The development of a COVID-19 vaccine is the greatest medical need of our generation—and Texas Children’s is on the front lines.
Drs. Peter Hotez and Maria Elena Bottazzi, who co-direct Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, are rapidly advancing their work on vaccines that will protect against COVID-19 and other coronaviruses.
“Without a vaccine, we’re using 14th-century methods of prevention—that’s what quarantining and social distancing are, and we have to use these methods, “ Hotez said. “But vaccines have always been our best and most powerful front-line public health defense against widespread infection, and they are the answer—now and in the future—for COVID-19 and other coronaviruses.”
Most people aren’t aware that there is an entire family of coronaviruses. The one that has ignited our global pandemic is SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are two others that have emerged in recent years.
Drs. Hotez and Bottazzi, along with their teams, have already developed recombinant protein-based vaccines against SARS and MERS. One of them is ready to be tested in humans; the other is ready for scaled-up production. We are now using our extensive expertise with these related viruses to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 and quickly move it into the clinic.
In a recent interview on the nationally syndicated health show “Dr. Oz”, Dr. Hotez shared his thoughts on COVID-19 and what he feels the future will bring. You can view part one and part two of the interview.
To learn more about the work taking place at Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development visit TexasChildrensVaccines.org.