Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Archives

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days.

Experts weigh in: Is monkeypox the next COVID-19? Here's what we know.

The virus has unexpectedly spread to Europe, Australia, and North America, with the first U.S. patient undergoing treatment in Boston. “But it’s not something to panic about at this point,” says Brandon Dionne, an associate clinical professor in Northeastern’s department of pharmacy and health systems sciences.

by Ian Thomsen May 20, 2022

Understanding how viruses evolve can help us understand what future variants of the coronavirus we might see—and whether or not we should fear them. Getty Images

Do viruses such as the coronavirus become less deadly?

Understanding how viruses evolve can help us understand what future variants of the coronavirus we might see—and why they might not necessarily be a specter of doom. “What’s the virus trying to do?” says Jared Auclair, associate teaching professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern. “If it kills the host, it dies with the host.”

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki December 13, 2021

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Should I still get a booster shot even though we don’t know much about omicron?

It’s unlikely that the omicron variant will evade COVID-19 vaccine protections entirely, says Mansoor Amiji, university distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering at Northeastern. But you will likely need that booster shot. Here’s why.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki December 3, 2021

Should I mix and match my COVID-19 booster shot?

The short answer is: The best shot is the one you can get most easily. The longer answer is: It’s a bit more complicated than that. Northeastern’s pharmaceutical experts break it down.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki November 30, 2021

There has been a gap in doctors’ COVID-19 toolkit. A new pill might fill that gap. And it might help save hospitals on the brink.
Photo illustration by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Why a COVID-19 pill would be a game-changer for overwhelmed hospitals

Between vaccinations and intensive inpatient treatments for COVID-19 patients, there has been a gap in doctors’ pandemic toolkit. A new pill might fill that gap, says Mansoor Amiji, university distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering at Northeastern. And it might help save hospitals on the brink.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki October 15, 2021

How do COVID-19 vaccines keep us out of the hospital?

The latest wave of the coronavirus crisis has been dubbed a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Despite breakthrough infections occurring in vaccinated people, the majority of COVID-19 patients in the hospital are unvaccinated. Northeastern pharmaceutical experts explain why.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki September 24, 2021

Here’s how to make sense of the new guidance on booster shots. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Why the Biden administration now says we need booster shots for COVID-19

New research reveals that COVID-19 vaccine protections began to decline in the middle of the summer when the delta variant was sweeping through the nation. “As we get new information, as the data provides new clues and a new direction in terms of what we need to do, we have to then respond accordingly,” says Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 18, 2021

Large crowds of people with and without masks fill Times Square in New York City.

It could be too late to stop the Delta variant–and to achieve ‘herd immunity’; Here’s why

Now that cases are rising across the country again because of the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, even with more than half of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, it’s time that health authorities rethink the pandemic “endgame,” says Neil Maniar, professor of the practice and director of the Master of Public Health in Urban Health program at Northeastern.

by Tanner Stening August 13, 2021

This image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round blue objects) emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. The virus shown was isolated from a patient in the U.S. Photo by: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

How afraid of variants should we be?

The global death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic has surpassed 4 million, largely accelerated by dangerous variants of the coronavirus. Northeastern experts explain what you need to know about the risk of variants.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki July 8, 2021

Johnson & Johnson's 1-shot COVID-19 vaccine could spark fewer side effects

Compared to vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, the newly approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine could trigger fewer allergic reactions, headaches, sore muscles, and other adverse effects, says Brandon Dionne, a pharmacy professor at Northeastern.

by Hillary Chabot March 1, 2021