Our immune systems have evolved to overcome all kinds of flus, plagues and poxes, but the process of adaptation is slow. Harmit Malik is a Professor and Associate Director of the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch. He is part of a team that is working on a way to put evolution into overdrive to fight future diseases. The novel approach uses the remains of dead viruses that have built up in our bodies over the millennia to help quickly create millions of genetic variants in order to find the right combination that can target the next big virus.

More resources:
Harmik Malik
Malik Lab


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Our immune systems have evolved to overcome all kinds of flus, plagues and poxes, but the process of adaptation is slow. Harmit Malik is a Professor and Associate Director of the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch. He is part of a team that is working on a way to put evolution into overdrive to fight future diseases. The novel approach uses the remains of dead viruses that have built up in our bodies over the millennia to help quickly create millions of genetic variants in order to find the right combination that can target the next big virus.
More resources:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.fredhutch.org/en/people/m/harmit-malik.html">Harmik Malik</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://research.fredhutch.org/malik/en.html">Malik Lab</a></li>
</ul>
 Pocket Science is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. It is hosted by <a href="https://www.kuow.org/people/gabriel-spitzer">Gabriel Spitzer</a>, edited by <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/jim-gates">Jim Gates</a> and produced by Shane Mehling.&nbsp;
We can only make Pocket Science because listeners support us.<a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/pocket-science-show-notes"> Tap here</a> to make a gift and keep Pocket Science in your feed.

Discovery is happening all around Seattle… if you know where to look. On Pocket Science, we dig into the fascinating, weird, and groundbreaking research happening right here in our backyard—and meet the scientists in the thick of it.

From lab benches to tidal mudflats, it all starts with one simple question: what are you working on? The answers might surprise you. Take your curiosity with you on Pocket Science.

Pocket Science launches July 6 with new episodes available every other Monday.

Discovery is happening all around Seattle&hellip; if you know where to look. On Pocket Science, we dig into the fascinating, weird, and groundbreaking research happening right here in our backyard&mdash;and meet the scientists in the thick of it. From lab benches to tidal mudflats, it all starts with one simple question: what are you working on? The answers might surprise you. Take your curiosity with you on Pocket Science.
Pocket Science launches July 6 with new episodes available every other Monday.

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Gabriel Spitzer talks to Harmit Malik about using the remains of dead viruses that have built up in our bodies to create new variants to target future viruses.