California-based Scots scientist hails UK funding

A Scottish scientist leading attempts to develop a vaccine to combat coronavirus has challenged other countries to follow the UK’s lead and fund their efforts.

Dr Kate Broderick heads up a team of experts at the pharmaceutical giant Inovio in San Diego, California, who are working around the clock to have a DNA vaccine ready by December.

She revealed her efforts are being spurred on by her family – her husband is immunocompromised, while her sister is a nurse working in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

The UK has announced a further £210 million towards research – making it the biggest international contributor – with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying “this record British funding will help to find a vaccine for the entire world”.

Welcoming the cash, Dr Broderick, 42, said: “I am really proud that the UK Government has made this absolutely phenomenal gesture and I think that really says a lot about how seriously Boris Johnson is taking the pandemic.

“The fact that the UK Government has made such a generous donation will hopefully encourage other countries to follow their lead.

“This is a lesson to everybody globally that governments can be leaders in providing support for this work and frankly this is crucial because if we don’t have the funding behind it, it is just going to slow down the process of getting these vaccines out there.

“The reality is that vaccine development costs money and it takes time but you can do it faster if you have more funding – so to get such a significant investment from the UK can make a genuine difference to the timeline for this.

“Every investment helps bring forward the date that the vaccine is ready and save countless lives.”

The team she leads is now hoping to start human clinical trials next month, with Inovio working towards having a million doses of vaccine ready by December.

Dr Kate Broderick