Ep. 106: On the Verge: Leaders in Bioscience Discuss the State of Vaccines and Treatments
Description
George Yancopoulos, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Regeneron
Joseph Vinetz, Professor of Medicine, Yale University; Infectious Disease Physician
Tal Zaks, Chief Medical Officer, Moderna
“We're going to need vaccines to create as widespread herd immunity as we can, but we're also going to need drugs that are targeted against the virus that can provide immediate protection and also treat those who are already sick. So we have multiple clinical trials ongoing with our antibody cocktail, both for prophylaxis or prevention and also for treatment.” – George Yancopoulos, Regeneron
Three world-renowned bioscience leaders join Mike Milken and Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) chief science officer Howard Soule for a conversation on the state of the COVID-19 challenge, herd immunity, and unique approaches to developing safe and effective vaccines, antibodies, and other treatments. Recorded on August 29 as part of a PCF event, this conversation is especially notable as it describes the antibody cocktail that would later be administered to President Donald Trump after he contracted the virus.
Moderna’s Tal Zaks is optimistic that scientists are on the verge of a breakthrough that we’ll learn more about very soon. “In the coming months,” he tells Howard, “expect data from us and potentially some of the other vaccine companies that also have started phase 3 trials that will conclusively demonstrate that these vaccines can work. I hope all of them succeed because I don't think a single company can carry the weight of what's needed to protect all of us and all those who need it.”
“How do we think about building an inclusive product that represents what families look like today, which might be very different than what families looked like 200 years ago. We want voices from all over to help us shape that product.”
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