It has been an exhausting two years for the man who led the discovery behind the rapid development of many of today’s Covid-19 vaccines.
Dr Barney Graham and his team at the National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Centre in Maryland, US, were working on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, known as Mers, when they invented a method for manipulating the amino acids in the spike protein of not only that coronavirus but any coronavirus.
The breakthrough in molecular engineering enabled their partners at the American biotech company Moderna to roll out an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine candidate at colossal speed, while also informing the science on which companies such as Pfizer-BioNTech, CureVac, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax rely.
On Wednesday, the first anniversary of the day that Margaret Keenan, then 90, became the first person in the UK outside clinical trials to receive a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Dr Graham said he was proud of the contribution.
The currently available technologies will lead to unimaginable breakthroughs in biology and medicine over the next 20 years
“The achievement was based on many years of work leading up to this moment when everything was in place to act quickly,” he told The National.
“I think that with money and the right environment in which scientists can work in multi-disciplinary settings, the currently available technologies will lead to unimaginable breakthroughs in biology and medicine over the next 20 years.”
Though gratified that the vaccine approach was working well, Dr Graham said it was hard to celebrate with more than five million deaths globally from SARS-CoV-2, recurrent surges of infection, around 30 per cent of people refusing the help available “because of active misinformation”, and an African continent where fewer than 10 per cent had been vaccinated.
“We have an effective strategy for coronavirus vaccines, evidence that neutralising therapeutic monoclonal antibodies can prevent disease progression, anti-viral drugs, and diagnostics,” he said.
“What we still don't know how to do is immunise the world in three months instead of three years so the emergence of new variants is inevitable.”
Dr Graham’s comments come in the week that Dame Sarah Gilbert, the British vaccinologist and co-creator of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, expressed concerns that the advances made must not be lost through a lack of funding for future pandemic preparedness.
What we still don't know how to do is immunise the world in three months instead of three years so the emergence of new variants is inevitable
Dame Sarah said during the annual BBC Richard Dimbleby lecture on December 6 that the experts who had responded rapidly and worked relentlessly since the outbreak began must not now be asked “to fade back into patient and underfunded obscurity”.
“I don’t think what we’ve learned can be taken away from us,” Dr Graham said in response, “but I agree with the concern that if we don’t follow through and complete the task of full pandemic preparedness then we won’t be in a position to act so quickly next time around.”
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
He hoped the trauma of living through the pandemic would be enough to convince people that the world had the tools and capacity to be better prepared in the future, and the obligation to "get it done".
“Because the pandemic pain cut across so many aspects of life and society, including economically, I believe we will see a different level of commitment by our political and business leaders in addition to scientists.
“After the 1918 pandemic recovery, there was a renaissance of sorts in terms of reforming medical education, studies that led to the discovery of DNA, philanthropic efforts,” Dr Graham said, specifically highlighting the Rockefeller Foundation and East Africa, “to improve global health and surveillance, etc. Maybe we will see the same thing here.”
Having now left the NIH after more than 20 years, Dr Graham plans to provide education initiatives to address vaccine hesitancy by “improving biology literacy, and identifying better ways of communicating true information and distinguishing it from misinformation”.
Building trust with the community could only be done by a long-term commitment to engagement and transparency but not amid a crisis, he said.
Looking back over his career, the 68-year-old eminent virologist, immunologist and clinical trials physician reflected that he had been privileged to receive support during several decades of scientific inquiry, and had worked with amazing and dedicated colleagues.
He was trying to determine the most productive way of discharging the obligation he felt to continue to share the knowledge accumulated along the way.
“I retired from government a few months ago,” Dr Graham said, “but it’s more of a 'repositioning' because I’m still involved with multiple groups, staying busy, and feeling like I can’t relax until this thing is over.”
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
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Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
