Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi (right) and Dr. Peter Hotez lead the laboratory at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
In 2002, an unknown virus was fatal in Guangzhou, China. a disease that scientists have called SARS (an abbreviation in English for severe acute respiratory syndrome).
later it was found that the causative agent of the disease is coronavirus it arose in the animal and passed into man.
A few months later, coronavirus spread to 29 countries, infect more than 8000 people and kill about 800 people.
All over the world was general requirement to know when the vaccine will be ready To put an end to the deadly virus, dozens of scientists in Asia, the United States and Europe have begun to work desperately to create a vaccine.
Several candidates appeared, some of whom were ready for use in clinical trials., But then it was possible to control the epidemic of SARS and the study of coronavirus vaccines was discontinued.
Years laterIn 2012, another deadly coronavirus appeared MERS-Cove, which caused a serious respiratory illness, MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), which occurred in camels and transmitted to humans.
And many scientists have confirmed the need for a vaccine against these pathogens.
Today, almost 20 years later, when a new coronavirus appeared, SARS-Cov-2 has already infected nearly 1.5 million peopleThe world again asks when the vaccine will be ready.
Why didn’t we learn from these other coronaviruses if it is known that they can cause such deadly diseases in humans as Covid-19? And why were the vaccines not further studied?
“We are not interested”
A team of scientists in Houston, Texas, in the United States, continued the investigation, and in 2016 I had a vaccine against coronavirus ready.
“We finished rehearsing and we went through a critical aspect of creating a pilot vaccine manufacturing process, ”Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, co-director of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and co-director of the BBC Vaccine Development Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, USA.
“So, we went to the NIH (US National Institute of Health) and asked them:“ What are we doing to quickly deliver the vaccine to the clinic? ” And they told us: “Look, now we are no longer interested.”
The vaccine was against the coronavirus, which caused the SARS epidemic in 2002, but since the epidemic that originated in China was already under control, researchersnever managed to get financingabout.
This was not the only vaccine that was suspended. Dozens of scientists around the world they stopped studying because oflack of interest and means to continue the investigation,
After the coronavirus epidemic in 2002, dozens of scientists suspended their studies due to lack of interest and means to continue research.
According to BBC Susan Weiss, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, when the epidemic ended, after 7 and 8 months people, governments and pharmaceuticals “They immediately lost interest in the study of coronaviruses.”
“But also, SARS has mostly affected Asia, with a few cases in Toronto, Canada, but hasn’t reached Europe like this new coronavirus.”
“Then came MERS, the second virulent human coronavirus. and it was almost completely limited to the Middle East. “
Then the coronaviruses and interest in them dissipated. Until now And I really think that we should have been better prepared, ”says the researcher.
Two reservations
Experts say that SARS and MERS were two “incredible warnings” about the dangers of coronaviruses, and yet efforts continued to further investigate them.
Although Dr. Bottazzi’s vaccine was for a coronavirus different from the one currently circulating, experts agree that if this vaccine were ready, much faster progress would be made in developing a new vaccine for future epidemics.
Jason Schwartz, a professor at Yale University’s School of Public Health, says preparations for this pandemic were about to begin. after an outbreak of SARS in 2002.
“If we had not abandoned the SARS vaccine research program, we would have had more funds ready to work on this closely related new virus,” he told the magazine. Atlantic,
Indeed, a new coronavirus, called Sars-Cov-2, it’s “Close cousin” coronavirus that caused sars in 2002.
According to experts, SARS and MERS were two “incredible warnings.”
Both viruses are, genetically, 80% similar, says Dr. Bottazzi, and since her vaccine had already gone through the necessary processes for its approval, she could adapt more quickly to the new coronavirus.
“We already had an example of how these types of vaccines behave. and although the viruses are not exactly the same, they belong to the same class, ”explains BBC Mundo researcher.
“We already have experience observing where problems arise with the vaccine and how to solve them. Because we already saw how the SARS vaccine behaved preclinically, and we expect the new vaccine to behave in much the same way. ”
“We could already have a safety profile for people,” he adds, “and more confidence that these vaccines can be used in populations that need them.”
“Terrible business proposal”
If you had all this knowledge now, Why then was the coronavirus vaccine study discontinued??
