vaccines (Figure…
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Fel d1: The Feline Allergen That Purr-sists
In a world where whiskers and purrs captivate the heart, cat allergies hide in the shadows, eager to pounce. Approximately 10–30% of the population is sensitive to cat dander, saliva, and urine, with sneezing, coughing, and itchiness being common symptoms. The primary allergen produced by cats is a globular protein called Fel d1 (Bonnet, et…
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Antivirals from yours truly: Another virus
Viruses have taken the spotlight in recent years, no matter how much we want them gone. We normally think of these agents as something dangerous and harmful, which is not always true. There are many many viruses that have benefitted humanity, such as ancient retroviral DNA integrated into our genome that helps us get rid…