Mo Siewcharran Prize to Tenmei

Lovely news that the talented Tenmei won a Mo Siewcharran Prize at the FAB Prizes, discovering new talent and promoting under-represented authors, for her beautiful illustrations in "Battle Robots of the Blood". Gorgeous detail throughout, but my favourite picture is perhaps the evocative eyes staring at an embarrassed Tim. Prize well deserved!

Fact-checking COVID-19 claims

From a recent interview with a fact-checking journalist:

Claim: Alcohol-based hand sanitiser shouldn't be used day after day as it breaks down the first immune barrier of the body: the lipid bacteria of the skin.

Verdict: Misleading. Alcohol-based gels do reduce the number of skin-resident bacteria and can start to cause some damage to the skin with prolonged use, in some individuals. However, the skin barrier is irrelevant to COVID-19, and alcohol-based gels also eliminate viruses from the skin, preventing transmission to surfaces and your face. Overall there is a clear benefit to use frequent hand-washing, and the negatives can be countered with moisturising.

Claim: We can strengthen our immune system in weeks or even days (for young people), which would mean that if one does contract COVID-19, it's more likely going to be a mild case which does not require hospitalisation.

Verdict: False. First of all, it is misleading to talk about "strengthening" the immune system. The immune system could be considered more like taste. You can increase how spicy food is, or increase how sweet food is - both are "strengthening" the taste but mean different things. Different "flavours" of the immune response are optimal in different circumstances, so there is no such thing as a generic increase in how strong the immune system is. It is also completely unclear as to whether we actually want a "stronger" immune response in COVID-19 - there is good evidence that an excessive immune response of one particular "flavour" is causing the immune pathology. We want to train the immune response in a particular direction (e.g. through vaccines) not generically increase its power (even if that was possible, which it isn't).

Claim: A well functioning immune system is dependent on the quality of our intestinal flora. This is why we should avoid eating refined "industrial" food.

Verdict: Half true. There is an interaction between the gut bacteria and the immune system, and this is modified by the food we eat. It is not very well understood, and it is likely too early to say whether the net effect of the consequences is generally good or generally bad. It is certainly too early to say whether it makes a positive or negative effect in the case of COVID-19. As general advice, eating fresh and unprocessed foods, high in vegetables and low is red meat is good health advice, regardless of what it does to the immune system.

Claim: Fasting strengthens the immune system in only 3 days.

Verdict: False. Fasting modifies the immune system slightly, which could be advantageous in some circumstances and detrimental in others. It is a minor effect though, and certainly it would not be advised that someone with symptomatic COVID-19 undergoes extensive fasting. The body needs resources to fight an infection.

Claim: Herbal supplements such as echinacea and elderberry strengthen the immune system in a matter of weeks.

Verdict: False. There are active compounds in all plants, which can modify aspects of the immune system if given in high enough doses in a dish. That does not mean that eating a few pills does anything at all. It is very important for people to understand that supplements and medicines are regulated completely differently. "Supplements" are allowed to make essentially any claim, without any evidence, as long as that claim is vague. This is why you get garbage claims about "immune boosting": they are vague enough that they are legally allowed to be made without evidence. Actual medicines, on the other hand, can only make extremely specific claims that are backed up by evidence. All claims about herbal supplements should essentially be treated as advertising material. 

Claim: Vitamins and minerals strengthen the immune system.

Verdict: Misleading. Vitamins and minerals are different from other supplements. They are needed by the body in extremely low quantities, and if they are absent then health problems arise. For people who are actually deficient, taking vitamins and minerals will improve health, including the immune system. However, almost no one in the developed world is actually deficient, and certainly having a balanced diet of fresh food will give you more than enough of every known vitamin and mineral. Unless you have an exceptionally limited diet, taking these tablets doesn't do anything.  

Claim: Fear is a powerful immunodepressant.

Verdict: Half-true. Anxiety can modify the immune system, and can give poorer health outcomes during some types of infection. The effect is weak to moderate, but it is measurable. This should not be used as an excuse not to spread awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic, however: some degree of anxiety is rational and protective, where it supports valid infection-avoidance behaviours (e.g., hand-washing, wearing a mask, avoiding crowded areas).

Claim: Practicing yoga strengthens the immune system.

Verdict: Misleading. There is nothing special about yoga. There are, however, weak to moderate beneficial effects of exercise and the alleviation of anxiety on infection outcomes. For some people, they may get this through yoga. Others may get it through gardening, or a daily run, or the ritual of a cup of tea. We should look after our mental health, which means cultivating habits that make us happy. The idea that one particular solution like yoga or mediation has any special properties beyond this is completely unsupported. Keep it up if you enjoy it, but it doesn't replace medicine and won't work for every person.

Learning all about the immune system

Happy readers of "Battle Robots of the Blood"!

Coronavirus is infectious before illness

Coronavirus science simplified: number 6. This article in Nature Medicine looked at the amount of virus present in patients before and after they got symptoms. The data is clear: you can spread COVID19 before you actually get sick, so wear a mask! Read the original paper, or see the illustrated abstract by Tenmai.

Giving a virtual guest lecture

Cartoon courtesy of Simon Gumble, GSK

SARS-CoV-2 is not a bioweapon

Coronavirus science simplified: number 5. This article in Nature Medicine used genetic analysis to test the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 was generated in a lab as a bioweapon. Spoiler alert: it wasn't. Clear hallmarks of natural evolution and none of the features of a designed virus. Read the original paper, or see the illustrated abstract by Tenmai.

Smoking and coronavirus

"Coronavirus science simplified" edition 4. This paper looks at the expression of the protein ACE2 in smokers and ex-smokers. Why is this important? Read the pre-print (like a scientific paper, but it hasn't been reviewed yet - consider it a preliminary result), or see the illustrated abstract from TenMei:

Should you wear a face-mask?

The third paper in our series on "Coronavirus science simplified". The talented TenMei is taking cutting-edge papers on Coronavirus and boiling them down to an illustrated abstract. Today's paper is "Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face mask". You can read the original here, with the key message simplified:

Just for KIDS! All about Coronavirus

Are you struggling to explain COVID-19 to your kids? Together with Tenmei, we wrote a new kids book to explain what Coronavirus is, how it makes us sick, and why we are in lockdown.

"Just for KIDS! All about Coronavirus"

Suitable for 6-14 year old kids, the book is certified as scientifically accurate by Prof Hedgehog! The story is free on Issuu for everyone to read.

Also available in Spanish.

Battle Robots of the Blood

Our final post for "Battle Robots of the Blood"!

Follow the story of Tim, a seven year old who lives a slightly different life to the majority of us. After being introduced to different aspects of Tim’s life, we find out that he has a primary immune deficiency disorder, which means that his immune system can’t protect him against attack from the bacteria and viruses that cause disease. This puts him in in grave danger, especially when exposed to diseases that people could be protected against by vaccination. The story is told in an engaging and light-hearted manner, but still carries the message that vaccination is important for everyone and protects the most vulnerable. The story is beautifully illustrated by Dr Sonia Agüera-Gonzales (Tenmei).

The paperback is appropriate for children 5 to 12 years of age, and is available through Amazon in the US and UK. The English version is available in Kindle stores worldwide, including US, UK and Australia. The associated activity book is free to download here.

The Coronavirus pandemic teaches us that viruses don’t respect borders or linguistic barriers. For vaccination to be truly effective at protecting vulnerable people like Tim, we need to have almost everyone else in the community vaccinated. As scientists we have been historically poor at reaching out to the immigrant component of our communities, and this is reflected by lower vaccination rates. We have therefore embraced the linguistic skills of our international laboratory to translate the book into ten additional languages.

To download the eBook in other languages: 

Try French, translated by Prof Stephanie Humblet-Baron, lead of the human immunology team in Leuven.

In Dutch and  German, written by PhD students Mathijs Willemsen and Julika Neumann, working in the human immunology team.

In Portuguese, translated by Dr Lidia Yshii, lead of the neuroimmunology team in Leuven. In Spanish, translated by Dr Carlos Roca, head of data science in the Babraham team

In Czech, written by Dr Alena Moudra, in Urdu, written by Dr Samar Tareen, and in Hindi, written by Dr Kailash Singh, all post-docs in the Babraham team. In Polish, written by Urszula Karpinska, from the animal research centre in Babraham, and in Chinese (simplified) and Chinese (traditional).