WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.233 --> 00:00:04.967 It took just a few weeks for Ugur Sahin and his team at Biontech 2 00:00:04.967 --> 00:00:08.000 to develop their COVID-19 vaccine. 3 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:12.500 The fact that it was approved after extensive testing gave the field of 4 00:00:12.510 --> 00:00:14.240 mRNA technology a huge boost. 5 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:17.840 "It was fortunate these vaccines were effective – 6 00:00:17.840 --> 00:00:21.672 which couldn't be taken for granted, of course." 7 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:25.840 Was luck also involved? 8 00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:30.040 One thing is clear: mRNA technology made it possible to develop and 9 00:00:30.040 --> 00:00:32.330 produce the vaccine quickly. 10 00:00:32.440 --> 00:00:35.740 But even more importantly, researchers already had 11 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:37.150 experience with coronaviruses. 12 00:00:37.150 --> 00:00:42.630 In 2002 and 2015, other viruses in the same family had 13 00:00:42.630 --> 00:00:44.000 caused smaller outbreaks. 14 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:48.060 Earlier research had shown that coronaviruses use their spike 15 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.760 proteins to dock onto human cells. 16 00:00:50.760 --> 00:00:54.640 To prevent that, a vaccine would need to train the immune system to 17 00:00:54.650 --> 00:00:56.140 ward off those proteins. 18 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:59.320 Understanding that gave developers a head-start in 19 00:00:59.330 --> 00:01:00.660 designing the vaccine. 20 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:05.140 But what if a future pandemic is caused by a novel pathogen 21 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:07.200 that hasn't been studied as extensively? 22 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:11.040 Scientists say we can expect even more pandemics in the future. 23 00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:18.297 "There are growing interactions between humans and 24 00:01:18.297 --> 00:01:20.250 animals, because there are more of us – and more domesticated animals 25 00:01:20.250 --> 00:01:25.310 – as well as more contact due to increasing habitat destruction. 26 00:01:25.310 --> 00:01:29.170 And because we're so globally interconnected now, viruses can 27 00:01:29.170 --> 00:01:33.030 spread fast once they jump from animals to humans. 28 00:01:33.510 --> 00:01:37.060 So I believe we'll be seeing more pandemics, and it's important we 29 00:01:37.069 --> 00:01:38.650 prepare for them." 30 00:01:41.183 --> 00:01:44.480 The vaccine researcher's idea is that teams should develop 31 00:01:44.490 --> 00:01:48.840 vaccines in advance against the 50-to-100 most dangerous 32 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:50.470 pathogens out there. 33 00:01:50.470 --> 00:01:54.760 The main focus, he says, should be on high-threat microbes that don't 34 00:01:54.770 --> 00:01:55.840 currently infect humans. 35 00:01:55.840 --> 00:02:00.190 When those pathogens cross the species barrier to us in 36 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:04.550 slightly modified forms, however, they can cause very severe disease. 37 00:02:04.550 --> 00:02:08.720 Research teams could in theory already develop specific 38 00:02:08.720 --> 00:02:11.840 vaccines against these potentially dangerous microbes. 39 00:02:11.850 --> 00:02:16.590 These vaccines could be tested on a small group of people, 40 00:02:16.590 --> 00:02:19.350 enabling the creation of a small stockpile. 41 00:02:19.350 --> 00:02:24.750 If a new pandemic then does break out, the vaccines could be rapidly 42 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:27.230 adapted thanks to that preliminary work. 43 00:02:28.107 --> 00:02:30.710 "Preparatory work could shorten the whole process - which 44 00:02:30.720 --> 00:02:34.190 essentially means developing the vaccine - so that we really 45 00:02:34.200 --> 00:02:38.213 could see one on the market within about three months." 46 00:02:41.977 --> 00:02:44.093 The idea is not entirely new. 47 00:02:44.093 --> 00:02:49.103 Following a devastating Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the 2017 48 00:02:49.103 --> 00:02:54.090 World Economic Forum saw the foundation of the Coalition for 49 00:02:54.090 --> 00:02:55.830 Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. 