Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/4c602k2 Original release date: 6/15/20 In this episode, David Watkins, professor of pathology at George Washington University, shares how insights from his HIV and Zika virus research could apply to SARS-CoV-2 protection strategies. David introduces monoclonal antibodies as an intervention to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection, and also discusses how they could be used as a hedge to vaccine development. Additionally, David’s immunology tutorial explains the innate and adaptive immune systems and their differentiated responses to viral infection. We discuss: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:30 - Background and current interest in immunology 00:10:15 - Immunology 101—The innate and adaptive immune system 00:19:00 - Defining antibodies, importance of neutralizing antibodies, and serology testing for COVID-19 00:25:00 - B cells—How they fight viruses, create antibodies, and fit into the vaccine strategy 00:36:15 - T cells—Role in the adaptive immune system and ability to kill infected cells to prevent viral spread 00:51:00 - Valuable lessons from HIV applied to SARS-CoV-2 01:01:30 - Lessons to be taken from the hepatitis C success story 01:04:45 - Monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and the most promising strategy for preventing and treating COVID-19 infection 01:19:00 - COVID-19 vaccines in development 01:25:20 - How David’s work with Zika virus informs his thinking on SARS-CoV-2 01:27:45 - Why a vaccine for COVID-19 doesn’t need to be perfect to be effective Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/davidwatkins/ About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 30 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/ Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Play: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGooglePlay