Award for designer of Oxford vaccine

A BRITISH vaccinologist who led the team behind the Oxford-astrazeneca jab has received a prestigious award recognising her contribution to “a global common good”.

Professor Sarah Gilbert said it was a “great honour” to be handed the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) Albert Medal.

Previous winners include Winston Churchill, Marie Curie, Alexander Graham Bell, Stephen Hawking and Tim Berners-lee.

Prof Gilbert – who joined Oxford University in 1994 – is the 156th recipient of the medal, which started in 1864 as a memorial to Prince Albert, former president of the society.

“It is a great honour to receive this award,” she said.

“The creation of the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine came after I had worked in this field for many years, learning how to move quickly from a concept to a licensed vaccine.

“With a great team we developed a ‘vaccine for the world’ which is now being used to save lives in many countries.”

RSA chief executive Matthew Taylor congratulated the professor, saying: “The Oxford vaccine is a huge triumph for British creativity, research and development.”