COVID-19 Media
Print and Electronic Media
CFI is continuing the fight against COVID-19. Below is a collection of written articles that showcase CFI's efforts.
Minnesota Republicans cite natural immunity in debate over COVID vaccine mandates
Star Tribune- 01/23/2022
Dr. Marc Jenkins is interviewed in the Star Tribune story about the debate over natural immunity and vaccine mandates. "Natural immunity can be very potent but it can also be not so potent, and that depends on the level of the initial infection," Jenkins said. "Because of that, and in the absence of a robust antibody testing program, it's best to try and get people to very high levels of protection through vaccination."
Minnesota set to jump ahead on boosters
Star Tribune - 11/18/2021
Dr. Marc Jenkins, director of the Center for Immunology, spoke with Jeremy Olson from the Star Tribune about SARS-CoV-2 immunology and the importance of boosters. Dr. Jenkins says that the best strategy, for now, is for everyone to get boosters to increase protection in everyone rather than risk leaving some people vulnerable to infection.
University of Minnesota research backs vaccines after COVID-19 cases
Star Tribune - 10/1/2021
Dr. Marc Jenkins, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, published research that backs vaccines for those who had a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study, published in Cell Reports, shows that people with prior infections who received the two-dose mRNA vaccination had five times more memory B cells — a better immune response — compared to those who received the same vaccination but were never previously infected.
Our Best Shot: COVID shots are not 'gene therapy'
Dr. Marc Jenkins describes mRNA as "one of the important worker bees of the body." Learn how new mRNA vaccines utilize naturally occurring processes in our bodies to protect ourselves against COVID 19. Read the Star Tribune article: ow.ly/2tfm50F0x2h or view the entire Star Tribune Editorial Board's #OurBestShot series, which enlists Minnesota health and community leaders to deliver timely trustworthy answers. Link here
Why mixing vaccines could help boost immunity
David Masopust highlights the promise and potential issues of mixing vaccines and vaccine types over time in a May 6, 2021 piece by Cassandra Willyard from MIT Technology Review. Read here
Do I have to get the Covid vaccine in my arm?
Marc Jenkins is quoted in an article written by Christina Caron from The New York Times about whether a person has to get the COVID vaccine shot in the arm.
What's Next in COVID Vaccine? Research at the University of Minnesota looks for new ways to fight the virus
The March/April 2021 issue of Minnesota Medicine Magazine interviewed Drs. Susan Kline and Marc Jenkins about the development of vaccines and subsequent distribution and what the future will look like as COVID research carries on. Dr. Jenkins talks about the current vaccine projects that several labs within CFI are currently working on to protect against COVID and any future forms of the virus. Read the entire article written by Linda Picone here
New test by Minnesota biotech firm can read COVID antibody levels
So, what’s your titer?
That question, still strange sounding, may soon become important as vaccines bring about the endgame for COVID-19. Dr. Marc Jenkins talks with Joe Carlson from the Star Tribune on December 7, 2020 about a newly developed blood test made by Imanis Life Sciences in Rochester, MN. The test will give consumers a quantitative measurement of their neutralizing antibody titers that will definitively provide the amount of virus-killing antibodies in their systems . Click here to read the full article.
Bold hopes for virus antibody tests still unfulfilled
“Everyone’s impatient and I can see why...But there’s no easy path to this knowledge” about immunity. Dr. Marc Jenkins talks with Matthew Perrone, AP news and published in The Washington Post on September 7, 2020 about the ongoing studies of vaccine production, antibody testing and the standard nasal swab tests that diagnose active infections. Click here to read the full article.
UMN research could help inform future COVID-19 vaccines
The Minnesota Daily's Madeline Deninger writes about how Dr. Marc Jenkins and other members of CFI have been working to understand how the body develops antibodies once it has been infected with COVID-19. Click here
Can I catch coronavirus again if I've had it? At least not right away. Later, who knows?
Dr. Marc Jenkins is quoted in an article by Elizabeth Weise published on May 8, 2020 in USA Today about whether it is possible to catch the coronavirus twice.
