An interview with Sarah Gilbert
Dr Sarah Gilbert leads the influenza and emerging pathogens programme at the Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research, at the University of Oxford. In this interview, she tells us more about how vaccines are produced and how we can be better prepared for disease outbreaks.
Tell us more about your research
I studied biological science for my first degree and specialized in microbiology, then went on to complete a PhD in microbial biochemistry. My postdoctoral career led to me researching the genetic manipulation of brewing yeasts to prevent beer spoilage; production of recombinant human blood proteins in yeast for therapeutic use; and studying the genetics of interactions between an apicomplexan parasite and its human host.
I then moved into vaccine development, using molecular virology to convert viruses into safe and effective vaccine vectors; using those vectors to produce vaccines against a wide range of human and animal pathogens.
What have you been working on more recently?
I have been working on producing many different vaccines using the same technology; in order to reduce time and costs associated with the development of vaccines against many different viruses that can cause outbreaks, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Nipah and Lassa.
Vaccine development requires studying the pathogen and then producing either a killed vaccine, or a live attenuated version to use as a vaccine. Both of these approaches have their drawbacks with regards to vaccine safety and take a long time to develop for each individual pathogen. By using the same platform technology to make many different vaccines, the development time and costs can be greatly shortened.
How can we be better prepared for disease outbreaks?
There are two ways of being better prepared for disease outbreaks. For the known pathogens, we can produce and test vaccines and have stockpiles ready to access when needed. For the previously unknown pathogens such as coronavirus (COVID–19); we can have plans in place to respond rapidly – although those plans go far beyond microbiology and into many other disciplines – which requires a large and diverse team to work together. As the novel coronavirus outbreak spreads, those plans are being implemented.
