In this episode, David Watkins, professor of pathology at George Washington University, shares how insights from his HIV and Zika virus research could apply to SARS-CoV-2 protection strategies. David introduces monoclonal antibodies as an intervention to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection, and also discusses how they could be used as a hedge to vaccine development. Additionally, David’s immunology tutorial explains the innate and adaptive immune systems and their differentiated responses to viral infection.

We discuss:

Background and current interest in immunology [4:30];
Immunology 101—The innate and adaptive immune system [10:15];
Defining antibodies, importance of neutralizing antibodies, and serology testing for COVID-19 [19:00];
B cells—How they fight viruses, create antibodies, and fit into the vaccine strategy [25:00];
T cells—Role in the adaptive immune system and ability to kill infected cells to prevent viral spread [36:15];
Valuable lessons from HIV applied to SARS-CoV-2 [51:00];
Lessons taken from the hepatitis C success story [1:01:30];
Monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and the most promising strategies for preventing and treating COVID-19 infection [1:04:45];
COVID-19 vaccines in development [1:19:00];
How David’s work with Zika virus informs his thinking on SARS-CoV-2 [1:25:20];
Why a vaccine for COVID-19 doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective [1:27:45]; and
More.

Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/ Show notes page for this episode: https://peterattiamd.com/davidwatkins Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Connect with Peter on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

Aspen Agita & Biden’s Zoom Brawl

The Powers That Be: Daily

Wrapping up with thanks and an ad for Cox internet and mobile services

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts