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orbemnews · 3 years

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What the Coronavirus Variants Mean for Testing In January 2020, just weeks after the first Covid-19 cases emerged in China, the full genome of the new coronavirus was published online. Using this genomic sequence, scientists scrambled to design a large assortment of diagnostic tests for the virus. But the virus has mutated since then. And as the coronavirus has evolved, so has the landscape of testing. The emergence of new variants has sparked a flurry of interest in developing tests for specific viral mutations and prompted concerns about the accuracy of some existing tests. “With these Covid diagnostics, we were on a time crunch, we had to get something out there,” said Lorraine Lillis, the scientific program officer at PATH, a global health nonprofit that has been tracking coronavirus tests. “Normally, diagnostics take a long, long time, and we’d normally challenge them with multiple variants.” She added: “And we’re doing that, but we’re doing it in real time.” The Food and Drug Administration has warned that new mutations in the coronavirus could render some tests less effective. And last week, PATH launched two online dashboards to monitor how certain variants might affect the performance of existing diagnostic tests. So far, scientists have agreed, there is no evidence that the known variants of concern are causing tests to fail completely. “The tests today work very, very well,” said Mara Aspinall, an expert in biomedical diagnostics at Arizona State University. But manufacturers and regulators will need to remain vigilant to ensure they keep pace with a constantly changing virus, scientists say. If variants begin to evade detection, that could be consequential not only for individual patients, who may not receive the treatment they need, but also for public health. If a test misses someone who is infected by a variant, then that person may not realize they need to isolate. “And that person is allowed then to be unquarantined, to circulate in the community and possibly spread that variant to others,” said Gary Schoolnik, a physician and infectious disease expert at Stanford University and the chief medical officer of Visby Medical, a diagnostics company that makes a Covid-19 test. “And that’s how a diagnostic test, if it’s missing variants, can actually promote the spread of that variant.” The risk of false negatives Molecular tests, like the widely used polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., test, are designed to detect specific sequences of the coronavirus genome. If mutations appear in these “target” sequences, the tests may no longer be able to detect the virus, yielding false negatives. “You could run into a situation where you just got unlucky with where you chose to target your test, and something popped up there that then made your test less effective,” said Nathan Grubaugh, a virologist at Yale University. The gene for the virus’s characteristic spike protein, known as the S gene, has been particularly prone to mutation, and tests that target this gene may miss certain variants. For instance, Thermo Fisher’s TaqPath test fails to detect the mutated S gene of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in Britain and is now spreading rapidly through the United States. But the test does not rely on the S gene alone; it has three targets and can still return accurate results by detecting two other stretches of the coronavirus genome. Just 1.3 percent of molecular tests rely solely on an S gene target, according to calculations performed by Rachel West, a postdoctoral associate at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. The rest either target more stable regions of the genome, which are less likely to mutate, or have multiple target sequences, which makes them less susceptible to failure. “It’s very unlikely that you’re going to get mutations in all of them,” Dr. Lillis said. Updated April 14, 2021, 2:24 p.m. ET The F.D.A. has listed four different molecular tests “whose performance could be impacted” by the variants, but notes that the tests should still work. Three of the tests have multiple targets; a fourth may be slightly less sensitive when the virus has one particular mutation and is present at very low levels. (The four tests are the TaqPath Covid-19 Combo Kit, the Linea Covid-19 Assay Kit, the Xpert Xpress and Xpert Omni SARS-CoV-2, and the Accula SARS-CoV-2 Test.) “We don’t think that those four assays are significantly impacted,” said Dr. Tim Stenzel, who directs the F.D.A.’s office of in vitro diagnostics and radiological health. “It was more out of an abundance of caution and transparency that we made that information public.” Antigen tests are less sensitive than molecular tests, but they are typically cheaper and faster, and they are being deployed widely in coronavirus screening programs. These tests detect specific proteins on the outside of the virus. Some genetic mutations could change the structure of these proteins, allowing them to escape detection. Most antigen tests target the nucleocapsid protein. The gene that codes for this protein, known as the N gene, is more stable and less likely to mutate than the S gene, and the F.D.A. has not listed any antigen tests as being of concern. “We haven’t found one that raises a red flag nor have we had any reports of such,” Dr. Stenzel said. Still, experts note, not every test manufacturer discloses the specific sequences that their tests target, and the virus will continue to mutate. “There hasn’t been any evidence to show that a particular molecular assay or even an antigen test completely misses the boat in terms of detection,” said Neha Agarwal, the associate director of diagnostics at PATH. “But things are going to change.” The F.D.A. is continuing to monitor the situation, checking coronavirus sequence databases weekly to see if the virus is evolving in ways that may help it evade diagnostic tests. “We’re being very vigilant,” Dr. Stenzel said. “And we will stay vigilant.” Screening for specific variants As the variants spread, researchers are also working to develop and improve tests to detect them. At the moment, identifying a variant is typically a two-step process. First, a standard coronavirus test, like a P.C.R. test, is used to determine whether the virus is present. If the test comes back positive, a sample is then sent for genomic sequencing. “These two tasks are currently done in two separate workflows,” said Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a developmental biologist at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif. “This means more time, labor and resources.” Many researchers are now working to create integrated solutions — tests that can determine both whether someone is infected with the virus and whether they might have a particular variant. For instance, in a recent paper, Dr. Izpisua Belmonte and his colleague, Mo Li, a stem cell biologist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, described a new testing method that can identify mutations in up to five different regions of the coronavirus genome. And Dr. Grubaugh and his colleagues have developed a P.C.R. test that can detect specific combinations of mutations that characterize three variants of concern: B.1.1.7; B.1.351, which was first detected in South Africa; and P.1, first found in Brazil. (The work has not yet been published in a scientific journal.) Dr. Grubaugh said that researchers in Brazil, South Africa and elsewhere are already using the tests to sift through a mountain of coronavirus samples, identifying those that should be prioritized for full genomic sequencing. “Our group’s primary interest is enhancing genomic surveillance through sequencing, especially in resource-limited areas,” Dr. Grubaugh said. “If you want to know if there’s variants that are circulating, you need a way to triage.” A number of companies are also beginning to release coronavirus tests that they say can differentiate between certain variants, although these are intended for research purposes only. Creating a test that can definitively diagnose someone with a particular variant is “infinitely harder,” Dr. Grubaugh said. Similar mutations are springing up in different variants, which makes distinguishing among them more difficult. The mutations of interest will change as the virus does, and sequencing remains the best way to get a complete picture of the virus. But tests that can screen for certain mutations could be an important public health tool, Ms. Agarwal said: “These newer diagnostics that are looking across the variants, I think will be really key in understanding the epidemiology of the virus and planning our next generation of efforts against it.” Source link Orbem News #coronavirus #testing #Variants

