New open access journal FUNCTION launches operations, with a review published on the potential of oral mouthwash to reduce Covid-19 transmission

New open access journal FUNCTION launches operations, with a review published on the potential of oral mouthwash to reduce Covid-19 transmission


We are delighted to announce that the new open access journal FUNCTION has published its first articles, with an inaugural editorial by Editor-in-Chief Ole Petersen and a review led by Cardiff University’s Professor Val O’Donnell on a possible means of reducing Covid-19 transmission through the use of oral mouthwash.

In his inaugural editorial, Professor Petersen has announced that the American Physiological Society’s new peer-reviewed open access journal FUNCTION, published in partnership with Oxford University Press, is now operational and ready to receive submissions. The first to be published is a review into the potential of oral mouthwash to reduce Covid-19 transmission in the early stages of infection.  The review has been conducted by researchers from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine led by Professor Val O’Donnell, along with the universities of Nottingham, Colorado, Ottawa, Barcelona and Cambridge’s Babraham Institute, and  included virologists, lipid specialists, microbicide and healthcare experts.  

The review shows previous studies where chemicals commonly found in mouthwashes, such as low amounts of ethanol, povidone-iodine and cetylpyridinium damage the lipid membranes of several enveloped viruses. More research is needed to show whether this could also be effective in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the early stages of infection. 

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From Research to Public Health Policy by Professor Martin McKee MAE

From Research to Public Health Policy by Professor Martin McKee MAE

Professor Martin McKee tells us about his passion for Public Health, his role at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and his latest research on the adverse effects of movement restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Martin McKee

Martin McKee is Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). He qualified in medicine in Northern Ireland and later trained in public health in London. He is Research Director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. He has published over 1,180 scientific papers and 46 books on health and health policy with a particular focus on countries undergoing political and social transition. He is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London, Edinburgh, and Ireland. His contributions to European health policy have been recognised by election to the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, the US National Academy of Medicine and other academies. He was elected to the Academia Europaea in 2018. 

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Understanding asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by Professor Peter Barnes MAE

Understanding asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by Professor Peter Barnes MAE

Peter Barnes tells us about his career highlights and the effect of COVID-19 on his research.

About Peter Barnes

Peter Barnes is Professor of Medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute and Honorary Consultant Physician at Royal Brompton Hospital, London. He has worked as a respiratory scientist for over 40 years and was Head of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College from 1987 to 2017. He has been the most highly cited respiratory researcher in the world over the last 30 years (h-index = 185) and recently ranked as 4th most highly cited researcher in the world across all areas. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences.  He was elected a Member of Academia Europaea in 2012.

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Making decisions at times of uncertainty, by Nils-Eric Sahlin MAE

Making decisions at times of uncertainty, by Nils-Eric Sahlin MAE


Nils-Eric Sahlin MAE tells us about his research on decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, and his contribution to the recent evidence review on ‘Making Sense of Science for Policy’, coordinated by Academia Europaea.

About Nils-Eric Sahlin MAE

Professor Nils-Eric Sahlin MAE is the former Chair of the Swedish Research Council’s Expert Group on Ethics and a current member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE).  He was a member of the SAPEA international working group that produced the Evidence Review Report, Making Sense of Science for Policy under Conditions of Complexity and Uncertainty (SAPEA, 2019), which was coordinated by Academia Europaea.

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