50 00:02:55.830 --> 00:02:59.960 In a crisis situation, the CEPI program would be able to get 51 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:01.620 a vaccine approved within months. 52 00:03:01.630 --> 00:03:04.383 But funding proved insufficient. 53 00:03:04.893 --> 00:03:08.720 At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, CEPI was 54 00:03:08.730 --> 00:03:12.270 given a budget of 1.4 billion dollars. 55 00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:15.750 But that was only enough to spearhead the immediate fight 56 00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:16.790 against the coronavirus... 57 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:19.530 not to prepare for a new pandemic. 58 00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:24.580 The organization's annual reports show that investment in the program 59 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:29.330 fell sharply again after the first COVID vaccines were approved. 60 00:03:31.130 --> 00:03:33.710 "It'd have to be stocked up enormously. 61 00:03:33.710 --> 00:03:37.420 I think the good thing about it, though, is that it wouldn't have to 62 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:38.750 be financed by one country. 63 00:03:38.750 --> 00:03:42.310 It'd be financed everywhere, because it benefits all humanity - 64 00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:45.550 not just people in Germany or the US." 65 00:03:47.143 --> 00:03:50.790 The vaccines would then be developed over a longer period. 66 00:03:51.110 --> 00:03:54.650 The hope is that this process would also increase confidence 67 00:03:54.650 --> 00:03:55.710 in new vaccines. 68 00:03:55.710 --> 00:03:57.720 But is it realistic? 69 00:04:00.530 --> 00:04:03.760 "It's a very ambitious plan that also has to be coordinated 70 00:04:03.770 --> 00:04:05.570 internationally, of course. 71 00:04:05.590 --> 00:04:08.750 But experience shows that international research 72 00:04:08.750 --> 00:04:12.430 coordination doesn't work all that well yet." 73 00:04:13.827 --> 00:04:15.410 One thing is clear. 74 00:04:15.420 --> 00:04:19.550 According to the WHO, COVID vaccines have prevented around 75 00:04:19.550 --> 00:04:22.800 1.4 million deaths in Europe alone.... 76 00:04:22.810 --> 00:04:26.750 even if they don't provide really long-term protection 77 00:04:26.750 --> 00:04:27.730 against infection. 78 00:04:27.730 --> 00:04:31.680 Those vaccines primarily train antibodies in the immune system. 79 00:04:32.440 --> 00:04:34.839 T cells received less attention. 80 00:04:37.460 --> 00:04:39.180 "We've learned that the T-cell responses to vaccines are 81 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:40.610 also really important... 82 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:44.950 because the T-cell response is less susceptible to mutations 83 00:04:44.950 --> 00:04:46.390 in the virus." 84 00:04:46.390 --> 00:04:50.730 Antibodies, on the other hand, have problems recognizing 85 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:52.480 new virus variants. 86 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:57.420 In the future, inhaled vaccines or those administered as nasal sprays 87 00:04:57.430 --> 00:05:01.000 might provide even more effective protection against infection 88 00:05:01.010 --> 00:05:02.339 with respiratory pathogens. 89 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:04.480 We're still waiting for breakthroughs. 90 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:07.060 Still, experts are not entirely pessimistic. 91 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:12.860 "I believe we'd be in a better situation if a new pandemic were 92 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:14.100 to begin today." 93 00:05:17.843 --> 00:05:20.770 A lot will depend on how much experts know about 94 00:05:20.779 --> 00:05:22.440 any new pathogens. 95 00:05:22.440 --> 00:05:26.690 Once targets for the immune system are identified, vaccines could be 96 00:05:26.700 --> 00:05:28.540 developed very quickly again. 97 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:32.410 Perhaps even faster than during the COVID-19 pandemic.