• Galveston bio lab explains connections to Wuhan

    A local story on the Galveston National Laboratory’s historical relationship with the high-containment lab in Wuhan. Through time, the GNL has hosted Chinese scientists for training to work in the high-containment lab. Between 2008 and 2016, the GNL Biocontainment Training Center trained scientists from about 70 countries. According to UTMB’s James Le Duc, there are redundant safety mechanisms built into all biocontainment laboratories to reduce the risks of accidental exposures.

  • In Texas, a coastal city tries to test its way out of coronavirus pandemic

    This national feature story focuses on testing efforts in Galveston County, noting that few U.S. counties are testing for the coronavirus as aggressively as Galveston County. According to the story, county residents are being tested at a rate three times the national average. UTMB’s Chris Toomes explains it was a big effort early in the year to acquire supplies needed for testing. “We put two of our own buyers in the lab to work directly with the lab team to scour the planet for supplies,” Toomes said. “We knew everybody at some point was going to want these materials.” The story was published on U.S. News & World Report, The Guardian, Swissinfo, Yahoo! News, MSN News and other media outlets.

  • Researchers uncover mechanisms of protective antibody response during deadly Marburg virus infection

    UTMB researchers have identified novel mechanisms that contribute to protections against Marburg infection. There are currently no vaccines are drugs approved for human use to protect against the Marburg virus. “Antibodies are currently the most promising platform for developing post-exposure treatments for Marburg virus infection and are critical tools for design of improved vaccines,” said UTMB’s Alex Bukreyev who led the research team. Cell Host & Microbe published the research findings.

  • How near is Galveston County to COVID-19 benchmarks?

    A Washington, D.C., think tank recently laid out benchmarks for communities to guide them on reopening decisions. The local paper talked with county leaders, including UTMB’s Dr. Ben Raimer, to assess where the community stands in relation to the benchmarks.

  • UTMB makes changes to deal with financial challenges

    President ad interim, Dr. Ben Raimer recently spoke with the press about actions the university is taking to deal with financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Galveston County Daily News also covered the press briefing.

  • How to handwash your clothes

    Laundromats are an essential business, but many have still closed to protect employees and customers, which means some people may have to handwash their clothes. Providing information for the story, UTMB’s Vineet Menachery says if clothes are more than six feet away from an infected person’s sneezing and coughing, they are safe to line dry.

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