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jmarksthespots · 7 years

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[#WOWFestival #FESTIVAL #PANEL] Women of the World Festival OW: Big Ideas * Intimate Conversations May 7 | 2-7pm @apollotheater | 253 West 125th Street New York, NY Admission: FREE For tickets, REGISTER ONLINE

PANELS

Opening Remarks The Global State Of Women Purna Sen – Director, Policy Division, UN Women

Linking Arms: Why Our Feminism Must Be Intersectional

What are the issues shaping the feminist agenda in the 21st Century? Who gets to set them and how do we ensure that no feminist is left behind? This panel brings leaders from across the feminist movement to discuss why it matters who leads the march and explore what it takes to create an inclusive movement that also stands against racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia and classism.

Panelists Include: Jude Kelly, Moderator – Artistic Director of Southbank Centre and WOW Festival Founder Tamika Mallory – National Co-Chair of the Women’s March on Washington; President of Mallory Consulting Carmen Perez – National Co-Chair of the Women’s March on Washington; Executive Director of The Gathering for Justice Azadeh Khalili – Former Founding Executive Director – Commission on Gender Equity, Office of the Mayor, NYC

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Unapologetically Afro-Latina Co-presented by the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute

This interactive conversation celebrates what it means to be an Afro-Latina and explores the intersectionality of her identity. This panel will also address the multilayered impact of race and gender on the lives of Afro-Latinas across the Spanish-Speaking African Diaspora, from socio-economic status, to education and healthcare access, to representation in media and politics.

Panelists Include: Marta Moreno Vega, President CCCADI Nancy Morejon, Award-winning Cuban poet (presented in partnership with Pen World Voices) Malin Falu, Radio and Television personality Magdalena Albizu, moderator – director, NEGRITA documentary; former President of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP).

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The M Word: Muslim-American Women on Power and Beauty What is the unchallenged perception of a Muslim-American woman? Who gets to decide what images and narratives about women dominate in the public discourse, the media, and the literary world? Is the hijab a fashion accessory, an expression of one’s faith, or trending iconography? Is a focus on the hijab reductive?A conversation on women—by women—on what it takes to defy obsolete notions of power and beauty, and instead embrace multidimensional identities. Addressing beauty standards, cultural appropriation, faith, and feminism, our diverse panel tackles a few of the most controversial and sensitive topics of our time.

