About the Guest: Dr. Alina Chan is a genetic engineer working on engineering new forms of gene therapy using viral vectors to target diverse patient populations. In addition to her core scientific focus, Alina has recently investigated genomic data related to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. She co-wrote the book, "Viral: The Search for the Origin of CVOID-19" with science write Matt Ridley.
Episode Summary: Alina Chan, PhD and Nick discuss the basics of virus biology, including what kind of virus SARS-CoV-2 is and how it infects human cells. They also talked about the published research on this virus that has come out in the past year, Alina's recent investigations into the origins of this virus and why it’s crucial for humanity to understand exactly how this virus originated, as well as new variants that have emerged, and where this virus might be going.
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