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Immunology

Eating varied diet will help body fight Covid-19, says scientist – expressandstar.com

Eating a diverse and varied diet provides the best chance of boosting the immune system to fight Covid-19, according to a scientist.

Philip Calder, a professor of nutritional immunology at the University of Southampton, has produced a report advising the public to ensure they eat a mixed diet to help combat the virus.

His research also shows that supplements are a safe, effective and low cost way to support an optimal immune system.

A university spokesman said: A diet with a diverse and varied mixture of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and pulses, along with some meat, fish and dairy products provides the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients the immune system needs for optimal function.

Prof Calder said: The strength of somebodys immune systems will not influence whether they get coronavirus; handwashing and social distancing are the best ways to avoid that.

However, the immune system helps the body deal with the virus if they are infected and what we want is a system that functions properly when its challenged with bacteria and viruses.

The university spokesman added: Among the foods Professor Calder recommends are a variety of fruits and vegetables which are a good source of vitamins and minerals that are important for supporting the immune system.

Foods that are high in fibre are also important as some of the undigested fibre in the gut can promote the growth of good bacteria which interact with the immune system to make it work better.

The third recommendation is oily fish which is a source of omega 3 fatty acids that help to regulate and control the immune system.

Finally, meat is important as a good source of nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12, so people who do not eat meat should consider supplements.

Whilst consuming commercial probiotic products can have a role to play by seeding good bacteria in the gut Professor Calder recommends plant-based food and fibre as an alternative as these provide an environment to grow the good bacteria that are already in the large intestine.

Professor Calder added: The present situation with Covid-19 shows that we cannot just rely on vaccinations to limit the impact of respiratory infections.

Improving our nutrition is a very straightforward step that we can all take to help our bodies deal with infections and limit the emergence of new, more virulent strains of viruses.

We therefore strongly encourage public health officials to make sure nutritional strategies are included in all their messaging about coping with viral infections.

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Eating varied diet will help body fight Covid-19, says scientist - expressandstar.com

Immunology

Sangamo Appoints D. Mark McClung as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer – BioSpace

BRISBANE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sangamo Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO), a genomic medicine company, today announced the appointment of D. Mark McClung as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer. Mr. McClung will oversee commercial strategic planning, alliance management and corporate and business development.

Mr. McClungs appointment is the latest in the evolution of Sangamos leadership implemented over the last three years as the Companys technology and research programs have advanced into a diversified pipeline of therapeutic product candidates in various stages of clinical development. During this period, Sangamo has also appointed executive vice presidents overseeing R&D, manufacturing, legal and finance.

Im excited to welcome Mark to Sangamo. With our first product candidate entering Phase 3 and our broad pipeline of proprietary and partnered programs advancing in development, we are increasingly focused on late stage development and commercialization strategies for genomic medicines. Mark has extensive experience leading commercial organizations in therapeutic areas where innovative products have disrupted standards of care, said Sandy Macrae, Sangamos CEO.

From 2015 through 2019, Mr. McClung was Vice President and General Manager of Global Oncology Commercial at Amgen, which he joined from Onyx Pharmaceuticals where he had served as Chief Commercial Officer. For two decades prior, Mr. McClung held roles of increasing responsibility at GlaxoSmithKline in marketing and sales, commercial operations, and general management in the United States and Europe, including as Vice President and Head of Global Commercial for GSK Oncology from 2009 2013.

Over the next decade, genomic medicines have the potential to transform the practice of health care across therapeutic areas from rare monogenic diseases to immunology and oncology, and even to highly prevalent neurological disorders such as Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease, Mr. McClung commented. With its deep scientific expertise, diverse technology platforms, broad pipeline and significant collaborations, Sangamo is well positioned for this new era, and Im thrilled to join the Company at this time.

Stephane Boissel, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy, will leave Sangamo at the end of July and eventually return to an entrepreneurial project. Mr. Boissel joined Sangamo in 2018 following the acquisition of TxCell (now Sangamo France), where he had served as CEO.

Stephanes impactful contributions to Sangamo will endure for many years. He has driven several remarkable deals to fruition, including most recently our transaction with Biogen, which is among the largest preclinical collaboration deals ever, Macrae said. It has been an enormous pleasure working with Stephane these last two years, and we wish him every success in the future.

