DeepSummary
The episode discusses the process of developing maternal immunizations, which go through the same process as other vaccines but with additional safety steps for pregnant people. It involves identifying the target pathogen, exploiting technology to develop a vaccine candidate, preclinical testing, and then clinical trials starting with non-pregnant adults before carefully introducing it to pregnant participants with close monitoring. Dr. Bill Gruber, a pediatrician and vaccinologist at Pfizer, explains his work on developing vaccines for group B streptococcus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can cause serious illness in infants.
Clinical trial participants play a crucial role as 'heroes' in enabling vaccine development. Diversity in trial populations is important to ensure vaccines benefit all races and ethnicities. Gruber discusses the potential impact of innovations like mRNA technology and the need for collaboration between various stakeholders to address inequities and expand access.
Ultimately, the goal of maternal immunization is to provide protection to vulnerable infants and prevent serious diseases that could lead to hospitalization or death. Gruber expresses hope for upcoming approvals of group B strep and RSV vaccines, highlighting the life-changing impact maternal immunizations can have.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Maternal immunizations undergo the same development process as other vaccines, with additional safety measures for pregnant individuals.
- Clinical trial participants, diverse populations, and collaboration between stakeholders are critical for successful vaccine development.
- Dr. Bill Gruber has been working on developing vaccines for group B streptococcus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to prevent serious illnesses in infants.
- Technological innovations like mRNA technology hold promise for accelerating vaccine development.
- Addressing inequities in vaccine access and ensuring diverse representation in clinical trials are important goals.
- The ultimate aim of maternal immunization is to provide protection to vulnerable infants and prevent life-threatening diseases.
- Rigorous safety monitoring is conducted throughout the vaccine development process, including after licensure.
- Maternal immunizations have the potential for life-changing impact by preventing serious infant diseases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And of course, that's done first in small numbers of individuals, and then in hundreds and ultimately thousands and tens of thousands, and then even after licensure. We studied the vaccine in millions and tens of millions of individuals by monitoring the safety of the vaccine in those populations.“ by Bill Gruber
- “So we purposefully design our trials to have the broadest sort of distribution of race, ethnicity, ages, particularly if we're dealing something beyond the newborn period, to give us the broadest perspective on something that can be applicable to populations throughout the world.“ by Bill Gruber
- “The vaccine does no good if it doesn't get into individuals arms or thighs, in the case of young babies. And so that's where industry can really bring a great deal of its expertise to bear to solve for those particular problems, while solving for the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.“ by Bill Gruber
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Episode Information
The Antigen
Pfizer
12/6/22
Protection from serious infant illnesses isn’t enough. Helping prevent the disease from happening altogether is the goal of physician-scientists, like Dr. Bill Gruber. As the Senior Vice President of Pfizer Vaccine Clinical Research and Development, Bill explains how maternal vaccinations are developed, the inequities in this process, and the importance of clinical trial participants. This final episode concludes with the real life-changing impact of maternal immunization.
Special thanks to the maternal immunization team at Pfizer. The Antigen is produced by Wonder Media Network.