Daily briefing: People with cancer lived longer if they'd had a COVID-19 vaccine

"The immune-boosting effect of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines seems to increase the effectiveness of cancer therapies called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Researchers found that people being treated for certain deadly cancers lived longer if they had received an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine than if they hadn't. When they investigated this phenomenon in mice, the team found that the vaccines 'revved up' the immune system throughout the animals' whole body, which made ICIs more effective."

"Researchers at Google have made a fresh claim of quantum advantage - the ability of quantum computers to radically speed up calculations compared with their classical counterparts. This latest algorithm - dubbed quantum echoes - has the potential to solve scientific problems such as deriving the structure of molecules, say the researchers. But some others are cautious of the claim, and think the promise of practical use is premature. "The burden of proof should be high," says quantum physicist Dries Sels."

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can systemically boost immune activation and are associated with longer survival for some patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor cancer therapies. Mouse studies indicate that the vaccines 'revved up' immune systems throughout the body, which enhanced ICI efficacy in preclinical models. Fragments of a rare meteorite type were recovered from the Moon's far side by China's Chang'e-6 mission and resemble asteroid material carrying dust that pre-dates the Solar System. Analysing that lunar debris could help trace how asteroids delivered volatile compounds, including water, to Earth. A new quantum algorithm called quantum echoes is claimed to show quantum advantage, though experts urge caution and high standards of proof.

Read at Nature