Panelists include: Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane, Black Lightning) Rana Abdelhamid (Hijabis of New York) Mona Haydar (‘Ask A Muslim’) Penina Roth (Franklin Park Reading Series).

Presented by The M W Word: Muslim Americans Take the Mic, a PEN America series supported by Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art’s Building Bridges Program and by the PEN America World Voices Festival. This event is co-presented by the Apollo Theater and the 2017 Women of the World Festival.

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I Love Myself When I’m Laughing: Finding Power Through Comedy

This panel will look at the many cool ways in which comedy has served to empower women who have found success as stand-up comedians, actresses, and writers of major talk shows. In this talk will women will also discuss how they have used humor as a tool to create social change around reproductive rights, Black Lives Matter, sexual trafficking, healthcare, immigration, women’s and LGBTQ rights and how you can too.

Lizz Winstead, moderator – co-creator of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Maysoon Zayid – writer, actor, comedian, Maysoon Zayid is the co-founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. Aida Rodriguez – producer and actress, known for Last Comic Standing, The Comedian, and The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. Subhah Agarwal – Subhah’s unique perspective comes from growing up Indian-American in the mid-west. She has been featured on PBS series Modern Comedian, TruTV, Comedy Central, and MTV.

#ACTIVISM

In 2017, it appears you can’t be an effective activist without social media and you can’t be relevant without a ’cause’. Or at least, that’s what we’re led to think. This discussion will explore what activism looks like now compared to the past, what it will look like in the future and the myriad of ways activists are using social media to create narratives and bring the reality of overlooked experiences to the fore for change and empowerment.

Ashleigh Shackelford, moderator – contributing writer at Wear Your Voice Magazine and For Harriet Alaa Basatneh is a human rights activist, writer and Justice Correspondent at FUSION and is the protagonist in the 2013 award-winning documentary, #ChicagoGirl (chicagogirlfilm.com), following Alaa’s tireless efforts to guide revolution in war-torn Syria using only social media and her laptop from 6,000 miles away in the suburbs of Chicago. Lorne Batman is the social media manager for Lady Parts Justice League Elizabeth Luke is a communications manager at Twitter

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Period Rights: Who Gets To Bleed With Dignity The functions of women’s bodies has historically been hidden from them and ‘polite’ conversation which informs a sense of shame and hush women have talking about their periods. We are now learning how lack of access to sanitary products for certain groups of women in certain social circumstances (poverty, prison, homeless, etc.) prevent them from fully taking part in everyday life and can even lead to disadvantage. WoW has put together a frank debate of experts who are changing the period game and given us the power back to ‘bleed with dignity’ and without impediment.

Moderated by Simone Bresi-Ando

Panelists Include: Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, author of Periods Gone Public (Skyhorse, September 2017);contributor to Ms. Magazine. NYC Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland Nadya Okamoto – co-founded PERIOD. Alison Nakamura Netter – Chief Communications & Development Officer, ZanaAfrica Foundation

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Masculinity, A Solution? The construct of masculinity has been more vocally challenged in recent years with the emergence of new gender identities, the study of the various negative impact of toxic masculinity, the highlighting of rape culture and the resurgence of feminist ideologies in the mainstream. Can masculinity as we know it survive? Do we need it? Why does it cause so much harm across the world against both men and women? What’s the new ways we can carve a masculine identity that empowers, nurtures and educates men without the pain?

Panelists Include:

Risikat “Kat” Okedeyi, Moderator – hosts a radio show, The LSP Effect, a weekly online show and Creative Conversations. Robert Jones, Jr. is the literary, sociopolitical and psychosexual writer behind the Son of Baldwin blog, which explores issues that matter to queer people of color and their allies. Leo Sheng is a Trans Activist/Advocate and writer for MTVFounders Professor Robert Jensen is a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center in Austin.He is the author of Plain Radical: Living, Loving, and Learning to Leave the Planet Gracefully (Counterpoint/Soft Skull, 2015). Michael Kimmel – is one of the world’s leading experts on men and masculinities. He is the SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Stony Brook University. Among his many books are Manhood in America, Angry White Men, The Politics of Manhood, The Gendered Society and the best seller Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men.

