Deus Ex Vaccina - a podcast by Sandra Tsing Loh
from 2020-05-24T00:00
The world waits for a coronavirus vaccine. But this isn’t the first time it’s taken a little longer than ideal.
For nearly forty years, scientists have searched for a vaccine for HIV, the virus behind the AIDS epidemic. Although they’re still searching, drugs, treatment and technology have made an HIV diagnosis a little better. The good news is that coronavirus shares more in common with other viruses than a devious trickster like HIV... and it all comes down to copying skills.
Written and reported by Brenna Biggs.
References:
Picheta, R. What happens if a coronavirus vaccine is never developed? It has happened before. CNN Health (2020).
Bazell, R. Finding the way again after failed AIDS vaccine. NBC News (2007).
Ries, J. COVID-19 Will Mutate — What That Means for a Vaccine. Healthline (2020).
Further episodes of Loh Down on Science: Special Pandemic Edition
Further podcasts by Sandra Tsing Loh
Website of Sandra Tsing Loh