The Wall Street Journal answers Facts and Myths About Coronavirus Antibody Tests
Drs. Amy Karger and Marc Jenkins provided factual information to The Wall Street Journal about antibody tests—blood tests designed to detect who was previously infected with the new coronavirus and have developed antibodies to it. Click here
U-developed Antibody Test, Key Component in Reopening Minnesota
Combining a PCR test and an antibody test helps categorize those tested into four categories—information that will equip the state to confidently send Minnesotans back to work. The antibody test, known as an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), developed rapidly from the lab bench to the clinic with the help of a unique group of collaborators—Amy Karger, MD, PhD, Marc Jenkins, PhD, and Fang Li, PhD. Combined with the University’s diagnostic (PCR) test, labs will be able to categorize those tested into four categories—information that will equip the state to confidently send Minnesotans back to work. "Together, they are informative if you do them both in the same person,” said Amy Karger, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. She leads the team at the University’s Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL) that brought the test from a research setting into clinical use. Click here
University of Minnesota launches COVID-19 antibody test
The lab of Marc Jenkins, Regents and Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the Medical School and director of the Center for Immunology, has developed a COVID-19 antibody test that will be available first to frontline health care workers in M Health Fairview’s Bethesda Hospital. Fang Li, an associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, was among the first to publish a peer-reviewed article in Nature detailing the underlying structure of COVID-19. On March 21, Li provided protein material to the Jenkins Lab, and work began. Click here
Minnesota readies antibody COVID-19 response
The University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic are now offering antibody tests to find out who has recovered from COVID-19. The antibody test which was developed by CFI Investigators under Dr. Marc Jenkins and the Mayo Clinic Clinical Microbiology Laboratory has been successful in identifying antibodies that produce an immune response to the COVID-19 virus. Full Star Tribune article from April 14, 2020 click here
UMN and Mayo researchers working on ELISA test to determine COVID-19 immunity
CFI director Dr. Marc Jenkins explains how the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic are close to unveiling antibody tests that can determine if people have already been infected by the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and are no longer threats to get or spread the infection. To read the entire Star Tribune article from March 30, 2020 click here.
COVID-19 Vaccine on fast track
The Star Tribune's Christopher Snowbeck and CFI's Director Marc Jenkins talk about "a whole new approach to vaccines" using viral RNA instead of the way current vaccines are produced using a weakened or killed form of a virus to stimulate an immune system response that produces antibodies. To read the entire Star Tribune article click here.
Radio and TV
Local News and Seminars
Health Variant: omicron, natural immunity and the difficulty of hatching a global scientific conspiracy
In the1/5/2022 episode of "The Health Variant" podcast, host and NewsMD Health Correspondent Jeremy Fugleberg talks with immunologist Dr. Marc K. Jenkins at the University of Minnesota. Jenkins discusses what we know and don't know about the omicron variant, explains about why it's not so easy to know if you have the natural immunity you need to fight off COVID-19 (but could in the foreseeable future), and details what happened to the hopes for herd immunity.
U of M researchers studying long-term immunity for COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are trying to answer major questions of which the world still has no answers: At what point will coronavirus vaccines give long lasting immunity? And unlike most other vaccines, why does the immunity from these go away so quickly?
On Jan. 6, 2022 Chris Hrapsky and Kare11 visited the Jenkins Lab to see what the frontline of COVID research looks like.
Vax Facts | Answering viewer questions on boosters, coronavirus mutations, hospital strain
Kare11 TV-12/15/2021
Chris Hrapsky spoke with health experts including Dr. Marc Jenkins, to answer some of your latest questions on the coronavirus. kare11.com/coronavirus 
COVID-19 case rates? Vaccine safety? Boosters?
Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez of Richfield, MN wants to keep her community informed regarding a variety of topics. Since early 2020, a dozen "A Moment with the Mayor" episodes have aired, ranging from the city's new dog park to the COVID-19 pandemic to heroes that make Richfield a better place to live, learn, work and play. On Nov. 19, 2021 the mayor thought it would be a good idea to speak with one of the state's leading experts in immunology, Dr. Marc Jenkins, to separate the facts from the fiction of all the COVID-19 information out there regarding case rates, vaccine safety, boosters and everything in between.
Vax Facts: Explaining how booster shots work
Dr. Marc Jenkins spoke with Kare11's Chris Hrapsky about SARS-CoV-2 immunology and the importance of boosters, explaining that getting boosters increase protection in everyone rather than risk leaving some people vulnerable to infection.
What has better protection, COVID infection or COVID vaccine?
KARE-TV - 10/29/2021
Studies show potential for strong "natural immunity" after infection, but that protection varies. A new study suggests vaccines better prevent serious illness. Chris Hrapsky from KARE-11 talks to Dr. Marc Jenkins to find the answer.
KSTP's Callan Grey sat down with Dr. Marc Jenkins and talked about the recently published paper in Cell Reports that shows the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines among people who’ve previously had COVID compared to those who didn’t contract the virus.
Why Are Vaccines Injected Into Our Arms?
