Curiosity Daily Podcast: Coronavirus Vaccine Development: Scientific Challenges and Timelines with Dr. Julia Schaletzky (COVID-19 Bonus Episode)
Dr. Julia Schaletzky explains what it takes to develop vaccines for viruses like COVID-19. Dr. Schaletzky is the Executive Director of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases, the Drug Discovery Center, and the Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Institute at UC Berkeley.
March 29, 2020
Episode Show Notes:
In this special coronavirus coverage from Curiosity Daily, Dr. Schaletzky discusses:
- What science needs to be done in order to make a new vaccine a reality?
- Why can’t we grow a live virus vaccine for COVID-19?
- What are the challenges associated with animal testing?
- How long does it take to complete clinical trials and why are they so important?
- What are the differences between ebola vaccine development and coronavirus vaccine development?
- Why do we update vaccines for the seasonal flu, and will we have to update a COVID-19 vaccine after it’s been developed?
- What zoonotic viruses have we identified besides COVID-19 and how can we protect humans from them in the future?
- What is it about a bat’s immune system that increases risk of virus transmission to humans?
- How long should it take to create a vaccine, and will it happen before we’ve developed herd immunity?
- What’s the difference between a live virus vaccine, a recombinant vaccine, and an mRNA vaccine, and which might be most effective against coronavirus?
- How long does it take to be sure a vaccine is safe for humans?
- Why can’t everyone in the US get a serological test to see if they’ve already had COVID-19?
- What can the coronavirus pandemic teach us about policies and funding that impacts scientific research in the future?
Additional resources from Dr. Julia Schaletzky, Executive Director of the Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases at University of California, Berkeley:
- Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases (CEND) http://cend.globalhealth.berkeley.edu/
- CEND COVID-19 Outbreak Watch http://cend.globalhealth.berkeley.edu/coronavirus-outbreak-watch/
- Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Institute (IVRI) https://ivri.berkeley.edu/
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB) faculty bio for Julia Schaletzky, PhD https://haas.berkeley.edu/biology-business/academics/faculty/
- Follow @CENDUCBerkeley on Twitter https://twitter.com/CENDUCBerkeley
- Follow
- Dr. Schaletzky’s CEND profile http://cend.globalhealth.berkeley.edu/julia-schaletzky-phd/
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