science.org SCIENCEPHOTO: MATT BARTON/UK COLLEGE OF AGRICULTUREa particle that resembles a virus. Medicago
produces the spike proteins in a geneti-
cally engineered plant, a tobacco cousin
called Nicotiana benthamiana, rather than
in lab cell cultures. The vaccine had 71%
efficacy against symptomatic disease in a
24,000-person trial in six countries, where
many variants were circulating—although
not Omicron. The company is now seeking
authorization in Canada and, pending suc-
cess there, plans to submit data to U.S. and
European regulators.Tabak named acting NIH chief
SCIENCE POLICY |Lawrence Tabak,
principal deputy director of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), will become the
agency’s acting director on 20 December—
the day after current Director Francis
Collins leaves his post. Collins, the
physician-geneticist who has led the
$43 billion agency for 12 years, announced
his resignation in October. Before assum-
ing his current role at NIH in 2010, Tabak,
a dentist and biochemist, spent 10 years
directing the National Institute of Dental
and Craniofacial Research. Onlookers say
he will bring stability as the White House
searches for the next director. The per-
manent position requires approval by the
Senate health committee and full Senate.New Zealand to phase out tobacco
PUBLIC HEALTH |The government of New
Zealand last week released an unprec-
edented proposal to outlaw sales of tobacco
products to those turning 14 years old, a
prohibition that would last their lifetimes
and gradually end sales entirely. The coun-
try’s Smokefree 2025 Action Plan would
also make it the first in the world to only
allow sales of low-nicotine smoked tobacco
products. Authorities decided on bold action
after modeling showed a diminishing effect
of existing strategies, including high taxes
and bans on public smoking. The plan also
calls for greater investment in smoking
cessation support for the Ma ̄ori community,
which has a smoking rate of 24.8%, com-
pared with 10.1% among New Zealanders of
European heritage. Parliamentary approval
is expected next year, with the measures
likely taking effect in 2023.NEWS
IN BRIEF
“
This is like a teenager promising to clean their
room in 30 years. We need action now.
”
Bill Snape, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity, on President Joe Biden’s 8 December
announcement of a plan for the U.S. government to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.Wreckage of the main building at the University of Kentucky’s Research and Education Center.
Edited byKelly ServickA
hub of agricultural research in the small city of Princeton,
Kentucky, was among the many places left in ruins last week
as a series of tornadoes ripped through the region, killing doz-
ens. No employees of the University of Kentucky’s Research and
Education Center were killed, and just one person there suf-
fered minor injuries. But nearly all of the 60 buildings on-site—including student housing, offices, and research facilities—have been
condemned. Director Carrie Knott estimates it will be at least a year
before the center’s 15 principal investigators can resume their research
programs, which include agronomy, plant pathology, and horticulture.
Center leadership will spend the upcoming days removing debris and
setting up temporary offices and storage facilities for employees.
RESEARCH FACILITIES
Tornado razes agricultural center
Vaccine mimics virus particle
COVID 19 |A vaccine with a unique com-
position and production method worked in
a large COVID-19 efficacy trial, its sponsor,
Canada-based biotech company Medicago,
announced in a press release last week.
The vaccine consists of SARS-CoV-2 spike
proteins that self-assemble into viruslike
particles (VLPs). Already used in vaccines
against human papillomavirus and hepatitis
B, VLPs in theory stimulate robust immune
responses because of the orderly way they
pack many copies of the viral proteins into1418 17 DECEMBER 2021 • VOL 374 ISSUE 6574