On Oct. 6, 2021 Jeff Wagner from WCCO news asked the question to Dr. Marc Jenkins: Why are vaccines injected into our arms? And what happens once it’s in our muscle? Heres the answer.
CFI researchers continue to answer your COVID questions: A team led by Dr. Marc Jenkins has found those who’ve had COVID get a huge Immunity Boost from the vaccine. WCCO news talks with Dr. Jenkins about the results.
Extra COVID vaccine approved for those with weak immune systems
With the FDA approving Pfizer and Moderna booster shots for immunocompromised, Dr. Marc Jenkins spoke with Jay Kolls from KSTP news last night about the vaccine booster for those with weakened immune systems.
Dr. Marc Jenkins, sat down on 7/25/2021 for an extended interview with Chris Hrapsky from Kare11 news to talk about all things COVID19.
Four new studies are helping to answer just how protected people are after a coronavirus infection and how potent a vaccine can be after infection. The research shows good evidence that natural immunity lasts at least a year and could last much longer, according to experts, but it’s unclear if the protection is enough to neutralize several variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Dr. Jenkins and Mr. Hrapsky sit down to discuss these findings and more.
YouTube link for full interview
On May 29, 2021 Dr. Marc Jenkins was interviewed by the Star Tribune opinion writer Jill Burcum.
The Star Tribune Editorial Pages have launched "Our Best Shot," an occasions series addressing questions and concerns about COVID-19 vaccine. The Star Tribune Editorial Board enlisted Dr. Jenkins to address concerns about Pfizer and Moderna vaccines' important role in ending the pandemic, as part of its ongoing "Our Best Shot" series tackling vaccine hesitancy. To read the newspaper editorial, go to startribune.com/opinion.
On April 6, 2021 Jeff Wagner from WCCO asked:
Why are many vaccines administered as a shot? Dr. Marc Jenkins has the answer:
“A goal of most vaccines is to induce a strong immune response,” said Dr. Marc Jenkins, director of the Center of Immunology at the University of Minnesota. “And the place in the body where you can do that the best are in organs called lymph nodes.”
U of M scientists discover cells that SARS-CoV-2 infects first, confirm the effectiveness of Remdesivir treatment
A UMN Medical School research team led by Drs. Ryan Langlois and Tyler Bold studied SARS-CoV-2 infections at individual cellular levels and made four major discoveries about the virus, including one that validates the effectiveness of Remdesivir as a form of treatment for severe COVID-19 disease. In an interview with KARE-11's Jennifer Hoff, Dr. Langlois explains more about the team's findings. Link here
Jameson weighs in how long a COVID-19 vaccine will last
LMP professor Steve Jameson was one of the experts National Public Radio turned to for 3 Questions And The Emerging Answers About COVID-19 Vaccine Protection
KARE-11 Explains: Everything you need to know about vaccines
Chris Hrapsky from Kare11 and Dr. Marc Jenkins give a quick overview of the types of vaccines that are available and how they work to fight viruses. They also explain the new COVID-19 vaccine and how it is different yet more effective than the old vaccines.
City of Richfield, MN awards Dr. Marc Jenkins the key to the city
Some cities hand out Keys to the City like the practice is going out of style. The City of Richfield on the other hand only awards Keys to the City to individuals who have made a major impact in the community, State of Minnesota, nation, or in the case of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the world. This past June, the city council awarded Dr. Marc Jenkins with the key to the city to recognize his accomplishments in the field of immunology, recent election to the National Academy of Sciences, and his work to better public education in Richfield.
On August 11, 2020, for the fifty-second episode of the That’s Rich(field) podcast, we sat down with Dr. Jenkins to discuss his career accomplishments, his research team's recent creation of a COVID-19 antibody test, and what it is like being elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Marc Jenkins joined Fox9 Morning Buzz on 7-29-20 to answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines and how UMN is following less traveled roads to find a long term solution.
Fox9 the Morning Buzz interview with Alex Kendall and Ryan Langlois
Department of Orthopedic Surgery Grand Rounds: 5-8-2020
KARE-11 interview with Chris Hrapsky on May 7, 2020
KARE-11 interview with Kent Erdahl on April 15, 2020 
KARE-11 (4/1/2020)
WCCO GOOD QUESTION from June 2020
UMN articles
CFI and UMN Collaborators articles
UMN Med school COVID-19 site
CFI COVID-19 Publications
Global COVID-19 Database
More memory B cells exist in those fully vaccinated with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, study says
A new study led by Dr. Kathy Pape from the Jenkins lab is revealing that people who received an mRNA vaccination for COVID19 have greater immune responses compared to others. The study shows differences in immune responses among those vaccinated, including the amount of memory B cells and their vaccine binding performance. Cell Reports paper: z.umn.edu/776f
U of M scientists develop a novel virus-like particle COVID-19 candidate vaccine
U of M researchers, Fang Li, Ph.D., Marc Jenkins Ph.D., and graduate student Qibin Geng have developed a novel virus-like particle vaccine against COVID-19. Having been successfully tested in animals, the novel vaccine — created as part of a study whose findings were recently published in the scientific journal PLOS Pathogens — offers a new approach to a potential human vaccine in the global battle against COVID-19 and its emerging variants. More info here.
