It took Barney Graham, Jason Mclellan and their collaborators just a weekend in January 2020 to design a novel vaccine they believed would be capable of protecting people against COVID-19. Their design formed the basis for the vaccines that Moderna, Pfizer and others would eventually use to inoculate millions of Americans a little more than a year later, a pace of development unprecedented in the annals of modern medicine.
By then, however, the two pioneering virologists were already thinking about future pandemics— and how they might get ahead of them.
Graham and McLellan are part of a corps of researchers hoping to take the technology they used on COVID-19 vaccines and apply them to an even more futuristic creation: an arsenal of off-the-shelf premade vaccines that could be easily modified to attack new pathogens as they arise—a kind of “pan” or “universal” coronavirus vaccine capable of protecting against many different strains of the virus at the same time.
Even as scientists race to develop booster shots and tweak existing vaccines to work against new variants to SARS2, they’re looking ahead to future pandemics caused by entirely new pathogens from the same coronavirus family, one of just 26 known to infect humans. But SARS-CoV-2 is the third novel, deadly coronavirus to cross over from animals to humans in the last 20 years, and many scientists warn more will inevitably follow. Even though a “universal” vaccine that can protect against any new coronavirus that nature throws at us probably won’t be available this year or next, development has become a high priority.
This story is from the May 21 - 28, 2021 (Double Issue) edition of Newsweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 21 - 28, 2021 (Double Issue) edition of Newsweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
'I Don't Live My Life With the Cameras On'
Canada's first lady Sophie Grégoire Trudeau talks working through trauma, relationships in the public eye and her new book exploring mental health
We're Struggling to Afford Our Furry Friends
The cost of caring for our four-legged companions has risen for nearly threequarters of Americans, leaving many owners concerned about financially supporting them
A Life of Crime: America's Migrant-Smuggling Teens
Money-motivated children as young as 14 are being targeted by cartels on social media to traffic people illegally into the US and it's just the start of their criminal journey
'I am always in the moment'
India's prime minister on his goals, his critics and his 'god-gifted' ability to listen
JAPAN'S CALL TO ARMS
As the 'peace-loving nation' doubles its defense spending, Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA explains why it needs to take an assertive stance to counter China and North Korea
The States Keeping Their Children Hungry
The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer could help feed millions of children in households experiencing food insecurity, yet 13 states have declined to participate in the program
Fertility Clinics 2024
FOR THOSE LOOKING TO EXPAN D THEIR FAMILIES, FERTILITY CLINICS CAN BE A VITAL OPTION
Who Rules Gaza When the Fighting Stops?
With no clear leader coming to the fore, questions remain about how the devastated territory will be managed
Gillian Anderson
IF THERE'S ONE THING THAT'S TRUE ABOUT GILLIAN ANDERSON, IT'S THAT she isn't afraid of a challenge.
Alex Edelman
A JEW ACCIDENTALLY STUMBLES UPON A gathering of white nationalists. For most, this would be a cause for concern, but for Alex Edelman it's an opportunity for a hit one-man comedy show.