Moderna, which was funded $1 billion for research by the U.S. government, said in October 2020 that it will not enforce COVID-19-related patents against those making vaccines intended to combat the pandemic. But the company has refused to transfer technology to the South African hub to manufacture its mRNA vaccines for distribution to the African … Continue reading mRNA vaccine manufacturers loathe to share know-how
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WHO backs COVID-19 vaccine trials that deliberately infect participants
In new guidelines issued on May 6, WHO has backed human challenge studies for COVID-19 vaccines on the ground that it could both accelerate vaccine development and make the final vaccine far more effective. In new guidelines issued on May 6, the World Health Organization has said that well-designed human challenge studies could not only … Continue reading WHO backs COVID-19 vaccine trials that deliberately infect participants
In defiance, several rogue U.S. federal agency Twitter accounts crop up
Resistance by scientists and show of support for science by the public is reaching a new peak ever since the Trump administration first stopped the U.S. National Park from using Twitter and then restricted several other federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, from communicating with the media and the public. In defiance, many “Alt” … Continue reading In defiance, several rogue U.S. federal agency Twitter accounts crop up
Zika virus: The benefits of open research
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers working with Brazilian collaborators have started publicly sharing on a daily basis results and data of a study undertaken to assess Zika viral dynamics in three Indian rhesus macaques. The study was started on February 15 by principal investigators David O’Connor and Jorge Osorio; the latter was one of the two from … Continue reading Zika virus: The benefits of open research
What ails Indian science?
“Getting funding [for research] is easy in India,” said Dr. Mathai Joseph “because there is no competition here. Money is not scarce [though R&D spending is less than 1 per cent of GDP]. But money comes with the same bureaucratic restrictions that apply to all government expenditure.” Dr. Joseph is a computer scientist and a … Continue reading What ails Indian science?
White House expands Open Access
Published in The Hindu on February 28, 2013 At last, papers arising from research work funded by tax-payers’ money and published in subscription journals will become open access in about a year after they are published. The latest decision by the Obama Administration will be applicable to all agencies with over $100 million in annual … Continue reading White House expands Open Access
Editorial: Open, Sesame
Published in The Hindu on November 3, 2012 If in 2004, Nucleic Acids Research made an overnight switch from being a subscription-based journal to an open access (OA) one, 10 years later high-energy physics as a field will make such a shift when nearly 90 per cent of papers published in a dozen journals will … Continue reading Editorial: Open, Sesame
Editorial: A blow for open access
Published in The Hindu on May 2, 2012 Harvard University's decision to ask faculty members to make their papers available in the university's open-access repository and choose open-access journals or those with reasonable subscription costs is a sign that the movement for affordable research is gaining ground. Harvard spends close to $3.75 million a year … Continue reading Editorial: A blow for open access
Editorial: Thinking after acting
Published in The Hindu on December 26, 2011 The United States government, which funded two teams of scientists to research if the H5N1 influenza virus has the potential to trigger a pandemic, has developed cold feet — after reviewing papers containing detailed descriptions of the lethal strains. The papers have already been sent to two … Continue reading Editorial: Thinking after acting
Editorial: Ideology ruins science
Published in The Hindu on September 7, 2010 Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in the United States has hit a major roadblock once again. A temporary injunction by the Federal Court for the District of Columbia has turned the clock back and brought to a halt all federally funded research on hESC. The court's … Continue reading Editorial: Ideology ruins science
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