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She was one of the first scientists in the world to “look the virus in the face” and would like to be among the first to get vaccinated. But Maria Rosaria Capobianchi, Professor of Molecular Biology, at the head of the Virology Laboratory of theSpallanzani Institute and gentleman of merit, he is also clear about what Italy, Cinderella for research funding, can not do. For example, being in competition with a country like Britain that managed to isolate the so-called English variant of the coronavirus thanks to 20 million pounds entrusted to the Covid-19 Genomics Consortium. And this is how England brands itself as the country that has produced since the pandemic since Sars on 2 “One third” of the approximately 250,000 genomic sequences. Italy cannot be compared with the United States, which, for example, financed the vaccine with 2,500 million Modern, although it will have a vaccine “with a very original design” that “makes us proud”. The truth is that “the fight against emerging infections – says the scientist to FattoQuotidiano.it – it’s like disaster relief. Firefighters must be ready to deploy. “
By now, we all know how important it is to sequence viruses. How can we have more labs?
First of all, we need an infrastructure that does not exist in Italy. A ‘draft’ funded by the Control Center for the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (CCM) and the Higher Institute of Health has just begun to monitor the sequences. But the firepower is quite low because the CCM is underfunded. We know that sequencing is crucial and we also know that typically Italy is not among those countries that have focused from the beginning on an infrastructure that deals with the monitoring of molecular epidemiology.
How long will it take to stand up?
You ask me a difficult question. It is not created in a day. So I don’t know how long it will take, in the meantime the minister has realized this need and has made an appeal following the invitation from ECDC to improve the sequencing infrastructure. If you look at the sequences deposited in Gisaid, the global platform that collects data, the Italian sequences are quite few and are mainly from a strip of Italy that goes from Emilia-Romagna downwards. I know other institutes do sequencing, but I’m definitely not on Gisaid.
But who can do the sequencing?
There are zooprophylactic institutes capable of molecular surveillance. However, to monitor the sequences there is a Nextstrain site, the next strain in practice, and they are all there. Of course, identical ones are counted only once. Do a search and see how many Italy has made. But the epidemic is not fought only by knowing the tensions. This is part of a higher level strategy, namely to track variations and know how to recognize them. Fighting the pandemic today means prevention and vaccination. We all have to stick to social distancing measures, respect closures, and avoid gatherings.
December 27 is Vaccine Day
It will be a start. Many people cannot get vaccinated, the doses are still limited. There is a need for organization, logistics and personnel.
She will get vaccinated
Of course and I hope to be among the first, it is not just something symbolic. I believe in it and I was among the first to see the virus in the face and I would like to be among the first to embrace the strategy in which we believe and in which we have invested: the vaccine, whether Italian or foreign.
All of you experts assure us of effectiveness even now that the English variant has been discovered. But what could make the vaccine ineffective?
The main target is protein S, which is precisely the protein we are dealing with and which accumulates these variations that we pay attention to. For now, the observed variations do not suggest that the vaccine is not working. There is a lot of experience with the flu, the vaccine is ‘adjusted’ each year because the virus changes so much that it is no longer sensitive to the immunity determined by the previous year’s vaccine.
So is the Covid vaccine adjustable too?
Surely. When a major mutation is identified that renders the vaccine ineffective, it is not difficult to adjust and calibrate. At this point the strategy of how the vaccine is designed is described. It won’t take long to replace Protein S if needed.
So not 10 months, but a few weeks.
Yes. What will eventually change is just a little bit, the composition of the protein. Most of the work is building the vector, it won’t take long.
To achieve this result, investments in research were unprecedented
Yes. But just look at the research funding fees to see that Italy is a Cinderella. Because research is an investment that is not made immediately, there is traditionally little consideration. You need to change your mindset because research pays off from one perspective. We are myopic: just look at how health care has been mistreated in recent years with linear cuts, but also in training. Now it is said that there are not enough doctors, biologists or other specialists, but a path of training as a qualified professional lasts for years and years. We need a plan for building human and professional resources, it is essential. Fighting emerging infections is like fighting natural disasters. We are particularly sensitive and say that we must invest in prevention, but since we do not invest we cry later. You think of the firefighters, they are there waiting: there are no accidents or fires at all times but when something happens the firefighters are and must be prepared. So they are waiting to be called out and all forces to be deployed.
Is the message to fund research, always and in any case?
Without money, no masses are sung. However, Italy has moved to finance a project that is Reithera’s with the Italian vaccine, which has a very original design because it is based on a different vector than all those used by others: it is a vector that promises well because man has no immune memory. Italians generally have great ideas that others exploit a bit. We strongly defend this project because it is Italian and it is a project that was financed by the state of the Lazio region and that sees us committed to associations and the Verona hospital. We are proud of the competition with these giants… But in Italy there are a whole series of obstacles to overcome: among them, the fact that experimentation has a high cost. But if disaster strikes, all of the maybe should be ready to deploy.
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