campusreview . com . au news
Turning to the topic of emergency use authorisation , Pollard said while it was well established , it “ still involves having carefully conducted data ... and evidence that it actually works ".
Currently , there are more than 160 candidate vaccines in development , dozens of which have entered human clinical trials , including Russia ’ s ‘ Sputnik V ’ vaccine , which was controversially granted regulatory approval after less than two months of human testing .
The University of Queensland announced that pre-clinical testing of its COVID-19 vaccine produced positive indications about its potential effectiveness and manufacturability .
Project co-leader Associate Professor Keith Chappell said : “ The neutralising immune response created by our molecular clamp vaccine in animal models was better than the average level of antibodies found in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 .
“ In hamster models , the vaccine combined with the Seqirus MF59 ® adjuvant , provided protection against virus replication , and reduced lung inflammation following exposure to the virus .
“ It also induces a strong T-cell response and showed strong results when it came to data relating to manufacturability .”
Chappell noted that one of the big challenges in the development of vaccines is the ability to produce them at sufficient scale for widespread use .
“ We are working with [ biotechnology company ] CSL to ensure the production yield is as efficient as possible , and have every confidence they will be able to manufacture the millions of doses required to protect the Australian public ," he said .
In an earlier Conversation article , University of Sydney Associate professor Adam Kamradt-Scott , a global health security scholar and former RN , said even if the Russian candidate and others are proven to be safe and effective , developing the vaccine is just the first step . “ Some of the biggest challenges in getting everyone vaccinated still lie ahead .”
Kamradt-Scott said initial supplies are going to be extremely limited .
“ The first major challenge after a vaccine is developed is to produce enough of it to start vaccination programs .
“ It has been estimated that to achieve sufficient levels of immunity among the global population with a two-dose vaccine , we would need between 12 billion and 15 billion doses – roughly twice the world ’ s current total vaccine manufacturing capacity .
“ Shifting to exclusively manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine will also mean shortages of other vaccines such as those for preventable childhood diseases such as measles , mumps and rubella . So prioritising COVID-19 could cost many other lives .” He added that without substantial investment to strengthen international and national supply chains , it will be years before vaccines reach everyone who needs them .
Kamradt-Scott predicted a long wait before the world is vaccinated and the borders are open as before .
If they become available sooner than expected it will “ only be because countries have agreed to work together like never before ”.
“ Let ’ s hope they can do it .” ■
The University of Melbourne . Photo : kokkai
Lucky seven
Seven Aussie unis make the ARWU top 100 .
Australia ’ s only top 50 institution
in ShanghaiRanking ’ s Academic
Ranking of World Universities ( ARWU ) has climbed the list in its 2020 edition .
Last year , the University of Melbourne slid three spots to land 41st but has this year gained that ground back and then some , coming in at number 35 .
The university ’ s deputy vice-chancellor ( research ) Jim McCluskey said the result was testament to staff .
“ The University of Melbourne ’ s position in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities reflects the quality of research conducted across the university and affiliated institutions ," McCluskey said .
“ The university considers metrics-based evaluations of research quality as one measure of the value and importance of its research , and recognises the assumptions and flaws in rankings methodology that preference STEM research , undervalue interdisciplinarity and are imperfect proxies of the long-term benefits of research .”
All up , Australia had seven universities in the ARWU top 100 – the same number as the 2019 edition after UNSW made its first ever appearance at number 94 , climbing out of the 101-150 band .
This year , it climbed again , reaching equal 74th alongside the University of Sydney .
Ahead of them was the University of Queensland , which maintained its spot at 54 and the Australian National University ( up nine places to 67 ).
Meanwhile , Monash University slid from 73 to 85 , sharing the spot with the University of Western Australia .
The University of Adelaide could be Australia ’ s next top 100 university as it again sits in the 101-150 group .
In all , Australian universities made leaps up the top 100 list , with all except Monash and UQ climbing at least four places and UNSW jumping up 20 .
Harvard University topped the list for the 18th year . Stanford University and the University of Cambridge rounded out the top three . They were followed by MIT , Berkeley , Princeton , Columbia , Caltech , Oxford and Chicago .
Asia ’ s best university was the University of Tokyo , which came in at 26th , while in Continental Europe , Paris-Saclay University ( 14th ) topped its regional competitors in its first appearance in the ARWU .
Five other universities make their firstever appearances in the Top 100 , including France ’ s PSL University ( 36th ), University of Paris ( 65th ) and Université Grenoble Alpes ( 99th ), and China ’ s University of Science and Technology of China ( 73rd ) and Fudan University ( 100th ). ■
3