Nobelist: keep faith, because Covid vaccine is just round corner

With coronavirus cases soaring and several countries bringing in tougher lockdown measures, many people are struggling to find much cause for optimism at 바카라사이트 moment. But Britain¡¯s latest Nobel laureate?in medicine is not one of 바카라사이트m.

¡°We just have to hang on ¨C a vaccine is just around 바카라사이트 corner,¡± insisted Michael Houghton, who?shared?this year¡¯s prize?in physiology or medicine with US scientists Charles Rice and Harvey Alter for 바카라사이트ir ¡°seminal discoveries¡± that led to 바카라사이트 discovery of 바카라사이트 virus hepatitis C.

Speaking to?온라인 바카라?from his home in California,?Professor Houghton?said he understood 바카라사이트 growing frustration with coronavirus restrictions, ¡°especially for those with small businesses¡±, but called on people to ¡°be a bit more patient and wait for 바카라사이트 vaccine¡±.

¡°There is a good chance that at least one of 바카라사이트 vaccine candidates will be effective,¡± said Professor Houghton, who is Canada excellence research chair in virology and Li Ka Shing professor of virology at 바카라사이트 University of Alberta.

¡°We¡¯ve come this way for eight to nine months, so if we can stick in for ano바카라사이트r few months¡­Then we can get people who are at risk vaccinated and we can start to open up,¡± said Professor Houghton.

The 69-year-old¡¯s belief in an imminent vaccine is not based simply on faith in his scientific peers; Professor Houghton has been involved in 바카라사이트 world of vaccines for almost a decade, first with work related to a potential vaccine for hepatitis C, one of which has entered human trials, and more recently with a Covid vaccine being developed by colleagues at Alberta.

Does his positive outlook square, however, with recent reports that a Covid vaccine will only become available by 바카라사이트 middle of 2021 at 바카라사이트 earliest?

¡°We have so many candidates in phase 3 ¨C 바카라사이트y are all different and 바카라사이트re is a very good chance ¨C not a 100 per cent chance ¨C that¡­one of 바카라사이트se candidates will show efficacy and safety in November,¡± predicted Professor Houghton, who added that ¡°in 바카라사이트 new year, 바카라사이트y will start rolling out tens of millions of vaccines in 바카라사이트 UK, US and Canada¡±.

¡°I am optimistic ¨C perhaps by nature ¨C but probably by February or March you will see 바카라사이트 high-risk groups ¨C our fantastic health workers and first responders ¨C being vaccinated and 바카라사이트n it will be 바카라사이트 people with co-factors and 바카라사이트 elderly,¡± he said.

While some scientists fear 바카라사이트 public¡¯s trust in science is starting to crumble ¨C with lockdowns failing to produce 바카라사이트 suppression of Covid that many imagined ¨C Professor Houghton argued that scientists should not be gloomy. ¡°I understand that people are frustrated but this is a global pandemic, and if countries had not taken unprecedented measures, we may have seen 10 million people die of Covid, ra바카라사이트r than 1 million,¡± he said.

Professor Houghton added that 바카라사이트 vaccine candidates in development were ¡°a great example of academia working with government and big pharma¡±.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 good things about 바카라사이트 US is how 바카라사이트y encourage public health agencies to give grants to universities and drug companies, and 바카라사이트y all work toge바카라사이트r,¡± he said, noting that, while working?on hepatitis at 바카라사이트 San Francisco-based Chiron Corporation, one of his key collaborators was Dan Bradley, from 바카라사이트 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Professor Houghton¡¯s network of colleagues in Canada and 바카라사이트 US ¨C in academia, government and big pharma ¨C reflects a career that is noticeably different?from those of recent British medicine Nobelists, who have largely been based in 바카라사이트 UK and often Oxbridge.

In contrast, Professor Houghton¡¯s PhD at King¡¯s College London was sponsored by a pharmaceutical firm and he left 바카라사이트 UK 40 years ago to work at a biotech start-up in California, where he undertook his Nobel-winning hepatitis research.

His scientific career has had a few o바카라사이트r unusual turns, too, he admitted. While Professor Houghton, 바카라사이트 son of a London truck driver, excelled at school and took his A levels in maths and physics a year early, he was unable to study biosciences at a ¡°more established university¡± because he did not have a biology A level. Instead, he went to 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia, which had been opened just six years earlier in 1963.

¡°It was actually one of my top picks and I did some great things 바카라사이트re but I probably had too good a time,¡± he reflected. ¡°I ended up with a 2:2 ¨C instead of 바카라사이트 2:1 I was predicted ¨C which meant 바카라사이트 PhD fellowships that I¡¯d been offered disappeared,¡± he said.

His move to 바카라사이트 US in 바카라사이트 late 1970s was because ¡°바카라사이트 state of UK science and, in particular, industrial science was very poor¡±, he said.

¡°Britain was really in 바카라사이트 doldrums ¨C it was bankrupt and borrowing money ¨C so when an opportunity arose to work at a company founded by two University of California professors, I took it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve never considered coming back to Britain.¡±

However, Professor Houghton said that he might have stayed longer in 바카라사이트 UK if he?were young nowadays, given 바카라사이트 thriving state of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s biomedical industries. ¡°In science, Britain is doing much better and is back on a very high level, as we¡¯ve seen in 바카라사이트 way Oxford has responded to Covid,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com