![]() “In a way, we can produce medicines inside the body,” says Marta Ortega-Valle, founder of GreenLight, a biotech company that manufactures lab-produced RNA. Marta Ortega-Valle, founder of GreenLight Biosciences, talks to Elemental about mRNA and its potential to treat or prevent a whole range of conditions in the future. But to fight this deadly virus and all its variants requires the agility and ingenuity to equip every country with the tools it needs to stay victorious.Įlemental: All about mRNA Marta Ortega-Valle, founder of GreenLight Biosciences, talks to Elemental about mRNA and its potential to treat or prevent a whole range of conditions. To go from identifying a pandemic virus to getting a vaccine for that virus into millions of arms within a year is extraordinary, when the normal process takes a decade or more. The last year has been a showcase for the power of science and of human ingenuity. Africa is, essentially, at the back of the line. The Covax initiative plans to send 600 million doses to Africa, enough for only about 20 per cent of its population so far only 20 million have been delivered. Local manufacturing – that is to say, a factory on the continent itself – would help meet the demand and increase the pace of vaccinations. Vaccines for Covid-19 cannot yet be manufactured in Africa. We are partnering with governments, multilateral institutions and companies on all continents to accelerate pandemic response. GreenLight’s novel RNA manufacturing process – quick to start, built for scale, and using small bioreactors – may be part of the solution. Some countries may share their vaccines with others, but to produce vaccines continually and efficiently, we need production sites distributed around the world. That’s daunting, but it is possible to meet the challenge. At the current pace, full vaccination will not occur until the end of 2022, but we must find a way to make enough vaccines, about 15 billion doses, before serious vaccine-resistant variants overtake us. The pandemic will not end until everyone is vaccinated – and quickly. The National: Africa needs to be self-reliant in vaccine production Andrey Zarur, CEO of GreenLight Biosciences, writes an opinion piece for The National about how vaccine production needs to progress for the world to recover from the pandemic.Īndrey Zarur, CEO of GreenLight Biosciences, writes an opinion piece for The National about how vaccine production needs to progress, particularly in Africa, for the world to recover from the pandemic. A more complete version might target other parts of the virus than the spike protein that would mean a much more rigorous testing and approval regime, and it may take months longer to get such a vaccine to market.įind out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA here. ![]() But, says Khan, that’s a bit more complicated. The hope is that “third-generation” vaccines will be capable of covering all the existing variants and most foreseeable future ones. Playing whack-a-mole with new variants isn’t a long-term solution, though. Changing your manufacturing system is more complicated, “but within two or three months, you can get a new variant to the market”. And if the new version simply targets a slightly modified version of the spike protein, as the existing vaccines do, it won’t need much in the way of testing and regulatory approval. Extracts below:Īmin Khan, head of vaccines at the biotech firm GreenLight, says that you can get a new variant-specific mRNA vaccine ready to go in a few weeks. ![]() Credit: Unherd/Amarjeet KumarĪmin Khan, Head of Vaccines at GreenLight Biosciences, speaks to Unherd about the ability to rapidly rollout new mRNA vaccines in a wider piece about why third jabs are inevitable. The Fossas long tail and cat like paws give them the ability to climb high into the trees to hunt.Unherd: Why third jabs are inevitable Amin Khan, Head of Vaccines at GreenLight Biosciences, speaks to Unherd a wider piece about why third jabs are inevitable. For a long time, Fossas dominated Madagascar and the locals created legends and myths around them. These carnivores live in Madagascar and are really only known by the natives who live there. But, they are actually not related to any of those animals. I can’t decide if they’re super cute or really terrifying.Īt first glance, the Fossa looks like a cat, dog, monkey and possible weasel mix. Tarsiers leap from tree to tree to catch their pray. Their eyes are huge (one eye ball weighing more than its brain) to help aid them in seeing at night! They are carnivores and usually eat birds, lizards, and insects. The Tarsier is a nocturnal animal that is found in a number of South-East Asian islands. From the deep, dark seas to the highest tree tops, these are 20 cool animals that you probably had no idea existed! 1. With so many beautiful and amazing creatures on this Earth, it is impossible to keep track and know them all. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |