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Julie Steenhuysen
For Julie Steenhuysen's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 30, 2021
How fast does it spread? Scientists ask whether omicron can outrun delta.
Questions remain over whether the COVID-19 variant will evade vaccine protection and whether it will cause more serious illness.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 9, 2021
COVID-19 pills no substitute for vaccines, disease experts say
Some experts fear the arrival of oral treatments for the coronavirus may further impede vaccination campaigns.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / ANALYSIS
Sep 3, 2021
Vaccine advisers to U.S. FDA face thorny question: Are COVID-19 boosters needed?
A fierce debate is expected around whether most Americans should get another shot rather than just those at high risk of severe illness.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 9, 2021
Beyond delta, scientists are watching new coronavirus variants
Scientists remain focused on delta, now the dominant variant rising rapidly around the world, but they are tracking others to see what may one day take its place.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 26, 2021
How the delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus
The delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jul 21, 2021
Global quest underway to speed up COVID-19 vaccine trials
Researchers are trying to determine just what level of antibodies a vaccine must produce to provide protection against the illness.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jul 13, 2021
Pfizer bid for booster vaccines premature, experts say, with more data needed
The drugmaker's push for health regulators to authorize a third dose of its COVID-19 shot is not yet backed by evidence, despite the fast-spreading delta variant, vaccine experts said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / ANALYSIS
Jun 11, 2021
U.S. FDA faces mounting criticism over Alzheimer's drug approval
The drug was authorized based on evidence that it can reduce brain plaques, a likely contributor to Alzheimer's, rather than proof that it slows progression of the disease.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 1, 2021
In mutant variants, has the coronavirus already revealed its hand?
Emergence of the same few mutations simultaneously in different parts of the world gives scientists cautious optimism that there may be limits on the pandemic's endurance.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2021
'When will it end?': How a changing virus is reshaping scientists’ views on COVID-19
Vaccine breakthroughs had initially sparked hope that the virus could be largely contained, but data on new variants has undercut that optimism.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 31, 2021
Pandemic spurs quest to enroll more Black Americans in vaccine trials
The efforts rely on grassroots partners such as churches and health centers, and aim to topple long-standing barriers that keep minorities from participating in trials.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2021
Racing the virus: Why tweaking vaccines to fight variants won't be simple
After developing and rolling out COVID-19 vaccines at record speed, drugmakers are already facing variants of the rapidly-evolving coronavirus that may render them ineffective.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Nov 18, 2020
How Pfizer and BioNTech sprinted ahead in extraordinary race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Researchers were asked to tackle something that had never been done before: design a vaccine to stop a pandemic in its tracks in less than a year.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Aug 31, 2020
Scientists see downsides to top COVID-19 vaccines from Russia and China
High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 3, 2019
Bypassing U.S. regulators, Takeda takes its dengue shot to the tropics first
A new vaccine for the dengue virus is taking a potentially risky road to prevent the mosquito-borne disease that infects nearly 400 million people each year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 1, 2016
Takeda drug could be part of functional cure for HIV: study
Dr. Anthony Fauci doesn't get too excited about the results of animal studies, and he doesn't make house calls.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 14, 2015
How DNA sequencing is transforming the hunt for new drugs
Drug manufacturers have begun amassing enormous troves of human DNA in hopes of significantly shortening the time it takes to identify new drug candidates, a move some say is transforming the development of medicines.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 22, 2014
Cure sought in the blood of Ebola survivors
For months, Vanderbilt University researcher Dr. James Crowe has been desperately seeking access to the blood of U.S. Ebola survivors, hoping to extract the proteins that helped them overcome the deadly virus for use in new, potent drugs.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 3, 2014
FDA ready to work with firms on Ebola drugs
The worst Ebola outbreak in history is heaping new pressure on U.S. regulators to speed the development of treatments for the deadly virus, which has killed more than 700 people since February.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2014
Insurers balk at cost as gene tests unlock medical mysteries
Aimee Robeson just wants an answer.

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces