Welcome to InnovATEBIO Community News February 2021!
It seems longer but it was only a year ago that our local schools were closing their doors and moving online for the foreseeable future. I know it's been a tough year. It is not easy waiting to get vaccinated. Nor is it pleasant to contemplate the question of whether our vaccines will protect against all of the new variants.
Even with the hardships our students and colleges suffered during the last year, there have been some good elements. The biotech industry has done well and demand for our graduates is strong in many areas. It's also been an amazing time where science is concerned. Biotech companies went from having a DNA sequence in January to a vaccine a year later. The previous record, in the case of mumps, took four years.
Another benefit of the new vaccines is that some are made from RNA, making them programmable. Once the manufacturing processes are in place, it's pretty straightforward to make new RNA sequences. We synthesize DNA, put it into plasmids, and use enzymes to carry out transcription. If we can identify new variants quickly, while taking measures to slow the spread of new variants, we can outrace them.
Teaching and travel have suffered this year. But, our community, kicking and screaming, has been learning to adapt. We miss our students and we miss the lab, but we're tough. We'll survive.
We also miss each other. We're learning how to meet virtually from the comfort of our homes. It may not be as fun. We're not staying up until 3 am excitedly sharing ideas and dreams, but our meetings are far more accessible. InnovATEBIO has had webinar attendees from all over the world. This never would have happened if there hadn't been the need to experiment with new ways of working.
This year, we're continuing to plan some great webinars and opportunities for virtual professional development opportunities.
We look forward to "seeing" all of you online and in-person when we get to the other side.
Sandra
Sandra Porter, PhD
InnovATEBIO Digital Community Manager
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