Nigeria has basic technology to produce vaccines –Virologist
A gaggle of multidisciplinary biomedical and healthcare researchers have mentioned Nigeria has the essential expertise to supply vaccines.
The staff led by the performing Head of Division, Microbiology, Adeleke College, Ede, Dr Oladipo Kolawole, is below the coordination of the Vice-Chancellor, Treasured Cornerstone College, Ibadan, Prof. Julius Oloke, Deputy Coordinators; Prof. Olubukola Oyawoye of Federal College, Oye Ekiti and Prof. Olatunji Kolawole of College of Ilorin.
Kolawole, the founding father of Helix Biogen Institute instructed our correspondent that the staff’s laboratory, had the required expertise.
Kolawole was reacting to a report on Monday the place the Minister of Well being, Dr Osagie Ehanire, mentioned Nigeria didn’t have primary expertise to know the right way to produce vaccines.
Ehanire was quoted in Abuja on the bi-weekly Ministerial Press briefing on COVID-19 and different infectious ailments within the nation.
He mentioned, “The urgency is now to have the expertise to know the right way to produce vaccines.
“So we’ve introduced collectively all our consultants, together with the producers of vaccines and producers to discover a strategy to have the expertise in case of future outbreaks.’’
Nevertheless, Kolawole, mentioned, ‘‘The federal government don’t have the essential expertise however we’ve the essential expertise in our lab on the Helix Biogen Institute. ‘
‘We now have our in-house expertise to design vaccine candidates, bear in mind we had been in a position to make WHO checklist, We weren’t in a position to synthesize within the nation that’s, we have to make it in liquid kind to know the very best situations for manufacturing, however all different steps had been carried out right here.’’
He complained that it was identical means when coronavirus began in 2020, saying the Federal Authorities mentioned there have been no molecular biologists within the nation.
Kolawole revealed that he had completed the primary section of the animal trial utilizing mice for accessing the security, saying they’d quickly accessed the immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine.
‘‘We now have completed the primary section of the animal trial utilizing mice for accessing the security. It was secure, we’re in touch with CEPI to assist out with the immunogenicity examine they usually have despatched some varieties to us. We are going to quickly be accessing the immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine and we’re collaborating with researchers in Kenya for the trial in monkeys, which is able to begin any time quickly,’’ he mentioned.
The analysis effort, which concluded its animal trial primarily based has been listed by the World Well being Organisation as quantity 61 out of 185 vaccine candidates globally.
The PUNCH had reported that the Oladipo mentioned it was unlucky that the federal government and personal people had not proven sufficient help to what he and his colleagues had been doing.
“All we’ve received are commendation from Minister of Science and Expertise in addition to posts from former vice pricedent, Atiku Abubakar on his Fb and Twitter accounts, however no monetary help. The staff is targeted; we are going to hold transferring and pushing till we get there. Although the tempo could be sluggish however sluggish and regular win the race.’’
“We now have three candidate vaccines for Lassa Fever Virus, one for Hepatitis E and one for Cholera. Though the staff is engaged on pan-coronavirus vaccine which is completely different from those we had earlier than, that’s 70 per cent accomplished,” he added.
