Reference: South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. (2019). Quality and bioequivalence guideline (Version 7). Summary: The Quality and Bioequivalence Guideline by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) outlines the requirements for applicants submitting registration applications for new medicines and variations. It emphasises the need for safety, efficacy, and quality of medicines, aligning local […]
Reference: Smith, R. (2018). The business of academic publishing: “a catastrophe”. The Lancet, 392, 1186-1187. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32489-3 Summary: The documentary Paywall: The Business of Scholarship critiques the profit-driven nature of academic publishing, highlighting that publishers earn exorbitant profit margins by capitalising on free academic content. Interviews with nearly 70 academics reveal a consensus that the system
Reference: Pardi, N., Hogan, M. J., Porter, F. W., & Weissman, D. (2018). mRNA vaccines — a new era in vaccinology. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 17(4), 261-279. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2017.243 Summary: mRNA vaccines offer a potent alternative to traditional vaccine approaches due to their rapid development and cost-effective manufacturing. They have shown promise in preventing infectious diseases
Reference: Bahl, K., Senn, J. J., Yuzhakov, O., Bulychev, A., Brito, L. A., Hassett, K. J., Laska, M. E., Smith, M., Almarsson, Ö., Thompson, J., Ribeiro, A. (Mick), Watson, M., Zaks, T., & Ciaramella, G. (2017). Preclinical and clinical demonstration of immunogenicity by mRNA vaccines against H10N8 and H7N9 influenza viruses. Molecular Therapy, 25(6), 1316-1326.
Reference: Djulbegovic, B., & Guyatt, G. H. (2017). Progress in evidence-based medicine: A quarter century on. The Lancet, 390(10091), 415-423. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31592-6 Summary: This article traces the evolution of evidence-based medicine (EBM) over 25 years, highlighting its origins in the early 1990s and initial focus on educating clinicians on the use of published research. EBM has
Reference: Crump, A. (2017). Ivermectin: enigmatic multifaceted ‘wonder’ drug continues to surprise and exceed expectations. The Journal of Antibiotics, 70(6), 495-505. https://doi.org/10.1038/ja.2017.11 Summary: Over the last decae, ivermectin has gained recognition for its significant contributions to global health. Discovered from a soil microbe in Japan, it was developed by Satoshi Ōmura and William Campbell, who
Reference: Jacobson, J. M., Routy, J.-P., Welles, S., DeBenedette, M., Tcherepanova, I., Angel, J. B., Asmuth, D. M., Stein, D. K., Baril, J.-G., McKellar, M., Margolis, D. M., Trottier, B., Wood, K., & Nicolette, C. (2016). Dendritic cell immunotherapy for HIV-1 infection using autologous HIV-1 RNA: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Acquired
Reference: Gandhi, R. T., Kwon, D. S., Macklin, E. A., Shopis, J. R., McLean, A. P., McBrine, N., Flynn, T., Peter, L., Sbrolla, A., Kaufmann, D. E., Porichis, F., Walker, B. D., Bhardwaj, N., Barouch, D. H., & Kavanagh, D. G. (2016). Immunization of HIV-1-Infected Persons With Autologous Dendritic Cells Transfected With mRNA Encoding HIV-1
Reference: Singh, K., & Mehta, S. (2016). The clinical development process for a novel preventive vaccine: An overview. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 62(1), 4–11. https://doi.org/10.4103/0022-3859.173187 Summary: The article provides a comprehensive overview of the clinical development process for novel preventive vaccines, detailing the essential phases of vaccine trials: Phase I, II, and III. It highlights
Reference: Crossley, M. (2021). Explainer: what is RNA? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-rna-151691 Summary: RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a crucial molecule in the biological world, serving multiple roles beyond that of genetic material. While DNA is stable and well-known, RNA is less stable due to an extra oxygen atom, allowing it to function as a messenger that