HOW I GOT HERE

Bioengineer and Imperial College Covid vaccine researcher Dr Anna Blakney

Last year, when the world was hit by the coronavirus, Dr Anna Blakney was one of a few female scientists working on a vaccine. As a research fellow at Imperial College she develops treatments for diseases, such as the flu, Ebola and HIV. She also uses Tiktok (with over 200,000 followers) to inspire young girls to get into science, uploading short videos of herself in the lab. ‘Working on the vaccine was an incredible opportunity. It’s every scientist’s dream to be part of something that will have a positive impact on human health,’ she says.

AT SCHOOL, I WAS ALWAYS DRAWN TO SCIENCE AND MATHS BECAUSE I LIKE KNOWING THERE’S AN ANSWER AND EXPLANATION TO THINGS.

I also loved doing lab tests and experiments, so decided to study chemical and biological engineering at university.

IN 2012, I DID A PHD IN BIOENGINEERING, WHICH INVOLVES APPLYING ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES TO BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE BODY. This can help decipher molecular design, as was used in the vaccine, as well as create aids, such as prosthetics.

I WORKED IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, RESEARCHING HIV VACCINES.

I loved it there, but lived in an area where HIV was high and the disparity between rich and poor was staggering.

WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT LAST JANUARY, I WAS WORKING IN IMPERIAL COLLEGE’S IMMUNOLOGY LAB.

We were perfectly placed to work on a vaccine, as we’d already been developing a genetic code called RNA, which instructs your cells to make a protein from the virus. Other vaccines inject a weakened version of the virus into muscle.

AS A SCIENTIST, RESILIENCE BECOMES PART OF YOUR PERSONALITY.

Failure is an integral part of science. Success doesn’t come overnight and you have to realign your mindset to see the positives. Failure is a great opportunity to learn.

EVERYONE IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY PULLED TOGETHER TO FIGHT COVID-19.

We celebrated when we heard the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were successful. They were RNA vaccines, like ours, so it was great to know we were on the right track. Usually there’s competition between scientists because you’re trying to solve a challenge first, plus you’re often competing for the same funding, but this was different.

SCIENCE HAS PROGRESSED RAPIDLY AND SHOULD BE CELEBRATED MORE.

A hundred years ago, with Spanish flu, we weren’t able to create vaccines quickly, you just had to stay away from people and hope for the best. But within two months of discovering Covid-19, we’d created a sequence for a vaccine and within a year we’d had it approved. It’s mind-blowing.

TIKTOK WAS GREAT FOR EDUCATING A WIDER AND YOUNGER AUDIENCE ABOUT OUR VACCINE.

I made videos on how we tested it, explained how clinical trials work, and even pretended to drop a vial of the vaccine, which got over 16 million hits. I joined Tiktok partly because I wanted to show more

‘FAILURE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN’

girls that being a scientist is a cool and interesting job. Women are still underrepresented in a lot of areas, such as physics and computer science. The only way it will change is by highlighting women already in those fields, because that makes it a lot less intimidating.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO SHUT OFF AND NOT THINK ABOUT SCIENCE ALL THE TIME.

So I go for a run, do some yoga or catch up with friends.

I NOW HAVE MY OWN LAB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA IN CANADA.

I’m a professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering. I want to use RNA to make new vaccines, and other medicines, such as antibody therapies. My goal is to make affordable medicines accessible across the globe.

MY MOTTO IS: ‘WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN’T AFRAID?’

You need to change your mindset, because if someone else can do something, then why can’t you?