In December 2020, almost exactly a year after Covid-19 began to spread, a key milestone in the fight against the disease was reached: the first vaccine dose was administered outside of a clinical trial.
A nurse originally from the Philippines, May Parsons, gave that ground-breaking Oxford-AstraZeneca shot to a woman in the UK, Margaret Keenan, 91.
That a vaccine had been developed, tested and approved for emergency use in such a short space of time was remarkable and credited, in part, to huge investments by governments especially.
While vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were ready to go in rapid time, technical and commercial reasons mean that shorter lead times could become more common in the post-Covid world.
Few know this better than Dr Jamila Louahed, global head of research and development for therapeutic vaccines at the pharmaceutical giant GSK, and head of research and development at the company’s site at Rixensart, a town south-east of the Belgian capital, Brussels.
Dr Louahed describes Belgium as "the Silicon Valley of vaccines", with the European nation having an ecosystem for vaccines that began to develop in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Deadly necessity
To highlight the time it has taken in the past to develop some vaccines Dr Louahed cited respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes colds and coughs that threaten infants and the elderly. In Europe alone, RSV results in an estimated 20,000 deaths of older people in hospital each year.
In 2023, US and European regulators gave approval to a GSK vaccine against the illness, while UAE officials gave the go-ahead this year, and it is being introduced in a number of nations.
It has been a long time coming. In the 1960s a different RSV vaccine, based on an inactivated form of the virus that causes RSV, led to respiratory disease in some infants, a setback that considerably slowed development.
Also, the task of developing a shot has been made difficult by way that the key F protein on the virus's surface evolves rapidly.
"If you think about the time it took to develop some vaccines – let’s say RSV – 60 years. With today’s technology, you could really speed it up – less than 10 years," Dr Louahed said.
A key reason cited by Dr Louahed for increased speed is advancement in structural biology, the field that analyses the 3-D shape of biological molecules, such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids.
Without these advances, spurred by improvements in microscopy and computing software, she said neither the Covid-19 vaccines nor the RSV vaccines would have come to market in the way they have.
Mapping a solution
It is hoped that new technology in the form of the antigen presenting system (Maps) could help develop innovative ways to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The goal is to provide broader protection by combining sugar and protein antigens from the surface of the bacteria in one vaccine, which will activate different parts of the immune system, a statement on the GSK website reads.
An antigen is a toxin or other foreign substance which causes an immune response in the body.
For all that technology has improved, it remains a painstaking process to identify the correct antigen to include in the vaccine.
Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in the UK, said vaccine development was now "undoubtedly" faster, possibly twice as quick as in previous decades.
He said advances in structural biology meant the process of working out the 3D configuration of critical components of antigens was "much more streamlined and much faster" and Maps technology, too, had been a leap forward.
He said with mRNA vaccines, regulation was simpler because with different versions of such vaccines, the safety profile was not likely to change. Also, while he said that safety had not been compromised, the overall regulatory framework was faster.
"Now that back has been broken, it will be a lot easier to get a vaccine licensed than it was," he said. "There was a feeling that small companies and new companies could not possibly know what they were doing and couldn’t amass the data to get it through the regulatory authorities – they should leave it to the old timers. Covid has put an end to that."
For one candidate antigen for a vaccine, hundreds may have to be screened, so working in the field can be "extremely exciting and extremely frustrating at the same time", said Dr Dunja Sobot, GSK’s head of protein biochemistry for therapeutic vaccines.
"We have a lot of back and forth to make sure we have the best possible antigen when it goes further down in development," she added.
"We need to make sure we have something that’s functional, efficient and safe. We’re entering an exciting era. We can use many production tools to help us design the vaccine. All of this innovation can be applied to many parts of vaccine development."
Another technological advance has been through the use of "digital twins", which Siemens and a digitalisation company called Atos have worked on with GSK.
These provide a way to optimise the development and manufacturing of the vaccine through the creation of a "virtual plant".
This is the digital equivalent of the real vaccine facility, and it generates data that can be fed back into the vaccine development and manufacturing process, helped by machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence.
Aside from technical advances, vaccine development is being sped up by the holding, simultaneously, of different stages of clinical trial.
Emmanuel Felix, a GSK vice president who oversees the company’s manufacturing operations, said working in sequence was "not an option any more".
Among GSK’s manufacturing sites is a huge complex at Wavre, which lies a short distance east of Rixensart.
Employing more than 5,000 people, the campus-like Wavre plant, which is able to produce 1.5 million doses per day and accounts for about 60 per cent of the company’s vaccine manufacturing capacity, continues to expand.
Mr Felix said the pandemic had "changed the way we interact with regulators", which is another reason why things are faster now. "A lot of the barriers we thought were there in the past we can overcome," he said.
New frontiers
There is also a greater willingness to take commercial risks in the race to create new vaccines. For example, Mr Felix said GSK had already made investments in Belgium in anticipation of the eventual production of a vaccine to combat the herpes simplex virus.
An estimated 3.8 billion people under the age of 50 globally have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, the main cause of oral herpes, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
An estimated 519.5 million people aged 15 to 49 worldwide have herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, the main cause of genital herpes.
HSV-2 increases the risk of acquiring HIV infection by about three-fold. In some cases it can even lead to a brain infection.
Continued innovation to develop a herpes vaccine is needed because of the "unmet medical need and burden associated with genital herpes".
However, last month GSK announced initial results "did not meet the study’s primary efficacy objective". Mr Felix said the company had already made preparations for the vaccine, which will not go ahead in its current form.
"We had made some investment in Belgium for that. It’s what it is but we’ve done the right thing," he said.
While vaccine development is faster thanks to a new technology and a renewed post-Covid push by pharmaceutical giants to keep up momentum, Mr Felix insisted safety standards remain high.
"It doesn’t change anything from a safety risk perspective. We would never, ever compromise on that," he said.
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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