Rapid Low-Cost Method to Measure COVID-19 Immunity

A research team led by Igor Stagljar at University of Toronto has been working to develop a new method of measuring the level of immunity to coronavirus in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. Through their research, they have created a pinprick test that quickly and accurately measures the concentration of coronavirus antibodies in blood. 

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The Transport of Mitochondria and Lysosomes During Synapse Formation and Plasticity

I am a 3rd year PhD student conducting my research in Dr. Sathyanarayanan Puthanveettil’s lab at Scripps Research, Florida. My research goal is to understand the significance and regulation of bidirectionally transported organelles within the axon during learning and memory.  Specifically, I study the transport of mitochondria (that supplies energy) and lysosomes (that degrades and 

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A Closer Look into Mosquito Anti-Diuresis

The female mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is a day-biting mosquito, taking a single or multiple blood meals, to obtain the necessary vitamins and nutrients for her egg development1. However, upon ingesting a large blood meal, adult females face the challenge of haemolymph (blood) ion dilution, as they take on a significant water load. To cope with 

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Single Dose of Recombinant VSV-ΔG-Spike Vaccine Protects Against SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked the need to develop an efficient and cost-effective vaccine to provide mass immunization against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. An Israeli study, initially published in June 2020 on the preprint server bioRxiv, examined the possibility of generating a new recombinant vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2. The report is now available 

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