1 00:00:00,849 --> 00:00:08,043 Our lab studies the immunology of infectious diseases and so when COVID-19 occurred, we 2 00:00:08,043 --> 00:00:13,110 were in a unique position to be able to respond because this is sort of what we do, is look 3 00:00:13,110 --> 00:00:16,160 at how the immune system protects against infection. 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:21,621 Specifically, as far as a COVID vaccine, what we’ve been doing is developing a vaccine 5 00:00:21,621 --> 00:00:27,380 against a parasitic infection, but it’s a platform with which one can use to develop 6 00:00:27,380 --> 00:00:32,660 a vaccines against COVID-19 so what our research efforts are in the lab is to develop what 7 00:00:32,660 --> 00:00:36,130 might be a second or third generation vaccine. 8 00:00:36,130 --> 00:00:43,140 So there’s two unique contributions that we’re making to COVID-19 research through 9 00:00:43,140 --> 00:00:44,140 this lab. 10 00:00:44,140 --> 00:00:48,330 So the first is the work of Allie Donlan, who is a graduate student, who has shown that 11 00:00:48,330 --> 00:00:54,999 an allergic immune response, we call a type-2 immune response, actually predisposes to severe 12 00:00:54,999 --> 00:01:00,049 disease and Allie has been able to show that if you neutralize that type-2 immune response 13 00:01:00,049 --> 00:01:05,460 you actually protect an animal from COVID-19 suggest that we should be able to protect 14 00:01:05,460 --> 00:01:08,549 people by neutralizing allergic cytokines. 15 00:01:08,549 --> 00:01:15,140 We’ve seen both in the patient samples and the mouse data that the immune response to 16 00:01:15,140 --> 00:01:19,219 the disease itself is very variable, and so if we can understand what causes these variations 17 00:01:19,219 --> 00:01:23,770 in the host immune response or the host response in general, we might be able to tailor specific 18 00:01:23,770 --> 00:01:28,149 personalized medicine than say a one-size-fits-all medication. 19 00:01:28,149 --> 00:01:34,039 The second advance is that Mayuresh Abhyankar, who is an assistant professor in the group, 20 00:01:34,039 --> 00:01:40,299 has shown that there is an adjuvant, something you add to a vaccine that will promote a long-lived 21 00:01:40,299 --> 00:01:42,039 antibody response. 22 00:01:42,039 --> 00:01:48,930 What we have shown is the immune response lasted for at least six months using our adjuvant 23 00:01:48,930 --> 00:01:54,310 system, so that’s pretty promising and that’s one of the exciting aspects we want to apply 24 00:01:54,310 --> 00:01:57,075 this platform for the COVID vaccine. 25 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,130 There is now five vaccines in the US that are in phase 3 clinical trials. 26 00:02:03,130 --> 00:02:08,940 I’m really optimistic and I fully expect that healthcare providers will be vaccinated 27 00:02:08,940 --> 00:02:13,860 probably at the end of this year or January and then will go to then vaccinate people 28 00:02:13,860 --> 00:02:19,760 who have underlying illnesses that put them at greatest risk and then finally will be 29 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:25,220 to the general public I would imagine by spring/summer of next year, so the vaccine will be widely 30 00:02:25,220 --> 00:02:26,130 available to everyone