Everything, experts say, comes down to the tools available for research.
“We did not ask for 100 or 1000 million dollarsSays co-director of the Houston National School of Tropical Medicine.
“We talked about three or four million dollars. With a million and a half, we could conduct a clinical study to have a human profile. But they stopped us when we were going to get interesting evidence. “
Members of the laboratory at the National School of Tropical Medicine Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
But the funding is over because there was no market for vaccineAs explained by Petr Kolchinsky, a virologist and director of the biotechnological company RA Capital.
“The reality is that when there is a market, there is a solution,” he tells the BBC. “Today we have hundreds of coronavirus vaccines, but they are all for animals: pigs, chickens, cows, etc. “
These are vaccines for the prevention of diseases that can cost millions of dollars to poultry and livestock.
And it was believed that human coronavirus outbreaks can be controlled.
“The problem is that for any company this is a terrible business proposition to develop a product that, according to probabilities, it will not be used for decades, or perhaps never. ”
“This is the thing that governments should invest in. If this were a priority, I have no doubt that government agencies would finance the further development of a vaccine for Sars, ”says Kolchinsky.
“And perhaps we would be better prepared to respond to the Covid-19,” he adds.
New vaccine
Now the reality is that a vaccine is needed against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
And there is a chance that this not thereé ready for a few monthsMaybe between 12 and 18.
The vaccine will not be ready for several months.
Perhaps by then the pandemic will be in control.
Dr. Bottazzi and her team working on updating the 2016 Sars vaccine andin new vaccine for Covid-19.
And they continue to try to find funding for their research.
“Donors gave us money to quickly promote the 2016 vaccine, and the National Institute of Health gave us a small grant of $ 400,000 to start developing the (new vaccine) Covid-19. But we must continue to persuade donors to have money to accelerate it. ”
The whole process, the researcher says, “Very upsetting”,
“We in the laboratories want to develop these vaccines, but no financial support or support from government to give us funds for research, ”says Maria Elena Bottazzi for the BBC Mundo.
“Because we do not have sustainable programs and priorities change depending on what is happening at the moment“.
Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi (right) and Dr. Peter Hotez lead the laboratory at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
In 2002, an unknown virus was fatal in Guangzhou, China. a disease that scientists have called SARS (an abbreviation in English for severe acute respiratory syndrome).
later it was found that the causative agent of the disease is coronavirus it arose in the animal and passed into man.
A few months later, coronavirus spread to 29 countries, infect more than 8000 people and kill about 800 people.
All over the world was general requirement to know when the vaccine will be ready To put an end to the deadly virus, dozens of scientists in Asia, the United States and Europe have begun to work desperately to create a vaccine.
Several candidates appeared, some of whom were ready for use in clinical trials., But then it was possible to control the epidemic of SARS and the study of coronavirus vaccines was discontinued.
Years laterIn 2012, another deadly coronavirus appeared MERS-Cove, which caused a serious respiratory illness, MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), which occurred in camels and transmitted to humans.
And many scientists have confirmed the need for a vaccine against these pathogens.
Today, almost 20 years later, when a new coronavirus appeared, SARS-Cov-2 has already infected nearly 1.5 million peopleThe world again asks when the vaccine will be ready.
Why didn’t we learn from these other coronaviruses if it is known that they can cause such deadly diseases in humans as Covid-19? And why were the vaccines not further studied?
“We are not interested”
A team of scientists in Houston, Texas, in the United States, continued the investigation, and in 2016 I had a vaccine against coronavirus ready.
“We finished rehearsing and we went through a critical aspect of creating a pilot vaccine manufacturing process, ”Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, co-director of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and co-director of the BBC Vaccine Development Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, USA.
“So, we went to the NIH (US National Institute of Health) and asked them:“ What are we doing to quickly deliver the vaccine to the clinic? ” And they told us: “Look, now we are no longer interested.”
The vaccine was against the coronavirus, which caused the SARS epidemic in 2002, but since the epidemic that originated in China was already under control, researchersnever managed to get financingabout.
This was not the only vaccine that was suspended. Dozens of scientists around the world they stopped studying because oflack of interest and means to continue the investigation,
After the coronavirus epidemic in 2002, dozens of scientists suspended their studies due to lack of interest and means to continue research.
