Refinery 29
I helped create the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
A health worker holds a dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the coronavirus COVID-19 as South Africa continues its inoculation campaign at Klerksdorp Hospital on February 18, 2021. (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP) (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / (AFP via Getty Images) Over the weekend, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, and is now the third vaccine to be distributed worldwide. country, second only to Moderna and Pfizer and their two-dose mRNA vaccines. Nearly 4 million doses of the newly approved vaccine were shipped across the country on Sunday night, the first dose of which is scheduled to be administered in The application of another vaccine will mean a lot to many: for people eager to have an injection so they can see their grandchildren; to the families of the more than 500,000 Americans who died of COVID-19; but also to researchers and scientists who work. they worked tirelessly last year to help create a solution to our global crisis. Hanneke Schuitemaker, PhD, vice president and global head of discovery for viral vaccines and translational medicine at Johnson & Johnson, is one of these researchers. She helped develop the vaccine and has since been involved in analyzing Johnson & Johnson’s test data. I spoke to her in April, when she was working 14 hours a day to create a vaccine that she deeply hoped would work. When his team first released the data from the phase three trial, showing that the study determined that the vaccine was safe and effective in January, I tried to update myself. From her home office in the Netherlands, Dr. Schuitemaker spoke to me via Zoom in anticipation of the milestone reached last weekend, saying that her team is happy with the results and even set aside time on their schedules to celebrate some of their great victories virtually. But they also did not stop fighting. They are looking for ways to improve their vaccine and planning how they will deal with the new variants of the coronavirus that are emerging around the world. During our call, she approached the camera, put her hands together, as if she were about to tell me a big secret, and said: “There is always more work to be done”. The last time we talked in April, you were still in the early stages of developing the vaccine and had just chosen a candidate vaccine to run, but only tested it on animals at that time. Now, you are so close to obtaining an emergency approval for your vaccines. How are you feeling? “In fact, a lot has happened. When we first analyzed data from our phase three clinical trial, he said it was 66% effective overall and 72% effective in the U.S. in preventing symptomatic COVID. That was after we already knew the effectiveness numbers of Pfizer and Moderna. At first, we thought – oh, no, this is not 90%. But then we realize that there is no direct comparison. And our goal has always been to have a vaccine that is 70% effective after an injection, because we know that this is what will make a difference in this pandemic. This will significantly prevent disease. “When we analyze the data more deeply, we realize that in all countries and strains of viruses, or variants, we have very high protection against severe COVID-19. About 85%. Total protection against hospitalization. And there were no deaths in the vaccine group, when there were deaths in the group that received the placebo injection in our trial. It is an incredible result after a dose ”. What was your biggest challenge and your biggest win? “Keeping everyone focused and energized has been difficult, because working conditions are very challenging. We cannot celebrate our highs because we are alone in our home offices, like everyone else. The team is dedicated, but working day and night and being in the dark about what the results will be for so long? Sometimes it was difficult. You reach the end of your rope. You’re tired. You want to sleep and, while sleeping, you still dream of the vaccine. “But now, we are pushing for FDA emergency approval. What am I complaining about, really? We have a vaccine! ”Did you do anything specific to maintain your team’s morale? And how do you practice self-care? “My team had a daily meeting where we were motivated. We talked about the progress we were making. And it helped me personally to go for a walk with my Labrador, Figo. When I was worried, I thought: Well, the sun is going to come up tomorrow, right? Time will help us. Keep breathing. “The last time we talked, you were working 14 hours a day. Is that still the case?” Sometimes it’s louder. But, of course, I need to eat, sleep and walk my dog. rising at night. My dog is so sick of it. He started barking. He’s 11 years old and never barked, but now he realizes that he needs to make a sound to get attention. Now I make my nights with my laptop and him lying on mine. He deserves attention, and it makes me realize that when this is over, I’ll need to disconnect and spend some time doing nothing and playing with him. “At the moment, in the Netherlands, we have a block and a curfew, so there’s not much to distract us so we could just keep pushing and doing our job. it’s not a healthy life. I couldn’t do this forever. But I know what a privilege it is to be a part of this. I need to do everything I can to end with this global pandemic. it’s a lot more for me than the hours I need to apply. If a vaccine can be launched and help us out of this crisis, every minute is worth it ”. It must be a lot of pressure, right? “Yes, it was tremendous pressure, especially after the virus variants came into play. We had to obtain immune response data for all regions, in case we saw lower immune responses in areas where there were new variants. Everyone asked me where the data was. What can you tell us? When will you know? I was like, I can’t rush this. We need to let people do their job. I was ready to say that my internet broke and I could no longer answer calls. But that would have been childish. Now I feel more relaxed again, but there is still a lot of work to do. The trial is still ongoing. We are working to obtain FDA emergency use authorization. There are new challenges. “You were quoted saying,” Treatments save lives, but vaccines save populations. ” Can you tell me more about this philosophy and how it kept you active? “What you see in this crisis is that we can treat people, but we see across the world that the health care system is overburdened. So, even if you have treatment, there are capacity limits for those who can receive it. If we can prevent vaccine overload, we can save the population from the consequences and suffering of this pandemic. And that is why we work tirelessly. We need collective immunity to save the population. ”What do you think about the vaccine launch so far? “I don’t know for your country, but here it is going very slowly. It is moving to see these very old people who have been feeling insecure for almost a year. But when they get the vaccine, it gives them hope. They can see their families and meet their grandchildren again. “But I think we could do a better job. I think we need to produce faster and more. Around the world, I think we should do everything we can to get these vaccines to everyone. ” Will the J&J vaccine help with this? “Yes. With our vaccine, an injection is sufficient. It is great for people in remote areas, because they will not have to return after three, four weeks. It can be transported at more favorable temperatures than some of the others. I am not saying that it shouldn’t be implemented in the western world, but I think it has the potential to be implemented in more challenging areas of the world, especially to get the vaccine to everyone. ”Have you had your vaccine yet?” No! It’s funny, people say it’s not fair because I worked on it all year. But I think it’s fair. Because everyone is dealing with this crisis. Everyone wants to be vaccinated. I think it makes perfect sense that people who need it most get vaccinated first. My only risk factor is my 20-year-old son, and I tell him every day to be careful. I am not at high risk of getting the virus, so those who are should be vaccinated first. ”After the vaccine authorization process is completed, what will you do next? I know that you have worked in the past with other therapeutic vaccine candidates, such as HIV, Ebola and HPV. Will you go back to that job or focus on the new generations of COVID-19 vaccines? “I will do both. I am very proud of the teams that kept our other vaccine programs going. Our Ebola program is going well. But we are also working on next generation COVID-19 vaccines. We need to find out: do we need to update the strains that are circulating now? As a virologist, I believe there is an end to what a virus can do about the mutation. It still needs to link to your host. The less the virus spreads, it will prevent the emergence of new strains that will take us out of this crisis. At some point, the virus must accept that it will be neutralized by antibodies and will no longer be able to escape. But we are finding out what our next steps will be. “The last time we talked, you said that when this was all over, you would go to the Alps for a hike. Do you think it will happen to you this year? Do you hope that life will be normal enough for all of us to do things like that next year? “Yes, I have two friends and we said on New Year’s Eve that we are definitely going to camp there this year. We will do this unless we cannot, due to the restrictions of COVID. But it is my hope that we will have more immunity so that everyone can move a little more. I am so ready to walk and not think about anything for at least a week. ”This interview was condensed in terms of length and clarity. Like what you’re seeing? How about a little more R29 goodness, right here? Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine approved by FDACo as Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine works Why COVID vaccines only in wealthy communities