Latina Scientist Dr. Maria Bottazzi Was Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for Creating a Patent-Free COVID-19 Vaccine
Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about the perils of big pharma and the role they’re playing in governments’ response to COVID-19. So, when a scientist comes along and creates a medicine for truly altruistic reasons, it gets people’s attention.
Honduran-American scientist Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi was recently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her groundbreaking creation of the Corbevax vaccine, an affordable and easily reproducible COVID-19 vaccine that she refers to as “the World’s Vaccine.”
The Corbevax vaccine uses traditional recombinant protein technology to prevent disease in its host. Like other well-known vaccines for hepatitis B and HPV, recombinant protein technology uses enough of a virus’s proteins to provoke the body’s immune response, but not enough to actually make the body sick.
This technology is markedly different from the now widely-used COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, which teach our bodies how to make COVID-19 antibodies without the actual virus being injected into us.
And unlike big pharma companies like Pfizer or Moderna, Dr. Bottazzi’s Corbevax vaccine is unpatented, which means manufacturers won’t have to pay for the right to manufacture it. This makes the Corbevax vaccine more affordable for developing countries and, therefore, more accessible to the world’s poorer populations. Already, the Corbevax vaccine has received authorization for emergency use in India.
“Our goal has always been to develop and manufacture cheap, durable vaccines to contribute to global health,” Dr. Bottazzi said to NBC News.
Bottazzi grew up in both Italy and Honduras. Her father, a Honduran man of Italian descent, moved Bottazzi and her brother to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where she spent most of her youth.
Dr. Bottazzi’s upbringing in Honduras has influenced her outlook on life, making her sympathetic to the plight of developing countries with poor populations.
For Dr. Bottazzi, creating a more-accessible vaccine was a way to give back to her community. “You need to have an open-source mentality to be able to decolonize, to ensure that these vaccines are not produced only by high-income countries,” she told El Pais. “They should be produced in the same countries where they are needed.”
On February 1, Dr. Bottazzi and her research partner Dr. Peter Hotez were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Texas Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.
“Dr. Hotez and Dr. Bottazzi’s effort to develop the CORBEVAX vaccine is truly one of international cooperation and partnership to bring health, security, and peace around the world by creating a COVID-19 vaccine and making it available and accessible to all,” wrote Rep. Fletcher in a statement. “It is a contribution that is of the greatest benefit to humankind.”
Bottazzi’s nomination came as a big surprise to her. “The truth is that I was shocked, speechless. But we are very excited and grateful, because the simple fact that they have thought of us means that we are already winners,” Bottazzi told NBC News.
Now, Dr. Bottazzi is using her platform to advocate for Latinas, immigrants and people from developing countries to believe in themselves despite the odds. “My message is that it can be done, no matter what negative people say,” she said.
“I studied in Honduras, so it’s a lie that one always has to be educated in high-income countries,” she continued. “Our education, if you do your part and dedicate yourself, can achieve the excellence of the highest educational systems and we can learn what is needed.”