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Give Me Body: What I Learned About Myself & The World When I Embraced & Loved My Body From Sports Illustrated to Beyonce, the current culture of body image politics is evolving and impacting our lives for better and for worse! Panelists will share personal stories about the trauma and pleasure of having “non-traditional” bodies, and will challenge alternative facts promoted via pop culture empowering women and girls to love their bodies and dismiss the haters.

Panelists Include: Ericka Hart is a kinky, poly, activist, sexuality educator, performer and cancer-warrior who after her double mastectomy made waves with her topless photo Jen Ponton is a comedic force and most commonly recognized for her work on Tina Fey’s “30 Rock” and “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Additional participants will be announced

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Digital Dames: The Future of Women & Girls in Tech This talk will look at the many varied and fascinating ways in which women and girls are impacting the tech sector. Our expert panelists will not only lay out the many challenges that women still face in tech, but will provide solutions on how to break in and break the glass ceiling.

Panelist includes: Sonya Magett, co-founder of Code & Content Academy, a nonprofit that provides coding workshops in underserved communities. Heather Cabot – co-authored GEEK GIRL RISING: Inside the Sisterhood Shaking Up TechRaising Powerful GirlsHow do we give and create empowerment tools and leave a positive, sustainable legacy for the next generation of girls to positively handle and define their identity, ambitions, desires and dreams in a world that is increasingly seeing these things as secondary to its progression?

Moderated by Mommy Blogger, @ChicBusyMoM, Candace Montgomery Panelists Include: Nadia Lopez – Principal at NYC Department of Education. Stacey Patton – an American journalist, writer, author, speaker, and college professor and commentator. She is also founder of the anti-child abuse movement Spare The Kids, Inc. Shireen Ahmed is a sports journalist, former football player, wife and mother. Candace Montgomery, Moderator – Senior Director, Event Marketing at Essence Communications.

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Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood: An Intimate Conversation on the Experience of Being Trans, Gifted & Black This panel will discuss the transformative experience of being trans, by slaying the misperceptions around being Black, transgender, and a woman. Panelists will address the violence still faced by trans women everyday and the silence surrounding them. This talk will conclude with a discussion envisioning a trans/ cis Black sisterhood and give voice to the ways in which we can mine that Black Girl Magic to find a more powerful level of understanding.

Featuring CeCe McDonald, a transgender prison-reform activist and subject of the documentary, Free CeCe in conversation, with Octavia Lewis, the Audre Lorde Project Trans Justice School Fellow.

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Uptown Hall: The Power of New York Women The Apollo Theater’s WOW themed Uptown Hall – The Power of New York Women will be an in-depth panel examing the opportunities and obstacles women in positions of power face. How are New Yorkers impacted by what these women do? What power does an average New York woman have to lead and to influence leaders?

Moderated by WNYC’s Jami Floyd.

Panelists include: Piper Anderson, Create Forward Majora Carter, Majora Carter Group Professor Christina Greer, Fordham University Amy Holmes, Rasmussen Reports Margaret Hoover, American Unity Fund Donna Lieberman, NYCLU Janai Nelson, NAACPLDF Sonia Ossorio, NOW- New York City

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WORKSHOPS WOW Workshop: 5 Ways To Boost Your Career On Social Media Featuring a discussion with Mary Pryor, Director of Digital, Digital Flash New York

WOW Workshop: Self-Acceptance presented by StyleLikeU Mother-Daughter duo Elisa Goodkind & Lily Mandelbaum, the founders of the multimedia company StyleLikeU and creators of “The What’s Underneath Project”, will led a workshop on self-acceptance through personal style.

WOW Workshop: Warrior Women This family-friendly craft workshop invites participants to design wooden door hangers of powerful She-Roes from around the world including: Mama Tingo from Santo Domingo, Queen Nanny of the Maroons, Yaa Asantewaa, Lolita LeBron, Harriet Tubman, and many more.

WOW Workshop: Trap Yoga Apollo Theater Sunday May 7 at 2pm Taught by Trap Yoga guru, Brandon Copeland

This workshop is a fast-paced, power yoga practice done to Trap. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and bring their own mats. Due to limited capacity, this event requires an RSVP. Please RSVP at [email protected].

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WOW BITES WOW Bites are engaging bite-sized talks delivered by fascinating women with amazing stories from all walks of life.

WOW Bite: Crazy Is My Superpower Featuring AJ Mendez Brooks, former wrestler and three-time WWE champion Divas Champion.

WOW Bite: “Carrying The Weight: My Senior Year As ‘The Mattress Girl. '”Featuring Emma Sulkowicz, a Columbia University student who became the face of sexual assault on college campuses nationwide when she carried around a 50-lb mattress as a work of endurance performance art for her senior thesis.