About Sangamo Therapeutics

Sangamo Therapeutics is committed to translating ground-breaking science into genomic medicines with the potential to transform patients lives using gene therapy, ex vivo gene-edited cell therapy, and in vivo genome editing and gene regulation. For more information about Sangamo, visit http://www.sangamo.com.

Sangamo Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Sangamo's current expectations. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the potential to develop, obtain regulatory approvals for and commercialize immunology and oncology therapies, therapies to treat rare monogenic diseases, neurological diseases and other diseases and other therapies and the timing and availability of such therapies, the potential for Sangamo to receive upfront licensing fees and earn milestone payments and royalties under the Biogen and other collaborations and the timing of such fees, payments and royalties, Sangamos product pipeline, technology platforms and scientific expertise, Sangamos financial resources and expectations and other statements that are not historical fact. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: the research and development process; the regulatory approval process for product candidates; the commercialization of approved products; the potential for technological developments that obviate Sangamo's technologies; the potential for Biogen to breach or terminate the collaboration agreement; and the potential for Sangamo to fail to realize its expected benefits of the Biogen and other collaborations. There can be no assurance that Sangamo will earn any upfront licensing fees or milestone or royalty payments under the Biogen or other collaborations or obtain regulatory approvals for product candidates arising from these collaborations. Actual results may differ from those projected in forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties that exist in Sangamo's operations and business environments. These risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Sangamo's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Sangamo undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200417005086/en/

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Sangamo Appoints D. Mark McClung as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer - BioSpace

Immunology

Images from the strangest graduation day in UCC history; Medical students prepare to go ‘into the trenches’ – Echo Live

Almost 200 UCC medical graduates are set to head "directly into the trenches" in the battle against Covid-19, as they graduated in an unconventional ceremony today.

It was an unprecedented event, which saw a total of 197 graduates conferred - the first in UCCs 175-year history to be conducted entirely online.

Taoiseach Leo Vardakar, one of the keynote speakers at the graduation, said that for the first time in Ireland, every graduate of medicine will be offered an internship within the health system as part of the effort to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Varadkar made the pledge as he addressed the University College Cork Medicine graduates of 2020 - whose exams and graduation were brought forward to get more doctors into the field amid the pandemic.

"I know we're living in very strange times as a pandemic affects the world," Mr Varadkar said in a pre-recorded message.

"You're graduating early, and you're doing so without being able to celebrate with your friends and your families as I know you'd like to.

"But there will be a time for that in the months ahead, when we develop new treatments, a new vaccine, a much better and more effective testing and contact tracing regime.

"In the meantime, we need you to graduate early and to start work as interns already, because there's so much work to be done.

"I know you will be starting in posts in the middle of May, in hospitals, and also some of you in community settings, and for the first time ever, we are providing for over 1,000 internships for medical graduates in Ireland.

"That pretty much means that everyone graduating this year will be offered an internship," he said.

Across the city and county, graduates, their friends and relatives, tuned in online to watch the unique conferring.

For Robert Shannon, son of Fianna Fil councillor Terry Shannon, the occasion was indeed a "pretty bizarre" affair.

He watched the proceedings along with his housemate, Kathryn Lesko, who also conferred today.

Dr Shannon, who also has a BSc in Neuroscience from UCC and an MSc in Immunology and Global Health from Maynooth University, said it was a graduation like no other.

"It was a bit of a change from the usual pageantry of conferrings," he laughed.

"It was pretty bizarre alright and a small bit of an anticlimax after all the work but I think it's a testament to the class group that almost 200 of us made it out the other side when the exams were brought forward," he said.

The graduates are set to begin their posts from May 25, joining the frontline in the battle against Covid-19.

Dr Shannon says he is used to working in hospital environments but the daunting prospect is entering into his preferred area, infectious diseases - heading "directly into the trenches".

Also graduating today was Kate Henry from Ballincollig, who received a first-class honours degree in Medicine.

Dr Henry is a third-generation UCC medical graduate, who will be starting work as an intern in the Southern Intern Training Network (UCC) in May.

Speaking at the conferrings today, UCC President Patrick O'Shea commended the resilience of the graduates.

"Your resilience and adaptability in responding to Covid-19 is genuinely remarkable and has no doubt prepared you for the challenges and rewards of the career path you have chosen.

"I wish you every success in your careers. We are all deeply proud of your accomplishments.

