The quest to develop a Covid-19 vaccine has been one of the fastest in history, as some candidates are already entering final-stage clinical trials that will demonstrate whether they protect people from the virus. Interviewed for the story UTMB’s James Le Duc said, “This is a huge experiment, and no one knows how it’s going to turn out.”

UTMB’ doctors Richard Rupp and Alan Barrett help explain the vaccine clinical trials process as scientists continue the quest to find a Covid-19 vaccine. “Everything we’re doing at the moment is what we normally do to develop a vaccine. It’s just we are squashing everything together at warp speed, but we’re not cutting corners,” said Barrett. “It’s just everything is being put together to do it at the speed we can to get the data.”

Many colleges plan to conduct a fall football season even in the face of advice from scientists and health care professionals that say it is a bad idea. Interviewed for this story, UTMB’s Susan McLellan says it is not a good idea for any athlete who plans to make the sport part of their career.

This week, Megan Berman and Richard Rupp explain the accelerated process being utilized to develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Some worry the process may not be safe, but the doctors explain the technologies researchers are using were specifically developed so vaccines could be rapidly produced in the face of an emerging infectious disease.

This story from the Texas Medical Center focuses on Pei-Yong Shi’s work with the enzyme luciferase, which give lightning bugs their distinctive glow. Shi and his team are using the enzyme to develop faster and more accurate diagnostic tests for COVID-19. “The great thing about luciferase, and the one that we specifically use which is nanoluciferase, is that it’s really bright,” said fourth-year graduate student Coleman Baker.

The local newspaper interviewed students and educators about changes that incoming students will encounter because of the COVID-19 pandemic. UTMB’s Scott Boeh explains Medical Branch students will take classes primarily online, except for labs or clinical work.

A new national study concludes there is a clear need for more funding and coordination among tick surveillance programs across the country. The study cites UTMB’s Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases as a good program. The center performs research to expand surveillance for ticks and tick-borne pathogens. The center also trains future scientists and public health practitioners.