Bill Hoffman presented a poster and gave a flash talk July 29 at the Genome Writers Guild 2021 virtual conference based on research by LMP associate professor Mike Koob, professors Steve Jameson and Kris Hogquist, and Tyler Bold, assistant professor of medicine, division of infectious diseases.
ARDL led early pandemic screening of state healthcare workers and outpatients
Thanks to the expertise of the Advanced Research and Diagnostics Laboratory, University scientists and physicians were able to quickly led screenings for #COVID19 among patients and healthcare workers. 
ow.ly/bnxP50Ewuks
Scientists uncover four new facts about early SARS-CoV-2 infections
Dr. Ryan Langlois describes the four major discoveries about the virus, including one that validates the effectiveness of remdesivir – an FDA-approved antiviral drug – as a form of treatment for severe COVID-19 disease after a UMN team of researchers studied SARS-CoV-2 infections at individual cellular levels. Read paper here
From lab to community immunity
More than 100 vaccine projects in various stages across the globe take subtly different approaches to achieve the same goal: trigger the body’s immune response to COVID-19 before the virus has an opportunity to spread and cause harm. U of M experts explain three ways to create a COVID-19 vaccine and offer optimism about when we might have a viable option.
U of M Medical School selected as Capacity Building Center for National Lab Network
The Medical School’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology has been selected to participate in a new national network dedicated to serological sciences as one of four Capacity Building Centers in the country. As part of the Serological Sciences Network (SeroNet), the team received a five-year, $6.7 million grant to support their part of the network's research effort. Read more here at the UMN Med School news article.
18 ways the U of M is targeting the COVID-19 crisis
The University of Minnesota has been hard at work trying to end the COVID-19 pandemic and ease the impact on those affected by it. Read about all the ways that donors, researchers, colleges and students have stepped up to support research and innovation.
SARS-CoV-2 neutralization and serology testing of COVID-19 convalescent plasma from donors with non-severe disease
Dr. Tyler Bold led the collaboration of several CFI labs to study the neutralization activity of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from convalescent plasma in donors with a history of non-severe disease.
U Medical School Studying How to Protect Against Current, Future Strains of the Coronavirus
A new vaccine development approach, now being studied at the University of Minnesota Medical School, hopes to protect against current and future strains of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Drs. Geoffrey Hart and Marco Pravetoni have partnered together to prove that a universal vaccine or antibodies are possible in the fight against future variants of SARS-CoV.
What do we know now about hydroxychloroquine?
Responses by Drs. Matt Pullen, MD- Infectious Diseases Fellow and David Boulware, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine- Infectious Diseases on current data, what are the recommendations for use of hydroxychloroquine in SARS-CoV-2 infection?
What role could convalescent sera play in the COVID-19 pandemic?
Dr. Tyler Bold explains how sera from patients who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection (convalescent sera) could be used immediately to provide protective immunity.
SEQUENCES OF THE SARS-COV-2 GENOME
What have we and what can we learn from the sequences of the SARS-Cov-2 genome as the viruse mutates and spreads around the world?
Amy Karger, MD, PhD, Positions U as Experts in COVID-19 Testing
Dr. Karger discusses the need to create and validate the UMN laboratory-developed tests for COVID-19. Marc Jenkins, PhD, and Fang Li, PhD, had laid the foundation for a new antibody (or serology) test but needed a leader and a lab to bring it up for clinical use. Dr. Karger stepped in.
COVID-19 Testing
Interview with Dr. Marc Jenkins on the Antibody Testing Capabilities Developed at the University of Minnesota for SARS-CoV2
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Development
What vaccines are under development, and how would they work to prevent COVID-19 infection?
COVID-19 Scientific Update
What are the most promising drugs currently being tested against the COVID-19 coronavirus, and how do they work?
“Structural basis of receptor recognition by SARS-CoV-2" Nature, March 20, 2020.
This paper discuses the 3-dimensional structure determined by Dr. Fang Li in collaboration with Dr. Hideki Aihara.