WOW Bite: My (Underground) American Dream – From Undocumented Immigrant To Goldman Sachs Star Featuring a discussion with Julissa Arce, political commentator, speaker, writer and author of MY (UNDERGROUND) AMERICAN DREAM.

WOW Bite: Harlem: The New Tech Frontier Harlem Featuring Jessica O. Matthews, founder of Uncharted Play, a renewable energy company specializing in motion-based, miniaturized power systems.

WOW Bite: Con Cuatro En Una Casa: How I Make Single Motherhood Look Good Featuring Yvette Russell

WOW Bite: My Hijabi Chronicles Featuring Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, photographer and recent recipient of the Reporting Grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF).

WOW Bite: Kindness Is Magic: 25 Acts of Kindness to Incorporate Into Your Life Everyday Featuring Tere Geckle

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OTHER ACTIVITIES

WOW Reading:Julie Scelfo, author of The Women Who Made New York, reads from the chapter of her book entitled “The Aunties,” which features four women who helped their immigrant communities feel more at home in New York–while also protecting and celebrating cherished cultural traditions from back home.

Suffrage Spotlights:To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the woman’s right to vote in New York state, activists and performers will gather to read excerpts from famous Suffrage speeches from around the world.

Podcast:Shirley McAlpine, a seasoned business coach and facilitator, will launch her new podcast, ‘She’s Got Drive,’ live at the WOW festival. She, along with a roundtable of panelists, will share inspiring stories and offer tips on how to live your life by design and not default.

WOW Film: MAKERS: Women in Politics Executive Produced by: Dyllan McGee & Peter Kunhardt MAKERS: WOMEN IN POLITICS profiles the long, slow fight for female political representation over the last century, from the first woman elected to Congress in 1916 to a young woman running for Detroit City Council in 2013. Trailblazing leaders like Hillary Clinton, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Olympia Snowe, the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the House of Representatives, and Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to serve in Congress, provide a backdrop for younger women like Rashida Tlaib, the first Muslim-American woman elected to the Michigan House. Today’s leaders in Washington, including Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the first female Senator from Massachusetts, Susan Collins (R-ME), who led the Senate in shaping a deal to end the government shutdown, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), currently the youngest woman serving in Congress, are also represented. Narrated by Alfre Woodard. About MAKERS MAKERS is a storytelling platform for the trailblazing women of today and tomorrow. Through visual storytelling, podcasts, live events, Emmy-nominated documentaries, and award-winning digital content, we’re inspiring the MAKERS who will shape the future. MAKERS are women who dare to lead. As the largest digital collection of women’s stories ever assembled, MAKERS is inspiring and empowering women to change the world one story at a time. Today, MAKERS.com features over 4,500 videos and the stories of more than 400 women. Current MAKERS include: Hillary Rodham Clinton; media mogul & philanthropist Oprah Winfrey; writer, actor, producer Lena Dunham; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg; artist Alicia Keys, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, writer and producer Shonda Rhimes, YouTube sensation Lilly Singh; and more. For more info, visit MAKERS.com

MUSIC/PERFORMANCES Under the Apollo Marquee DJ:Musical Pathways Radio Show RhythmAndSoulRadio.com is the urban eclectic internet radio station where you can listen to your varied music tastes in one place.On May 7th, under the Apollo’s marquee, the hosts of RhythmAndSoulRadio.com’s Musical Pathways Radio Show (The Mad Spinner Jamelle Mel, Lady Scorpio, and Mama Soul) will serve as DJs with a unique music mix celebrating women across the globe. They will play new soul, classic soul, R&B, Hip-Hop, Spoken Word, Reggae, Soca, Calypso, Black Rock, and more from artists you know and love and independent artists who you need to know.

WOW Mainstage DJ: DJ CUPPY Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, famously known as DJ Cuppy, is a musician and entrepreneur. In 2014, Cuppy released her first compilation House of Cuppy, which saw her pioneer a fresh new sound she dubbed “Neo-Afrobeats” -an electric blend of Tropical House and Afrobeats music.Urban WordThe Sunday program will feature special performances by young poets from Urban Word NYC.Urban Word NYC champions the voices of New York City youth by providing platforms for critical literacy, youth development and leadership through free and uncensored writing, college preparation and performance opportunities.

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#wowfestival #women of the world festival #apollo theater #harlem #community conversations #big ideas #intimate conversations

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