Biography:Nita Patel
Nita Patel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 (age 60–61) Sojitra |
| Alma mater | Johns Hopkins University Sardar Patel University |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Novavax AstraZeneca |
Nita K. Patel (born 1965) is an Indian-American vaccinologist who leads vaccine development at Novavax. She oversaw the development of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.
Early life and education
Patel was born in Sojitra, a farming village in Gujarat. When she was four years old her father contracted tuberculosis, and came close to death.[1] This experience motivated Patel to become a physician and attempt to find a cure for tuberculosis.[2] She went on to earn a master's degree in microbiology at Sardar Patel University and a master's degree in biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University.
Research and career
After graduating from Johns Hopkins, Patel moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland where she worked for MedImmune, a company that looked to create vaccinations for tuberculosis, respiratory syncytial virus and Lyme disease.[2] She was the sixteenth member of the MedImmune team.[3] Later the company eventually acquired by AstraZeneca.[3]
In 2015, Patel left AstraZeneca to join Novavax, a biotechnology start-up in Maryland. Her research considers antibody discovery and vaccine development.[4] She oversaw the development of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, and led an all-woman team.[4][5][6][7] After Patel received the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in February 2020, she designed and characterized over twenty variants of the protein.[3] This involved identifying the locations where antibodies bind to the protein, and developing tests to check whether the spike is consistent between manufacturing plant.[3] The vaccines developed by Patel and Novavax make use of recombinant DNA.[8] In an interview with Science Magazine, Patel said that she had worked eighteen hour days to develop the vaccine, but didn't get tired.[9] They were awarded a $1.6 billion contract to run clinical trials.[10] In 2021, the vaccine was shown to be 89% effective in large trials in the United Kingdom.[11][12]
Selected publications
Personal life
Patel is married to an American biochemist.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Nita Patel is leading the vaccine team of Novavax in US..." (in en-GB). https://www.asian-voice.com/News/International/Nita-Patel-is-leading-the-vaccine-team-of-Novavax-in-US.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Meet Nita Patel, An American-Indian Scientist Who is Breaking Ground in Vaccinology - SheThePeople TV" (in en-US). https://www.shethepeople.tv/home-top-video/american-indian-scientist-nita-patel-covid-vaccine/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wadman, Meredith (2020-11-06). "'Nothing is impossible,' says lab ace Nita Patel" (in en). Science 370 (6517): 652. doi:10.1126/science.370.6517.652. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 33154121. Bibcode: 2020Sci...370..652W.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 O'Donnell, Norah (April 1, 2021). "Meet the women at forefront of COVID-19 vaccine development" (in en). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-vaccine-nita-patel-kizzmekia-corbett/.
- ↑ "View: Why are all the prominent Covid vaccines developed by women?". The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/view-why-are-all-the-prominent-covid-vaccines-developed-by-women/articleshow/79636629.cms?from=mdr.
- ↑ Tu, Jessie (2020-03-10). "Meet some of the women trying to beat the spread of coronavirus" (in en-AU). https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/the-women-trying-to-beat-the-spread-of-coronavirus/.
- ↑ "Women and the Vaccine" (in en). 2020-04-28. https://millennialmatriarchs.com/2020/04/28/women-and-the-vaccine/.
- ↑ Bhattacharya, Shriya. "Meet Dr. Nita Patel and her All-Female Team Developing the COVID-19 Vaccine" (in en-US). https://browngirlmagazine.com/2020/04/meet-dr-nita-patel-and-her-all-female-team-developing-the-covid-19-vaccine/.
- ↑ Cantwell, Meagan (2020-11-17). "This scientist buoys a small firm's quest to make a top-notch COVID-19 vaccine" (in en). https://www.science.org/content/article/woman-playing-key-role-small-firm-s-quest-effective-covid-19-vaccine.
- ↑ "Novavax $1.6B vaccine contract: Is this the start of something big?". https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0714-novavax-biotechnology-maryland-20200714-pvrrh5c7dfhmtncflodaisosfe-story.html.
- ↑ "Covid-19: Novavax vaccine shows 89% efficacy in UK trials" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2021-01-29. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55850352.
- ↑ "Novavax vaccine 96% effective against original coronavirus, 86% vs British variant in UK trial" (in en). 2021-03-11. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/11/novavax-vaccine-96percent-effective-against-original-coronavirus-version-in-uk-trial.html.
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