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“But he knows that mosquitoes Am I the most dangerous organism in the world? They transmit Nile fever, encephalitis, malaria … They are responsible for about three million deaths worldwide each year. More than double the number of victims caused by Coronaviruyes, to make a comparison. “In fact, they represent a gigantic problem.” Here, this could be enough to tell how Andrea Crisanti is made, the “father” of the massive tampon project made by Veneto after the first Covid 19 death recorded in Vo ‘Euganeo. To the virologist Giorgio Palù who makes fun of him on television as a “mosquito scientist”, he responds by explaining why he would do well not to underestimate the devastating power of that little insect. “It’s like nickname him”topologist”A geneticist who uses rats for his research. I am proud of the fact that when I was working in London with other colleagues I developed a technology capable of genetically modifying entire populations of insects. When applied to mosquitoes, it can make them resistant to malaria transmission. This study is considered one of the most important discoveries of recent years … ».
The office
Crisanti Office – the furniture is essential: a computer, the wardrobe, a large wooden desk with a white cup on top and various files – it is on the first floor of a building adjacent to the Padua hospital which also houses the famous laboratories where they “process” even seven thousand swabs a day, separating those who contracted the virus from the negative ones. In the hallway, two operators – hired in June to support the staff of the University’s Department of Molecular Medicine – they line the tubes in containers called “racks.” “The swabs,” they explain, “are put into a machine to be“ cooked ”to kill the virus, leaving its DNA intact. Only then can they be tested without risk. ‘ In these rooms, which are part of the old Padua hospital, the day of the most controversial scientist of all the experts who has presented the emergency takes place. Loved by the public (a poll places him on the podium of the “most credible” scholars, according to Italians) but thorn in the side of colleagues and politicians. Crisanti is unsettling because she always seems to say everything she thinks. And in an environment plastered like the academic one, it flies like its beloved mosquitoes, biting without much attention. «I take advantage of a privilege that few have: I am not tied to anyone and that is why I can express my beliefs without first asking myself what others will think. I got my professional experience in one place, England, pigeon freedom of expression is an indispensable principle. Unfortunately, in Italy it works differently: many professionals – not all, mind you – make a career from their network of relationships. This forces them to filter thoughts based on political views. In recent months I have witnessed a total degeneration, with fellow scientists becoming a megaphone for party strategies. Some are saved. Few in fact. “I respect Massimo Galli a lot, the director of the department of infectious diseases of the Sacco hospital in Milan ». He still hopes not to catch the virus of politics: “Personally, if I don’t agree with Zaia or with the government, I have no problem saying so.” And in fact between him and the governor, he has been frozen for months. The repercussions were not long in coming, such as in Treviso where the municipality (League) has taken away the patronage of the day in which Crisanti was going to participate. “It is a decision that does not do much honor to those who made it. Perhaps you should reflect on one thing: even if I have political opinions opposed to those of Zaia, you should give me the credit of having worked in them for a long time, for the good of the Venetians. But then the collaboration ended with a thousand poisons. “At one point he wanted to fully appropriate the success obtained in containing the contagion, with the sole purpose of gaining points in the elections. He was not the only one. De Luca has also “capitalized” on the coronavirus emergency. And in fact they were the most voted governors.
Routine”
Anyone who imagines Crisanti bent over the test tubes or, conversely, always traveling from one television room to another, is wrong. Arrived at the office around 9, checked there mail and closed in meeting with the secretariat of the Department of Molecular Medicine, of which he is director. “We discuss management problems, orders to be made, contests, union and bureaucratic problems …”. In the laboratory it comes out less than I would like: the day was marked by meetings with his staff and colleagues in London. On Tuesday they discussed a new study on quick tests. “But I still find them ineffective,” he admits. Typically, the first phone calls from journalists come in the late morning. “We need a crackdown: I have decided that from now on I will greatly limit my presence in newspapers and television programs.” Hard to believe. But he insists: “I’m tired and overexposed. I feel too much attention to myself, I need to think about something else. And in fact these days he is working on an article for a scientific journal. “Nothing to do with Covid 19”. The argument? “The transmission of diseases through mosquitoes, of course.».
October 21, 2020 (change October 21, 2020 | 09:14)
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