Barney Graham is in a race against time to develop vaccines that reduce the severity of COVID-197/26/2020  Researchers at Sinovac Biotech in Beijing are working on a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.Credit: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Barney Graham and his team are one of more than 150 vaccine developers racing against time to develop vaccines that reduce the severity of COVID-19, or block infection by SARS-CoV-2. Barney is a vaccinologist and deputy director at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He was also speaker and member of the scientific advisory committee at ReSViNET’s past meeting in Accra, Ghana. In January, Graham and his colleagues were just about to start manufacturing the Nipah vaccine for human trials when they got wind of a disease caused by a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. They quickly changed their plans and swapped in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA instead. Clinical tests followed quickly and took just six weeks. In a phase I safety trial, Graham’s mRNA vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 was well tolerated by people, and a phase II study has begun to determine the dose required. A phase III trial designed to assess the vaccine’s efficacy is scheduled to start this month.
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We look back on a succesful, exciting and inspiring meeting. Many thanks to Marta Nunes, Tracy Ruckwardt and Natalie Mazur for chairing the conference. We thank Beate Kampmann, Marta Nunes, Tracy Ruckwardt, Fernando Polack, Deborah Higgins, Louis Bont, Heather Zar and James Nokes for chairing the sessions. We thank Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH and pharmaceutical companies to make this event possible. And last but not least we thank all participants for their attendance, questions and poster contributions. Today is already Day 3 and last day of the RSVVW 2019 Conference. Yesterday we had an exciting and busy day with talks on latest developments in RSV molecular virology, immunology, clinical advancements of RSV prevention and RSV treatment. We finished the day with a wonderful dinner and bonfire at Labadi Beach. Tune in on our website (http://www.resvinet.org) to get an update on the status of RSV therapeutics and to follow discussions on RSV Developing world perspectives.
Today is Day 2 of the RSVVW 2019 Conference. We are happy with a successful Day 1 filled with a variety of events: Symposium on RSV Epidemiology and Surveillance, Keynote Speeches from the Deputy Minister of Health, Ghana and Daniel Feikin from the WHO, Session I, Masterclasses on Global Health and How to Get Published and an inspirational talk from Akwasi Frimpong, Ghanaian olympic bobsledding champion! We have another exciting busy program for today - please tune in by clicking this link!
The RSVVW 2019 Conference begins today in Accra, Ghana. It will be live streamed through our website. Today scientists, stakeholders, physicians, representatives and students have come together from all around the world to discuss and share insights about the burden of RSV. You can access the live streaming option here for Day 1!
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