The basics & biochemistry of Paxlovid (Pfizer’s covid pill, which is an MPro inhibitor)
If you heard about Pfizer’s new COVID *pill* and wondering what it is… it’s an inhibitor of the coronavirus main […]
How rapid coronavirus tests work (ID NOW, antigen, etc.) – The biochemistry for geeks like me
Yesterday’s talk was for people like my dad who just want a brief overview. Today’s talk is for geeks like […]
Types of coronavirus tests – the Cliff’s notes version – molecular, antigen, antibody, etc.
For those who just want a quick-ish explanation with a bit of detail. If you want a long-ish explanation with […]
How coronavirus tests work (the classic RT-PCR ones)
Classical “molecular tests” for “the coronavirus” (SARS-CoV-2), use what is called Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), to detect SARS-CoV-2’s genetic […]
Neutralizing antibody biochemistry – what they are, why they’re awesome, and how they’re tested for
Antibodies are little proteins that specifically bind viral parts, such as viral proteins, like the spike protein. When someone’s infected, […]
Coronavirus Spike (S) protein biochemistry part 2: cleavage sites, glycosylation, and binding (receptor & antibody)
As promised, here’s part 2 of my talk on the coronavirus Spike (S) protein biochemistry. I go into cleavage sites, […]
Coronavirus Spike (S) protein biochemistry part 1: intro, domains, etc.
I found I had more to say about Spike biochemistry, so here it is… Well, here the first part is. […]
Proline performs big-time! Proline-based stabilization of coronavirus Spike proteins
I’ve been watching Olympic gymnastics which has me thinking about flexibility which has me thinking about the most inflexible amino […]
Novavax coronavirus vaccine biochemistry
What are the facts about Novavax? I’ve heard a lot recently about the promising results from a large trial of […]
mRNA vaccines – the biochemistry
Just a biochemist-in-training (who is very grateful to have received an mRNA vaccine)’s contribution to counter vaccine hesitancy… For more […]
