April 3, 2020

NIAID’s Lane Discusses WHO COVID-19 Mission to China
By Carla Garnett
NIAID's Dr. Cliff Lane, longtime NIH researcher of deadly pathogens, reflects on his recent World Health Organization-China Joint Mission on COVID-19. Twenty-five members formed the group—half from China and half representing WHO.

Nobelist Allison Pushes Deeper into Cancer Immunology
By Rich McManus
In the first virtual Wednesday Afternoon Lecture ever held, Nobel laureate Dr. Jim Allison discussed cancer immunotherapy. His talk in an empty Hickey Auditorium in Houston was beamed to mostly empty Wilson Hall at NIH, but was available to hundreds online.
Algorithm Sifts Through ‘Sea of Mutations’
By Eric Bock
An algorithm can search through a “sea of mutations” in cancer genomes to find those that play a role driving cancer initiation and progression, said Dr. Mona Singh at an NIH Director’s Lecture held recently in Lipsett Amphitheater. “There are lots of mutations per cancer genome, and yet only a few of these mutations within an individual are relevant for his or her cancer,” she said.
Virtual Town Hall Draws Tens of Thousands of Viewers
Due to restrictions imposed by the novel coronavirus pandemic, NIH director Dr. Francis Collins led an online NIH virtual town hall meeting that drew more than 23,000 viewers and generated close to 2,000 emailed questions.