"What you have achieved in 2020, and indeed this event itself will constitute an essential chapter in the history of your University, your Alma Mater, University College Cork," he said.

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Images from the strangest graduation day in UCC history; Medical students prepare to go 'into the trenches' - Echo Live

Immunology

What it means to be immune to the coronavirus – Mashable SE Asia

The coronavirus is a vexing parasite.

Around one in four infected people may have no symptoms, as far as experts currently know (the disease is new, so these numbers aren't yet fully certain). So it leaves many of us with a burning question: Is it possible you were infected, but didn't get sick?

It's a question of paramount importance. A bedrock of immunology (the study of how the body defends against infections) is if a virus infects you and you fight off the infection you develop an immunity to it for some time, even if you had mild symptoms. This means, after you eventually get a blood test to show immunity, you could then safely reenter society without immediately catching and spreading the respiratory disease COVID-19.

"The golden rule of immunology is if you are infected with a virus, get sick, and recover, you probably won't get reinfected with the same virus," said Mark Cameron, an immunologist at Case Western Reserve University who previously helped contain the outbreak of another deadly coronavirus, SARS, in 2003.

When exposed to a new virus, the body will soon create defensive proteins in your bloodstream, called antibodies, that block the virus from successfully hijacking the body's cells in the future. (That's why vaccines which encourage your body to make antibodies work, and the U.S. eradicated polio over 30 years ago).

This is happening with the new coronavirus, too, but disease experts must observe the response of recovered coronavirus patients to understand how effective this immunity is, how long it will last, and if some people can be reinfected. The CDC, for example, just started recruiting Americans to see who has been infected and made antibodies. People infected with SARS developed immunity for an average of two to three years.

"It's very likely if you got exposed that you mounted a response and you would have antibodies," explained Dr. Vince Silenzio, an M.D. and professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health. "We are fairly certain people are becoming immune [to the new coronavirus]."

And critically, just because someone had a mild response or showed no symptoms at all there's no conclusive evidence they build up a weaker immune defense against the coronavirus, officially named SARS-CoV-2.

"The bottom line is it's not necessarily true yet that people with mild infections have less of an immune response," said Silenzio.

"Asymptomatic infections are just as likely to grant immunity to the bearer as frank infections [meaning infections that cause disease], despite the challenge in identifying these infections and the risk of spread they entail," agreed Cameron.

Why, though, might a significant number of people have such mild (or no) symptoms to this new coronavirus? There could be genetic or health differences that make it more difficult for the coronaviruses to infect a cell. It's also possible that people with milder infections were only exposed to a tiny amount of the virus (like someone picking up just a few particles off a piece of mail versus an ER doctor getting sprayed with millions of viral particles). "It's possible that asymptomatic people were exposed to a much lower dose," said Brian Baker, a biochemist at the University of Notre Dame.

The reason there are severe, mild, and asymptomatic infections will be intensively researched throughout this year, and beyond. Although researchers have learned a great amount about this microbe, the virus is still new to science. After all, this coronavirus only spilled over to humans from other animal species in the last five months. "We dont have all the answers yet," Silenzio said. "But on the other hand," he added, "it's amazing we have as many answers as we do."

As far as peoples' future immunity is concerned, there are still some weighty questions out there. For example, there are recent reports out of South Korea and China of people who supposedly already had coronavirus, but then tested positive for the infection again. This would challenge the idea they developed immunity. "There is some controversy currently regarding whether people are truly immune to COVID-19 once they have it, because there have been stories to the contrary," said Cameron.

"This virus is teaching us new stories"

There's an explanation, however, for these reinfections. There's evidence the virus may have temporarily eased off in these patients, and later picked up steam again. So it could have been the same infection all along not someone getting sick from a new infection. "Infection causes different courses of disease in people that's not unusual," explained Cameron.

Another looming question is how long immunity to the new coronavirus may last, either after recovering from an infection or getting a vaccine (when one becomes available in 2021 at the earliest). For example, if the coronavirus mutates too much, the body's immunity is lost. "Some viruses change rapidly and some don't change rapidly," said Notre Dame's Baker.

The polio virus, for example, doesn't mutate quickly. So a polio vaccination (which sparks the body to produce new antibodies) generally lasts one's entire life. But other viruses, like influenza, mutate constantly and require those annual flu shots you're so familiar with.

