Imagine that the road to developing the Covid-19 vaccines began with a chance encounter that began planting the seeds to collective action.
Join Dr. Drew Weismann has he recounts his journey to developing the vaccine, how this science is being furthered to combat other health crises around the world, his response to the politicizing of vaccines in today’s society and the collective action needed to further health equity in the regions that need it most.
Drew Weissman, MD, PhD is the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and an infectious disease expert. His laboratory focuses on the study of RNA and immune system biology and applies findings to vaccine research and gene therapy. His research—in collaboration with Dr. Katalin Karikó—on the use of mRNA as a delivery system to promote broad immune responses was the scientific basis for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. In anticipation of future threats to global health, his team is working on a new vaccine to target the broader class of coronaviruses. He also hopes to use the mRNA platform to create vaccines against other widespread and serious diseases, including influenza, genital herpes, HIV, and malaria.