Q&As in 2024

Arboviral infections are major public health threats, with 100 million people estimated to get sick annually from dengue infection alone. Globally, the risk of arboviruses is likely to further increase both within, and outside of, affected regions due to a combination of factors including climate change, human mobility, and other societal factors. Despite the availability of vaccines for some arbovirus infections, there is a lack of specific antiviral treatment options. Professor Johan Neyts at the University of Leuven, Belgium, has been working on developing antiviral strategies for more than 30 years. His current research focuses on developing antiviral drugs and vaccines against emerging and neglected viruses many of which are arboviruses. In this Q&A, he discusses the risks associated with vector-borne virus infections, challenges in developing efficient drugs for treatment, and current promising efforts to address these challenges.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a crucial diagnostic tool within modern healthcare, yet its availability remains largely confined to high-income nations. The imperative to extend MRI accessibility to lower-income countries aligns with the pursuit of universal health coverage, a key target of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3. In an interview with Nature Communications, three scientists dedicated to advancing MRI accessibility in Africa share their insights. These experts include Dr Udunna Anazodo (Assistant Professor at McGill University, Canada and Scientific Director, Medical Artificial Intelligence (MAI) Lab, Lagos, Nigeria), Dr Johnes Obungoloch (Lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda) and Dr Ugumba Kwikima (Neuroradiologist, Lugalo General Military Hospital, Tanzania). Our discussion considers the current MRI landscape across African countries and the associated challenges and opportunities. We also cover technological innovations making a difference, such as low field MRI, alongside the role of advocacy initiatives in bolstering accessibility. We finally look ahead to the future of MRI in Africa.

Professor Sabine Oertelt-Prigione has been working in the field of sex and gender-sensitive research for the last 15 years. Her current work is focused on trying to understand how sex and gender-sensitive medicine can be successfully implemented in research and practice as well as methods to investigate gender in medical research. Dr. Brandon Turner is a resident physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has conducted and is involved in numerous studies looking to evaluate race and ethnicity reporting and representation in clinical trials. In this interview for Nature Communications, Sabine Oertelt-Prigione, and Brandon Turner share their knowledge about the biases that can occur in clinical trials and how they can be minimized.

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, with over 25% of these occurring in the African region. Multi-drug resistant strains which do not respond to first-line antibiotics continue to emerge, putting at risk numerous public health strategies which aim to reduce incidence and mortality. Here, we speak with Professor Valerie Mizrahi, world-leading researcher and former director of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town, regarding the tuberculosis burden in South Africa. We discuss the challenges faced by researchers, the lessons that need to be learnt and current innovations to better understand the overall response required to accelerate progress.

On the 12th of April 2010, Nature Communications published its first editorial and primary research articles. The topics of these first 11 papers represented the multidisciplinary nature of the journal: from DNA damage to optics alongside material science to energy and including polymer chemistry. We have spoken with the corresponding authors of some of these very first papers and asked them about their experience of publishing in this then new journal and how they see Nature Communications now.

As part of our tenth-anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.

As part of our tenth anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.

As part of our tenth anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.

As part of our tenth anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.