The Guardians of the TWiV-o-verse discuss the process of codon deoptimization for the production of experimental infectious attenuated viral vaccines, and how a respiratory syncytial virus with 619 base changes was rescued by genomes with very large internal deletions.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

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Links for this episode

• NIDO 2021 Symposium
• ASV hosts free COVID-19 Vaccine Education Town Halls (register here)
• Research position in Spindler laboratory
• Attenuation of poliovirus by codon deoptimization (Science)
• Rescue of codon-deoptimized RSV by large deletions (PNAS)
• Letters read on TWiV 740
• Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Dickson – Let us now praise tiny ants
Brianne – Small-school science
Rich – Smallpox 'virus squads' and the mandatory vaccinations upheld by the Supreme Court
Kathy – The Transcontinental Burrito Tunnel
Vincent – Glass music by Robert Tiso

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv