Join inDemic Foundation Director Dr. Sam Sun and Professor Bernice Hausman of Penn State University’s College of Medicine for a discussion about vaccine hesitancy. A substantial portion of the population may be hesitant about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Sun and Dr. Hausman will offer insight into the rational, emotional and social factors that may be influencing the decision-making process—and what will happen if too many people refuse the vaccine.

In this video interview, we discuss vaccine hesitancy, first in measles as a historical backdrop, then for a potential or soon-to-be FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Abram Wagner, research assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, joins us to discuss recent research on vaccine hesitancy. His research looks at evidence-based programs and policies to control vaccine-preventable diseases. He currently holds a grant from the National Science Foundation that looks at behaviors and acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine over time and across several regions, including the United States, India, and Taiwan. 

In this video interview, we are joined by Dr. Niema Moshiri, assistant teaching professor of computer science & engineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He discusses how scientists are using the genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 to study viral transmission patterns and the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. He currently holds a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop novel software and hardware systems that can quickly analyze massive amounts of genetic data from COVID-19 labs around the world. 

In this video interview, we discuss the strengths and limitations of COVID-19 vaccine candidates with Dr. Deborah Fuller, Professor of Microbiology at University of Washington. Her lab, which studies influenza, HIV, and Zika virus, is currently focused on immunity against COVID-19 and the development of novel vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2. Her lab’s work has resulted in over a dozen patents and two startup biotech companies. 

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) published data from its SOLIDARITY trial on a preprint server. The SOLIDARITY trial is a global, pragmatic, adaptive, master protocol trial investigating 4 therapies for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including remdesivir. Disappointing findings for remdesivir in the SOLIDARITY trial elicited a statement from Gilead Sciences, questioning the validity of SOLIDARITY, and emphasizing its ACTT-1 trial as the “gold standard” regarding remdesivir’s value for COVID-19.

As part of an ongoing series of “Expert Perspectives”, Dr. Leon Henderson-MacLennan, Medical Advisor to inDemic Foundation and inThought Research, discusses the role of thromboembolic disease in COVID-19, and its implications for developmental therapeutics. Dr. Leon Henderson-MacLennan describes the rationale for conducting randomized, placebo-controlled trials on anticoagulants and anticomplement agents for COVID-19 associated thromboembolic disease, and highlights several agents and mechanisms of action to watch closely.

In the first of an ongoing series of “Expert Perspectives” with members of inDemic Foundation’s scientific advisory board, we discuss data from EMPACTA, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Roche’s Actemra (tocilizumab) in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (NCT04372186). Actemra is one of several IL-6 inhibitors that’s been evaluated for patients with COVID-19.  At the time of this writing, data from EMPACTA has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but some of its key findings have been released by Roche/Genentech.