Articles

Immunity’s Double-Edged Sword

Human’s complex immune system is the vanquisher of pathogens, but it can also turn on itself. In a stroke of “evolutionary brilliance,” according to Pfizer immunologist Aaron Winkler, humans and other higher organisms developed specialized immune systems that protect us from the vast diversity of pathogens found in nature, from flu viruses to pinworms. Through random genetic variation, our bodies constantly generate millions of new white blood cells, the foot soldiers of the immune system, each...

Female Pioneers: The Doctor Who Saved Countless Babies

Nearly every newborn gets an assessment thanks to a physician named Virginia Apgar, who saw the need for better infant healthcare. It’s the first standardized test you ever took. While you probably don’t remember your score, infant survival worldwide has improved thanks to the Apgar test, a simple assessment of a newborn’s health taken at one and five minutes after birth. Invented in 1952, the test is still used today in hospitals worldwide. Most know APGAR as an acronym for the health...

Diagnosing Disease by Voice

Detecting the occurrence of many diseases can be challenging without a blood test or other reliable screening tool. So researchers are now listening for the sounds of disease. Speech is a complex process that requires coordination with our brain, muscles, and respiratory system. Recent research shows that subtle changes in speech, for example slurring or vocal cord tremors, may be early signs of disease or illness like Parkinson’s disease, depression, cardiac problems, and concussion. People...

Purpose & Ideals

Supporting Breast Cancer Care Globally Through Pfizer Foundation

As with many diseases, the burden of cancer falls most heavily on poor, marginalized and rural communities due to their unequal access to screening and treatment. For women living in low and middle income countries, breast and cervical cancers are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality . It is important to address the significant barriers to quality healthcare that women living in rural or underserved communities may face.   The private sector can complement the substantial work...

Flashback: Spanish Flu Mask

(Topical Press Agency/Stringer) At the close of WWI, an estimated 50 million people died from the Spanish flu. Masks were the uninfected’s main line of defense. Patient zero of the Spanish flu may have been a soldier in WWI, who accidentally carried his virus back into the densely packed military encampment in Fort Riley, Kansas. From there, the infected would have marched across the battlefields of Europe and beyond, carrying the disease with them. In the end, Spanish flu infected a full...

The Tiny Creature That May Teach Us How to Survive Radiation

Microscopic tardigrades are also known as water bears, because of their penchant for living in damp environments and their bear-like physical attributes. A colored electron scanning micrograph of a tardigrade shown at about 250 times its size. (Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library) Tardigrades may be microscopic, but they contain mammoth adaptability for surviving extremes, including deadly radiation. A tardigrade, a 1-millimeter micro-animal that mostly lives in mossy waters and...

Cold Wars: Why Women Feel The Chill More

Research explains why most women feel cold more intensely than men. With the winter chill setting in, households everywhere are beginning the annual thermostat wars. But does science support the popular belief that women feel colder more than men? Research points to yes.Cold Hands, Warm HeartMost healthy humans have an inner body temperature that hovers around 98.6 degrees F.  But a University of Utah study published in the journal Lancet  found that women’s core body temperatures can actually...

advancing-medical-research

Meet Your Body’s Energy Thermostat

AMPK controls hunger, helps burn calories and fat, and may help treat diabetes and cancer.  It’s almost lunchtime. Your stomach is growling and you can’t stop thinking about your next meal. We’ve all experienced the sensation of hunger, but ever wonder how your body turns on and off its hankering for food? Scientists from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in Korea have recently provided additional evidence to show how an enzyme produced in a part of our brain called...

The Hidden Powers of Blood, Sweat, And Tears

Science is uncovering how our bodily fluids may contain important cures for diseases like cancer and sepsis, and unlock clues to our bodies.  Bodily fluids have a PR problem. Mention blood, sweat or breast milk at a dinner party and you’re certain to make your dining companions squeamish. But, in fact, naturally occurring bodily liquids hold important clues to potential cures. In recent years, scientists have discovered several compounds that point to possible treatments for disease and help us...

Science & Innovation

One Family’s Hemophilia Journey

This microdocumentary shares the moving story of a family with two young sons who have severe hemophilia, giving us a glimpse into their history and treatment routine. Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which the body is unable to properly create a blood clot. Beyond external bleeding, like a cut, people with hemophilia also bleed internally and in their joints, which can lead to crippling arthritis later in life. The story highlights the significant progress made in this therapeutic...

Why Mitochondria Is The Organelle Of The Moment

Mitochondria, our cells’ energy converters, have become the focus of many areas of disease research. As the power plants in virtually every human cell (as well as animal, plant, and fungi cells), mitochondria play an essential role in creating energy to drive cellular function and basically all of our biological processes. Nearly all cells have these sausage-shaped structures, but muscle and nerve cells, which require more energy, have the highest concentrations of mitochondria, numbering in...

Germs 101 (infographic)