The good news is the new coronavirus hasn't been mutating quickly so far, explained Baker. This means it's relatively stable. We don't know how long immunity might last, but this virus is unlikely to change so fast it will reinfect people or outpace forthcoming vaccines, said Cameron.

At the end of the day, this coronavirus may unwittingly help humanity tame the pandemic. While it's true that asymptomatic people can spread the virus when they're infected (that's why everyone must social distance right now), if one in four infected people are truly asymptomatic, that means that likely millions of people will ultimately develop immunity whether they know it or not and won't be able to spread the virus around until we get a vaccine. "That would be a good thing," said Baker.

"We can count on the fact that the vast majority of COVID infections will cause immunity," said Cameron, noting that a vaccine will then only add to the number of immune people. Ultimately, this is how we end this grim pandemic, now that we've failed to contain it.

Though immunologists have an ever-strengthening grip on this coronavirus, they're aware the microbe is still revealing itself. Each day scientists around the globe learn more about how it behaves and infects people. So stay tuned for an improved understanding of how immunity will play out with SARS-CoV-2, a virus that's on pace to kill some 68,000 Americans by August (but likely many more if we don't sustain extreme social distancing measures).

"This virus is teaching us new stories," said Cameron. "The story is not yet written."

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What it means to be immune to the coronavirus - Mashable SE Asia

Anatomy

Justice League Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Superman’s Body – CBR – Comic Book Resources

You don't get a name like Superman without being anything less than extraordinary -- and the world's most famous superhero certainly earns his stripes. While Clark Kentmay seem like a typical Midwestern Kansas boy (though maybe more square-jawed and chiseled), what's going on under his cape and blue tights is far from the results of simple farm work. He's called the Last Son of Krypton because he's a one-of-a-kind alien and nowhere is that clearer thanin his anatomy.

There's a whole lot of weirdness going on with any characterwho has so many decades under his belt, butCBR narrowed the following list down to the five absolute weirdest aspects of Superman's anatomy. You may think you know every inch of Superman, but do you know the back of his hand like the back of your hand?

RELATED:Avengers Anatomy: 5 Weird Facts About Iron Man's Body, Explained

One of the most important things to understand about Superman is just how much he's changed over the years. When he first debuted in 1938, he didn't fly like and he didn't have heat vision -- but what wastrue then and remains true now is that he's one of the strongest beings in the universe.

The original explanation for Superman's astonishing strength and durability came couched in his alien origins, with the gravity of Krypton supposedly several times that of Earth. Whereas modern adaptations of the character fall back on explanations of how he absorbs energy from the Sun, in those early days he simply had denser bones and muscles after millenia of evolution in a harsher environment made him that way. No wonder he turned out so super -- a simple game of hopscotch on Krypton becomes leaping tall buildings in a single bound on Earth.

RELATED:Avengers Anatomy: 5 Amazing Facts About Captain America's Body, Explained

After writer John Byrne brought his own sweeping changes to the character in the late 1980s, the gravity explanation for the Man of Steel's powers started to fall to the wayside. Over the years Superman had developed far too many powers that a different gravity or atmosphere just couldn't explain. So, an alternative explanation was born: Superman gets his powers from thesun.

Superman's cells absorb their energy passively from Earth's yellow sun. Since Krypton had a red sun, none of the inhabitants there experienced such phenomenal powers throughout the doomed planet's existence. The reservoir of power allows Superman to perform all of his greatest feats. Writers like Grant Morrison inAll-Star Superman clung onto the detail to enhance Superman's mythological aspect. Far from a powered human, such depictions portray him as a modern day sun god.

RELATED:When Superman Tried to Protect Li'l Abner From Al Capp, Abner's Creator!

All the energy stored in Superman's cells doesn't go to waste. Although it most often manifests itself in his strength or his flight, there is a much deadlier ability lurking just beneath the surface of his lovely baby blues. The Blue Boy Scout can release solar energy directly from his eyes with his famous heat vision, which is the result of a photonucleic effect with deadly consequences.

The lenses of Superman's eyes allow him to adjust the aperture of the blastto widen or focus the beam more acutely. Interestingly, his heat vision is actually tied in with his X-Ray vision: Both release different forms of radiation. They manifest as different powers because Superman has so much control over his abilities.

