Sarah Catherine Gilbert (April 1962) is a British vaccinologist, professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford and co-founder of Vaccitech who specializes in the development of vaccines against influenza and emerging viral pathogens. Led the development and testing of the universal flu vaccine, which was the subject of clinical trials in 2011. She is one of the people working on a vaccine for COVID-19.
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| Born | April 2, 1962 |
| Age | 58 years old |
| Place of birth | United Kingdom |
| Education | University of East Anglia, University of Hull |
| Famous for | Vaccine |
| Occupation | Vaccinologist |
Youth
Sarah Gilbert was born on April 2, 1962 in the United Kingdom.
Education
Sarah Gilbert studied at the Kettering Institute, where she realized that she wanted to work in medicine. She graduated in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia and completed her doctorate at the University of Hull, where she focused on biochemistry. After obtaining her doctorate, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the industry. She began her career at the Brewing Industry Research Foundation before moving to the Leicester Biocentre. She eventually joined Delta Biotechnology, a biopharmaceutical company that manufactures drugs in Nottingham.
Private life
Sarah Gilbert gave birth to triplets in 1998. His partner abandoned his career to be their primary care
Research career
In 1994, Sarah Gilbert returned to the University, joining the laboratory of Adrian VS Cerro. Their initial research examined host-parasite interactions in malaria. She was appointed lecturer in vaccinology at the University of Oxford in 2004. She was appointed professor at the Jenner Institute in 2010. With the support of the Wellcome Trust, Gilbert began working on the design and creation of new flu shots. In particular, his research focuses on the development and preclinical testing of viral vaccines, which incorporate a pathogenic protein into a safe virus. 8 9These viral vaccines induce a T-cell response, which can be used against viral diseases, malaria and cancer.
Universal influenza vaccine
Participated in the development and testing of the universal flu vaccine. Unlike conventional vaccines, the universal flu vaccine does not stimulate the production of antibodies, but activates the immune system to create flu-specific T cells. Uses one of the basic proteins (nucleoprotein and matrix protein 1) within influenzavirus A, not the external proteins that exist in the outer shell. As the immune system weakens with age, conventional vaccines are not effective for the elderly. The universal flu vaccine does not need to be reformatted every year and keeps people from needing a seasonal flu vaccine. Their first clinical trials in 2008 used the H3N2 influenza A virus subtype, monitoring patients’ symptoms daily. It was the first study to show that it was possible to stimulate T cells in response to an influenza virus and that this stimulation would protect people from influenza. Their research has shown that the adenovirus vector ChAdOx1 can be used in vaccines that protect against Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in mice and capable of inducing an immune response against MERS in humans. The same vector was also used to create a vaccine against Nipah which was effective in hamsters (but never tested in humans), and a potential Valley Rift fever vaccine protecting sheep, goats and cattle (but not tested on the man).
Vaccine for COVID-19
Sarah Gilbert has been involved in the development of a new coronavirus vaccine since the start of the 2019-2020 coronavirus disease pandemic. Lidera is working on this vaccine with Andrew Pollard, Teresa Lambe, Sandy Douglas, Catherine and Adrian Cerro Verde. As with its previous work, the COVID-19 vaccine uses an adenoviral vector, which stimulates an immune response against the advanced protein of the coronavirus. Plans were announced to begin animal studies in March 2020, and recruitment of 510 human participants for a phase I / II trial began on March 27.
In April 2020, Gilbert said that his candidate vaccine could be available in September 2020, however, funding of more than £ 100 million by June is expected to be reached, having started with funding of more than £ 500,000 to date , 26 from sources such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The vaccine track was launched on April 23 by Elisa Granato.
