Nita K. Patel (born 1965) is an Indian-American vaccinologist who leads vaccine development at Novavax. She oversaw the development of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.

Early life and education

Patel was born in Sojitra, a farming village in Gujarat. When she was four years old her father contracted tuberculosis, and came close to death. ^[1] This experience motivated Patel to become a physician and attempt to find a cure for tuberculosis. ^[2] She went on to earn a master's degree in microbiology at Sardar Patel University and a master's degree in biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University.

Research and career

After graduating from Johns Hopkins, Patel moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland where she worked for MedImmune, a company that looked to create vaccinations for tuberculosis, respiratory syncytial virus and Lyme disease. ^[2] She was the sixteenth member of the MedImmune team. ^[3] Later the company eventually acquired by AstraZeneca. ^[3]

In 2015, Patel left AstraZeneca to join Novavax, a biotechnology start-up in Maryland. Her research considers antibody discovery and vaccine development. ^[4] She oversaw the development of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, and led an all-woman team. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} After Patel received the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in February 2020, she designed and characterized over twenty variants of the protein. ^[3] This involved identifying the locations where antibodies bind to the protein, and developing tests to check whether the spike is consistent between manufacturing plant. ^[3] The vaccines developed by Patel and Novavax make use of recombinant DNA. ^[8] In an interview with Science Magazine, Patel said that she had worked eighteen hour days to develop the vaccine, but didn't get tired. ^[9] They were awarded a $1.6 billion contract to run clinical trials. ^[10] In 2021, the vaccine was shown to be 89% effective in large trials in the United Kingdom. ^{[11] [12]}

Selected publications

• Cheryl Keech; Gary Albert; Iksung Cho; et al. (2 September 2020). "Phase 1-2 Trial of a SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Spike Protein Nanoparticle Vaccine". The New England Journal of Medicine. doi: 10.1056/NEJMOA2026920. ISSN  0028-4793. PMID  32877576. Wikidata  Q98902656.
• Bryce D Smith; Rebecca L Morgan; Geoff A Beckett; et al. (1 August 2012). "Recommendations for the identification of chronic hepatitis C virus infection among persons born during 1945-1965". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Recommendations and Reports. 61 (RR-4): 1–32. ISSN  1057-5987. PMID  22895429. Wikidata  Q34294185.
• William F Dall'Acqua; Robert M Woods; E. Sally Ward; et al. (1 November 2002). "Increasing the affinity of a human IgG1 for the neonatal Fc receptor: biological consequences". Journal of Immunology. 169 (9): 5171–5180. doi: 10.4049/JIMMUNOL.169.9.5171. ISSN  0022-1767. PMID  12391234. Wikidata  Q33184928.

Personal life

Patel is married to an American biochemist. ^[1]

References