RELATED:Did Superman Really Have a Twin Brother Who Was a Hunchback?

It's probably impossible for a character like Superman to exist so many years without there being at least oneFantastic Voyage-style adventure where other heroes venture into his body. That time came during a moment of crisis when the world's greatest hero stood on the brink of death.Superman took on a green hue after suffering from severe kryptonite poisoning from an unknown source. So, the shrinking hero Atom, Superboy and Steel endeavored to investigate the matter as closely as possible by taking a trip inside Superman's body to discover justhow freaking his inner workings got.

Not only is Superman's super immune system a threat to the heroes -- which helps explainwhy Superman so rarely gets sick -- but there areentire nuclear processes taking place within his body. Superman's body is like one giant, self-perpetuating battery and maintaining the whole system requires a super immune system no one would want to cross.

Similarto his eyes, Superman's lungs actually help explain how seemingly disparate powers all originate from the same source. Superman's ability to hold his breath for unbelievable amounts of time, his ability to breath it back out in massive gales of wind and his ability to freeze the breath to cocoon his foes in ice all seem disconnected. However, it all ties together on the inside.

Superman's super strong muscles explain his ability to expel the air from his lungs with such force, whereas their hyper density explains their ability to withstand to the punishment they take holding his breath for so long during intergalactic trips. While he still needs the oxygen, his body is extremely efficient at processing it and expelling carbon-dioxide because of the nuclear processes taking place within his cells. The sun's fuel also gives his body something to work with besides oxygen. Lastly, the same control he shows with his heat vision is present in his lungs -- he holds super cooled air in a specific portion of his lungs and exhales it at his leisure as ice.

Keep Reading:Avengers Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Thor's Body, Explained

X-Men Confirms the Secret Return of a Fan-Favorite Mutant

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Justice League Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Superman's Body - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Anatomy

Why ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Creator Shonda Rhimes Says There’s ‘No Such Thing as Balance’ When It Comes To Being a Working Mom – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Shonda Rhimes has created some of televisions hottest series including Greys Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away with Murder. Now producing several shows for Netflix, Rhimes remains one of todays top talents in television development.

Fans of Rhimes may not realize that she is also the mom of three daughters Harper, Emerson, and Beckett. The media mogul has previously shared her thoughts on the challenges of being a working mom and how she tries to keep a realistic perspective.

Rhimes sat down with talk show icon Oprah Winfrey in 2006, shortly after the launch of Greys Anatomy. Rhimes daughter Harper was just 4 years old at the time, where the television show creator shared what prompted her to adopt her first child.

Id rented a farmhouse in Vermont, and I took a navel-gazing trip to think about my life, Rhimes told Winfrey. The day after I arrived, 9/11 hit. So I was sitting in the middle of nowhere, watching the whole terrible thing unfold on CNN. When I finally turned off the television, I thought, Well, if the worlds going to end, what are all the things Ive ever wanted to do? I went home and hired an adoption attorney.

Discussing the massive impact that 9/11 had on the country and how it gave many individuals the motivation to take stock of their lives, Rhimes told Winfrey that the tragedy was a huge wake up call for her.

Up until then, Id spent a lot of time asking myself, Whats wrong with my life? I was feeling so unhappy, Rhimes revealed. September 11 woke me up to the realization that there was nothing wrong with my life when I considered what really could be wrong. Nine months and two days after 9/11, my daughter was born. I named her after Harper Lee. Now I cant remember what I did with my time before she got here.

Rhimes went on to adopt daughter Emerson in 2012, and welcomed daughter Beckett in 2013 via surrogate. After inking her multi-year deal with Netflix, the Scandal creator shared her view on juggling motherhood and her high-profile career.

There is no such thing as balance. That I will say right away, she told Business Insider in 2017. If you are a working mother you are often not there as much as youd like to be. I said this once somewhere, that if Im standing on set watching some amazing thing being shot, then I am missing my daughters science fair. Or if Im at my daughters dance recital, then I miss Sandra Ohs very last day, and very last scene being shot on Greys Anatomy Those are the trade-offs.

Rhimes chooses to accept the losses rather than beating herself up about them. You have to make a decision that youre going to miss one thing and be good at another, she explained. Ive always said if Im winning at one thing, Im failing at another. And a lot of people say, failure? And I say, yes! I like to call it failure because it makes me feel better.

