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This is a blatant sales pitch for clinical trials and I make no apology for it. Every step we’ve taken in our fight against Covid has been pioneered and brought to fruition by research and science. Every tool used to … Read More

I hear people saying over and over again in interviews their greatest fear is that when restrictions are eased we’ll get another spike of ­infections and a further lockdown. So how do we dodge them? We’re pinning our hopes on … Read More

What happened to those scratch and sniff children’s books I used to read to my grandchildren? I loved them and it seemed such a good idea to strengthen the acquisition of words by tagging a smell to them. It’s taken … Read More

Conditions such as cerebral palsy and autism often go ­undiagnosed until the age of two and even then there are few tests available to confirm a ­diagnosis. This causes great anxiety for parents and problems for doctors. But now scientists … Read More

It’s a long time since I was involved in new drug development, and the constant vigilance required to keep abreast of, and to report, side effects of drugs. The reality is that, meticulous as your clinical trial might be, the … Read More

I’ve taken part in a few TV debates about the hazards of being ­overweight or obese. In fact two of them were with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain. I’m wheeled on as a voice of medical good sense but … Read More

We all know that the vaccines being delivered around the world right now work by protecting us from getting Covid. But what we still don’t know is whether they’ll also prevent us ­transmitting the virus to others. We simply don’t … Read More

The flu virus mutates so fast we need to tweak the vaccine every year. And while it’s a ­concern that Covid could throw up a new variant resistant to our vaccines, Danny Altmann, a ­professor of immunology at Imperial College … Read More

While the number of people infected with Covid-19 ­remains high it’s more likely that new variants will ­appear, so vaccine developers are ­having to deal with the rapidly­evolving virus and are looking for ­‘second generation’ vaccines. Danny Altmann, professor of … Read More

It’s the age of the scientist. Their ­stature has shot up as the world ­wakes up to the fact we are all ­dependent on their ingenuity to give us the tools to manage the ­coronavirus, its variants and the pandemic. … Read More