Dr Lidia Oostvogels is steering the human trials of a coronavirus vaccine for biopharmaceutical firm CureVac where she is head of its infectious diseases programme and leads its development of vaccines and therapies – the work is exciting but stressful given the volume of work and high expectations, and there is little room for mistakes or delays, she says.

Early interventions were effective at stamping out coronavirus infections before they spread, according to a new study. Combining virus genomics with epidemiologic simulations and travel records, the research shows that in both Europe and the US, sustained transmission networks became established only after separate introductions of the virus that went undetected.

Providing additional bed capacity in hospitals poses many challenges, with the pandemic affecting different communities and healthcare systems worldwide in a variety of ways. Hospital campuses are typically constrained sites, and any solution must mitigate the risk of further virus transmission.

On the southern outskirts of the city of Owensboro in Kentucky, US, there is a square, nondescript building. Inside, rows and rows of small plants are growing under artificial lights. This is a new generation biotech venture: a molecular farm. 

A researcher from Athlone Institute of Technology’s Software Research Institute is exploring how immersive technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), can be used to help stroke victims find words.

More than six months into the coronavirus crisis, data show that not just age, but also biological sex plays a pivotal role in the manifestation and response to COVID-19, with more men dying from acute infections versus women in the short term.