The Private Practice creator has always made diversity a priority when casting, wanting art to imitate real life. I wanted to see people on television who look like me, and I wanted to see people on television who look like my friends, Rhimes told Business Insider. I didnt relate to a lot of the women on television because they didnt seem realistic. It was just about writing people I wanted to watch, and writing people who felt like the people I knew.

With Hollywood being so focused on physical appearance, Rhimes role behind the camera spares her from having to deal with that type of scrutiny.

I never once thought about how I look in this industry in that way. Probably because Im not in front of the camera all the time, she said. Im behind one, and Im writing words for other people to say and I try to be very encouraging of my actresses and my actors to be themselves.

Rhimes first Netflix show Bridgerton is scheduled to be released this year.

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Why 'Grey's Anatomy' Creator Shonda Rhimes Says There's 'No Such Thing as Balance' When It Comes To Being a Working Mom - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Creator Shonda Rhimes Shares Which Character She is Like and How Patrick Dempsey Got That Famous Nickname – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

ABCs Greys Anatomy just wrapped Season 16 with its usual cliffhanger of a finale. Though the show has seen some actors come and go over the years, Ellen Pompeos Meredith Grey remains the series central focus while many characters will live in infamy (think McDreamy and Dr. Cristina Yang) despite no longer being at Grey Sloan Memorial.

When originally plotting out the medical drama, show creator Shonda Rhimes took some parts of her own personality and put them into her main characters. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey after the shows launch, she revealed which roles she identified with most and how Patrick Dempsey got that famous moniker.

Greys Anatomy burst on the airwaves in 2005 and immediately brought in a massive audience. Now the longest running medical drama in history, Rhimes told Winfrey in 2006 that she had a blank page when it came to assembling the cast.

The script was written with no character descriptions, no clue as to what anyone should look likeexcept for [resident doctor] Miranda Bailey, Rhimes said in 2006, revealing that she went in a completely different direction when she cast actress Chandra Wilson in the role.

I pictured [Bailey] as a tiny blonde with curls. I thought it would be unexpected to have this sweet-looking person open her mouth and say tough things, Rhimes explained. But then Chandra Wilson auditioned, and she opened her mouth and said those same things. I thought, Thats exactly who Miranda is.'

When Winfrey asked if the character of Bailey is based on Rhimes mother, she admitted there were some aspects that were similar between the two. A little bit. Shes very no-nonsense, Rhimes replied. Dr. Bailey says stuff like These people are nastyall they think about is sex while were trying to save lives here. My mother is definitely that kind of realist.

When developing the types of characters she envisioned on the show, Rhimes focused on presenting females as strong and ambitious.

I wanted to create a world in which you felt as if you were watching very real women. Most of the women I saw on TV didnt seem like people I actually knew, Rhimes shared. They felt like ideas of what women are. They never got to be nasty or competitive or hungry or angry. They were often just the loving wife or the nice friend. But who gets to be the bitch? Who gets to be the three-dimensional woman?

Rhimes started building her characters for Greys with the shows main female leads. I began with Meredith. Cristina was second, simply because shes the kind of woman I know really well, and I like her, the show creator explained. Theres something interesting about a person who is that driven, a little bit emotionally disconnected but still a caring, sweet, and smart individual you could be friends with.

When the talk show icon asked Rhimes if she is most like Meredith, the Greys creator revealed that she considers herself a combination of the two female leads.

Im like both Meredith and Cristina. Theres a side to Meredith that keeps everything together at work, she told Winfrey. I do that. And like Cristina, I sometimes open my mouth and say things I just shouldnt say. I do that less now. Im learning.

When describing her vision for the character of Dr. Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey, Rhimes admitted that she created a man whos almost too good to be true at first.

In some ways, hes a man who doesnt exist, the Greys creator said. In the first eight episodes, he seems like a perfect guy whos into Meredithand the audience falls in love with him. But then it is revealed that he has a huge flaw: He has a wife. Isnt that the way it often happens in life? You get hooked before you discover the truth?

As for that infamous moniker of McDreamy which has stayed with Dempsey to this day, Rhimes revealed that the name just came naturally.

When we were shooting the pilot, Patrick was seriously the most adorable man wed ever seen on camera, Rhimes confessed. Wed watch the monitor and think, Look at his dreamy eyes! So we started calling him Patrick McDreamy, and it stuck.