Mwanasayansi wa Kilatini Maria Bottazzi amechaguliwa kwa Tuzo ya Amani ya Nobel kwa kutengeneza chanjo ya COVID-19 bila hati miliki, na amekuwa akizungumza juu ya hatari za kampuni kubwa za dawa na jukumu wanalofanya katika majibu ya serikali kwa COVID-19. Kwa hiyo, mwanasayansi anapokuja na kutengeneza dawa kwa sababu za kujitolea, hilo hupata uangalifu wa watu. "Mwanasayansi wa Honduras-Mmarekani, Dk Maria Elena Bottazzi, amechaguliwa hivi karibuni kwa Tuzo ya Amani ya Nobel kwa uundaji wake wa chanjo ya ""Corvax,"" chanjo ya COVID-19 inayopatikana kwa bei nafuu na inayoweza kuzalishwa kwa urahisi ambayo anaiita "" chanjo ya ulimwengu. "" chanjo ya Corvax hutumia teknolojia ya kawaida ya protini ya recombinant kuzuia ugonjwa katika mwenyeji wake." Kama vile chanjo nyingine zinazojulikana kwa ajili ya hepatitis B na HPV, teknolojia ya protini ya recombinant hutumia protini za virusi vya kutosha kuchochea majibu ya kinga ya mwili, lakini si ya kutosha kufanya mwili kuwa mgonjwa. Teknolojia hii ni tofauti sana na chanjo za mRNA za COVID-19 zinazotumiwa sana sasa, ambazo hufundisha miili yetu jinsi ya kutengeneza antibodi za COVID-19 bila virusi halisi kuingizwa ndani yetu. "Na tofauti na makampuni makubwa ya dawa kama vile Pfizer au Moderna, chanjo ya Dk Bottazzi ya ""Corvax"" haijapata hati miliki, ambayo inamaanisha watengenezaji hawatalazimika kulipa haki ya kuizalisha." Hii inafanya chanjo ya Corvax iwe rahisi kwa nchi zinazoendelea na, kwa hivyo, kupatikana zaidi kwa idadi ya watu maskini ulimwenguni. Korvovaks imepokea idhini ya matumizi ya dharura nchini India "Lengo letu daima limekuwa kuendeleza na kutengeneza chanjo za bei nafuu, endelevu ili kuchangia afya ya ulimwengu,"" Daktari Bottazzi aliliambia NBC News." Bottazzi alilelewa nchini Italia na Honduras. Baba yake, ambaye ni wa asili ya Italia, aliwahamisha Bottazzi na ndugu yake kwenda Tegucigalpa, Honduras, ambako alitumia muda mwingi wa ujana wake. Utamaduni wa Dakt. Bottazzi huko Honduras umemsaidia kuona maisha kwa njia inayofaa, na kumfanya aelewe hali mbaya ya nchi zinazoendelea zenye watu maskini. Kwa Dr. Bottazzi, kuunda chanjo inayopatikana kwa urahisi zaidi ilikuwa njia ya kurudisha kwa jamii yake. "Unahitaji kuwa na akili ya chanzo wazi ili uweze kuondoa ukoloni, kuhakikisha kwamba chanjo hizi hazitengenezwa tu na nchi zenye mapato ya juu", aliiambia El Pais. "Wanaweza kuwa na uwezo wa kuunda viungo vya afya vya kutosha, na kwa hivyo wanaweza kuwa na uwezo wa kuandaa viungo vya afya vya kutosha, ""Bottazzi na mwenzake wa utafiti, Dk Peter Hotez, walichaguliwa kwa Tuzo ya Amani ya Nobel na Congresswoman wa Texas, Lizzy Fletcher." <unk>Daktari. """Jitihada za Hotez na Dk Bottazzi za kuendeleza chanjo ya COVERVAC ni kweli moja ya ushirikiano wa kimataifa na ushirikiano wa kuleta afya, usalama na amani ulimwenguni kote kwa kuunda chanjo ya COVID-19 na kuifanya iwepo na kupatikana kwa wote,"" aliandika Rep. Fletcher katika taarifa." <unk>Ni mchango ambao ni wa faida kubwa kwa ubinadamu.<unk> Uteuzi wa Bottazzi ulimshangaza sana. <unk>Ukweli ni kwamba nilishtuka, bila kusema lolote. """Lakini tunafurahi sana na tunashukuru, kwa sababu ukweli rahisi kwamba wametufikiria inamaanisha kuwa tayari tumeshinda,"" Bottazzi aliwaambia waandishi wa habari wa NBC." Bottazzi anatumia fursa yake kuwahimiza watu wa asili ya Latini, wahamiaji na watu kutoka nchi zinazoendelea kuamini katika wao wenyewe licha ya changamoto. "Ujumbe wangu ni kwamba inaweza kufanywa, bila kujali watu hasi wanasema nini", alisema. "Nilijifunza nchini Honduras, kwa hiyo ni uwongo kwamba mtu lazima awe na elimu katika nchi zenye mapato ya juu", aliendelea. "Elimu yetu, ikiwa utafanya sehemu yako na kujitolea, inaweza kufikia ubora wa mifumo ya elimu ya juu zaidi na tunaweza kujifunza kile kinachohitajika. """