Immunology and Vaccine

Science To the People presents findings from the Bergen Covid-19 Research Group at the University of Bergen. I bring the flannel board and use it to explain why some people get very ill when infected with Sars-CoV2, while others experience no symptoms. Why can Covid-19 be dangerous for the elderly, while most children barely experience discomfort in the throat? How close are we to a vaccine now, and why should you bother to get vaccinated when you yourself are unlikely to get sick from the virus? This offer included lectures, theatre and film about Covid-19. Topics covered are antibodies, antigens, immune response and quackery in the time of the Corona. But first and foremost, you have the opportunity to ask the questions everyone ponders on depending on the latest article in the newspaper, the current number of infections or the latest report on vaccines.

Pick and choose from the offers: films, lecture and Dr. Kvakk Salver.

An obligate parasite: The virus is a slacker that make the cell to do all the work. The goal of the virus is to make copies of itself. It does so by tricking the cell into treating the virus’ genetic material as if it were the cell’s own. The cell is tricked by the virus. In order for the virus is to enter the cell, it applies the red spike on the outside of the virus – S protein (see illustration from the Center of Disease Control [USA] above). This spike fits like a glove to a spike on the outside of the cell. Here, form is really important. If the virus spike extends an arm or a foot, it no longer fits the spike on the outside of the cell and thus the virus can not bind and enter the cell.

The virologist is here to answer your questions

Immune reaction is pretty simple to explain, it is basically molecules that attract each other and other molecules that come in between and prevent them from binding to each other. Just like relationships between people.