Fans are already counting the days until the premiere of Season 17!

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'Grey's Anatomy' Creator Shonda Rhimes Shares Which Character She is Like and How Patrick Dempsey Got That Famous Nickname - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Anatomy

Shonda Rhimes Shares Information on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – The Blast

While Grey's Anatomy was forced to end early due to COVID-19, they still managed to end with their signature cliff-hanger. Season 16 is over and everyone is eagerly awaiting Season 17.

Now, anyone who has ever watched Grey's is aware that characters come and go, but one character stays consistently alive (mostly). That character is Ellen Pomepo's Meredith Grey. Many people still remember Dr. Cristina Yang, Grey's best friend, and of course her husband, dubbed McDreamy.

Shonda Rhimes revealed that when she plotted this show, she took parts of her own personality and placed them into the shows characters, specifically the mains. She had an interview with Oprah Winfrey, after the show launched, and revealed just which characters she most identified with.

In 2006, Rhimes revealed how Chandra Wilson got the role of Miranda Bailey, and the original vision she had for Bailey: The script was written with no character descriptions, no clue as to what anyone should look likeexcept for [resident doctor] Miranda Bailey." See, Rhimes had specific thoughts on what Bailey should look like.

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Shonda Rhimes Shares Information on 'Grey's Anatomy' - The Blast

Genetics

Genetics and Family – The Good Men Project

We were all born with things. Our DNA greatly shapes some things we are (and arent) and what we can and cannot easily do.

Our upbringing shapes this further.

Nature and nurture shape who we are and what we can most easily become. Yes, we can do amazing things in spite of our circumstances.

At the same time, we have to be fair to ourselves. It may be that our genetics and upbringing created trauma, or a lagging skill that we have very little control over.

Just like we would not expect someone in a wheelchair to immediately run a marathon, we should not expect ourselves (or others) to magically overcome something we were born with.

Sorry to talk about limitations, and this is about being kind to yourself (and others) and realizing that you might need more support than you think.

When something that makes you mad or frustrated happens, can you really think straight? Be honest. Chemically, this is next to impossible.

For those with ADHD, depression, anxiety, PTSD and the like, its very difficult to not find yourself in a state of complete clarity and resources. To some extent, you do not have full brain function of a calm, creative, resourceful state without lots of work.

Part of that is a regulation of the ECD system. There are many therapies, supplements and suggestions on how to boost that. This, along with appropriate mental health and exercise can greatly elevate your mood and life.

You dont have to be stuck, sad, or frustrated. You deserve a full and happy life.

Previously published on medium

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Genetics and Family - The Good Men Project

Genetics

Genetics Prof: Greece to Play Key Role in COVID-19 Research and Diagnosis – The National Herald

By ANA April 17, 2020

FILE - In this April 2, 2020, file photo a nurse holds a vial and a swab at a drive-up coronavirus testing station at a hospital in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

ATHENS Greek pioneering study that turns the country into a key player on the international scientific stage will be shortly applied to 3,500 patients and in ten laboratories aiming at the better genetic understanding as well as in the battle against SARS-CoV-2, stated to Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the president of the National Council for Research, Technology and Innovation, professor of Genetics at the school of Medicine of the University of Geneva and director of the Genomics Centre Health 2030 Emmanouil Dermitzakis.

Professor Dermitzakis is one of the two persons that chose Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to head a very important Greek research effort that was announced on Tuesday. The genetics profile of 3,500 persons will be examined as well as the variations of the virus that have infected them along with their immune profile in order to better understand the characteristics of the virus and the biological procedures that constitute the main reason for the differences in the diseases progress among patients, said the professor.

The knowhow acquired from this programme will allow Greece to proceed to similar actions on other infectious diseases as the seasonal influenza and will allow the improvement of the management of pandemics or localised epidemics.

The professor also said that the possibility of a new medicine may increase 4 to 10 times when its development procedure is supported by genetic data.

Asked on the next day and on the possibility of the long-term active presence of the virus Dermitzakis said if we do not have a vaccine or a medicine for the virus, we must address it with measures and attitudes. Any measures will be complex and based on contamination calculations (R0) as well as on the effect of sub-measures and on this basis the citizens should, blindly trust the scientists.

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Genetics Prof: Greece to Play Key Role in COVID-19 Research and Diagnosis - The National Herald