immune system – Science in Translation

Perspective, Part 3: Age and health risk factors

In Part #2 of this post I discussed community risk as if all members of the community had the same risk of severe illness and death if infected with SARS-CoV-2, which we all know isn’t true. While a small number of people may have a genetic quirk that makes them uniquely susceptible to this infectionContinue reading “Perspective, Part 3: Age and health risk factors”

Viruses, the immune system, and coronavirus

Viruses are small packets of proteins and genetic material. They have no metabolism on their own, but have proteins on their surface that can bind to one or more proteins on the surface of the host’s cells. This binding of viral protein to host protein can act like an ‘all access pass’, triggering the hostContinue reading “Viruses, the immune system, and coronavirus”