Vaccines have been our weapon against some of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. They protect at individual as well as community level, providing an inherent societal benefit and have played a major role in defeating diseases such as smallpox and polio. In recent years, new diseases have emerged and have caused extensive suffering and deaths in some communities but the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how vulnerable we are to new diseases against which we have no protection. Over the past few months scientists around the world have been working around the clock to develop treatments and potential vaccines against this new threat to global health and the global economy.
In this panel discussion, we will explore some of the challenges to developing a new vaccine and consider some of the novel techniques and technologies that can help to accelerate development and manufacture. Making a new vaccine available requires a complex series of activities: demonstration of safety and efficacy, establishment of robust and reliable manufacturing processes, selection of appropriate delivery systems, training of healthcare personnel to administer the vaccine and use of established supply chains and distribution systems to get the vaccine to the people who need it, around the world. Although much of the focus has been on the first stages (development of a vaccine candidate and conduct of clinical trials) the logistics of delivery may prove to be an even greater challenge.
The panel of expert speakers will address some of these topics from the viewpoint of their particular expertise and will respond to questions from the participating audience.
There will be no pre-recorded presentation by speakers
Gary Kobinger (Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Director of the Research Centre on Infectious Diseases at Université Laval, Member of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards, World Health Organization, Canada)
Ryan Donnelly (Queen’s University Belfast, UK)
Preethi Eldi (School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, UniSA Cancer Research Institute, Australia)