According to BBC Susan Weiss, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, when the epidemic ended, after 7 and 8 months people, governments and pharmaceuticals “They immediately lost interest in the study of coronaviruses.”
“But also, SARS has mostly affected Asia, with a few cases in Toronto, Canada, but hasn’t reached Europe like this new coronavirus.”
“Then came MERS, the second virulent human coronavirus. and it was almost completely limited to the Middle East. “
Then the coronaviruses and interest in them dissipated. Until now And I really think that we should have been better prepared, ”says the researcher.
Two reservations
Experts say that SARS and MERS were two “incredible warnings” about the dangers of coronaviruses, and yet efforts continued to further investigate them.
Although Dr. Bottazzi’s vaccine was for a coronavirus different from the one currently circulating, experts agree that if this vaccine were ready, much faster progress would be made in developing a new vaccine for future epidemics.
Jason Schwartz, a professor at Yale University’s School of Public Health, says preparations for this pandemic were about to begin. after an outbreak of SARS in 2002.
“If we had not abandoned the SARS vaccine research program, we would have had more funds ready to work on this closely related new virus,” he told the magazine. Atlantic,
Indeed, a new coronavirus, called Sars-Cov-2, it’s “Close cousin” coronavirus that caused sars in 2002.
According to experts, SARS and MERS were two “incredible warnings.”
Both viruses are, genetically, 80% similar, says Dr. Bottazzi, and since her vaccine had already gone through the necessary processes for its approval, she could adapt more quickly to the new coronavirus.
“We already had an example of how these types of vaccines behave. and although the viruses are not exactly the same, they belong to the same class, ”explains BBC Mundo researcher.
“We already have experience observing where problems arise with the vaccine and how to solve them. Because we already saw how the SARS vaccine behaved preclinically, and we expect the new vaccine to behave in much the same way. ”
“We could already have a safety profile for people,” he adds, “and more confidence that these vaccines can be used in populations that need them.”
“Terrible business proposal”
If you had all this knowledge now, Why then was the coronavirus vaccine study discontinued??
Everything, experts say, comes down to the tools available for research.
“We did not ask for 100 or 1000 million dollarsSays co-director of the Houston National School of Tropical Medicine.
“We talked about three or four million dollars. With a million and a half, we could conduct a clinical study to have a human profile. But they stopped us when we were going to get interesting evidence. “
Members of the laboratory at the National School of Tropical Medicine Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
But the funding is over because there was no market for vaccineAs explained by Petr Kolchinsky, a virologist and director of the biotechnological company RA Capital.
“The reality is that when there is a market, there is a solution,” he tells the BBC. “Today we have hundreds of coronavirus vaccines, but they are all for animals: pigs, chickens, cows, etc. “
These are vaccines for the prevention of diseases that can cost millions of dollars to poultry and livestock.
And it was believed that human coronavirus outbreaks can be controlled.
“The problem is that for any company this is a terrible business proposition to develop a product that, according to probabilities, it will not be used for decades, or perhaps never. ”
“This is the thing that governments should invest in. If this were a priority, I have no doubt that government agencies would finance the further development of a vaccine for Sars, ”says Kolchinsky.
“And perhaps we would be better prepared to respond to the Covid-19,” he adds.
New vaccine
Now the reality is that a vaccine is needed against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
And there is a chance that this not thereé ready for a few monthsMaybe between 12 and 18.
The vaccine will not be ready for several months.
Perhaps by then the pandemic will be in control.
Dr. Bottazzi and her team working on updating the 2016 Sars vaccine andin new vaccine for Covid-19.
And they continue to try to find funding for their research.
“Donors gave us money to quickly promote the 2016 vaccine, and the National Institute of Health gave us a small grant of $ 400,000 to start developing the (new vaccine) Covid-19. But we must continue to persuade donors to have money to accelerate it. ”
The whole process, the researcher says, “Very upsetting”,
“We in the laboratories want to develop these vaccines, but no financial support or support from government to give us funds for research, ”says Maria Elena Bottazzi for the BBC Mundo.
“Because we do not have sustainable programs and priorities change depending on what is happening at the moment“.
