A team of scientists jostled for a view of the
lab dish, staring impatiently for the first clue
that an experimental vaccine against the new
coronavirus just might work.
After weeks of round-the-clock research at the
National Institutes of Health, it was time for a key
test. If the vaccine revs up the immune system,
the samples in that dish -- blood drawn from
immunized mice -- would change color.
Minutes ticked by, and finally they started
glowing blue.
“Especially at moments like this, everyone
crowds around,” said Kizzmekia Corbett,
an NIH research fellow leading the vaccine
development. When her team sent word of the
positive results, “it was absolutely amazing.”
Dozens of research groups around the world
are racing to create a vaccine as COVID-19 cases
continue to grow. Importantly, they’re pursuing
different types of vaccines — shots developed
from new technologies that not only are faster
to make than traditional inoculations but might
prove more potent. Some researchers even aim
for temporary vaccines, such as shots that might
guard people’s health a month or two at a time
while longer-lasting protection is developed.
“Until we test them in humans we have
absolutely no idea what the immune response
will be,” cautioned vaccine expert Dr. Judith