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Since mid-January, my laboratory at the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, UK, has had a clear goal: to develop a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The -80°Background C freezers contain samples of blood and serum from volunteers who have received a test vaccine. The gray machine to my right reads the level of antibodies in these samples, a key measure of vaccine effectiveness.
We began our quest as soon as the genetic information on SARS-CoV-2 was released in January, when the virus was still largely confined to China. My brother was there at the time, so, overprotective big sister that I am, I paid close attention to what was going on. By mid-February, after working nights and weekends, my team had developed a vaccine that produced an antibody response in a small preclinical trial.
We were well prepared to act quickly. The lab had worked on vaccines against other pathogens, including a type of coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). We already had a viral vector, a modified cold virus that could safely and reliably deliver pieces of coronavirus to host cells, triggering an immune system response. People ask why and how we have moved so quickly, but this is what we are doing. We develop and test vaccines.
Our vaccine is currently in phase III clinical trials. To ensure that it can be industrially produced and delivered worldwide, if approved, we have partnered with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
I am fascinated by T cells as well as antibodies. T cells do not prevent infections, but they seek out and destroy infected cells. If we could develop a vaccine that triggers both T cells and antibodies, we would have a double whammy that could provide strong protection against SARS-CoV-2.
The search for a vaccine took over my life. I have never worked harder. If I had any advice for myself in January I would say take more vacation.
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