Talking Science 2022

Before There Was COVID, There Was (and is!) Tuberculosis

Jeremy M. Rock, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor and head
Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology
The Rockefeller University

Tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient disease of many names: consumption, the white plague, the King’s Touch, phthisis, and others. Many people are surprised to learn that TB is still a problem. Despite dramatic reductions in TB incidence in places like the United States, TB remains a leading cause of death in other parts of the world. Dr. Rock’s talk will give a brief overview of the disease, its bacterial origin, how we treat the disease, and ongoing efforts to reduce TB disease burden.

Mosquitoes: The World’s Most Dangerous Animal

Leslie B. Vosshall, Ph.D.

Robin Chemers Neustein Professor and head
Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior
The Rockefeller University
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Female mosquitoes require a blood meal to complete egg development. In carrying out this innate behavior, mosquitoes spread dangerous pathogens that cause infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Humans attract mosquitoes via multiple sensory cues including emitted body odor, heat, and carbon dioxide in the breath. The mosquito perceives differences in these cues, both between and within species, to determine which animal or human to target for blood-feeding. In this talk, Dr. Vosshall will discuss how mosquitoes find and bite people, and why some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others.

Antibody-based Therapies for HIV and COVID-19

Christian Gaebler, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Clinical Investigation
Robert S. Wennett Fellow
Laboratory of Molecular Immunology
The Rockefeller University

Passive transfer of antibodies for the treatment of infectious diseases is a concept that dates back to the late 1800s. Over the last decade, antibody-based treatments have gone through major advances and entered regular clinical care. This was especially important for COVID-19, where antibodies have shown remarkable success in preventing severe disease and death. Dr. Gaebler’s talk will summarize ways of discovering antibodies and discuss their potential for treating viral diseases such as HIV and COVID-19.

Jeanne Garbarino, Ph.D.

Director, RockEDU Science Outreach
The Rockefeller University

Attendees will be able to participate in a live Q&A with the featured speakers for the last 25 minutes of this event.