The world was shocked when the novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, began to spread rapidly across the globe. In the face of the pandemic, scientists around the world have worked tirelessly to develop a vaccine to protect us from the virus.
One of the most important figures in this effort is Kizzmekia Corbett, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who has played a key role in the development of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
Kizzmekia Corbett the Scientist who saved us
Kizzmekia Corbett is a virologist and immunologist who has dedicated her career to the study of infectious diseases. She joined the NIH’s Vaccine Research Center in 2010, where she has worked on the development of vaccines for viruses such as HIV, as well as the development of treatments for Ebola. Corbett has also been an advocate for underrepresented minorities in science.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Corbett was part of the team at the NIH that was tasked with developing a vaccine. She was instrumental in developing the mRNA technology that is used in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Corbett’s team was able to rapidly develop the technology in just
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett’s background
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett is an immunologist, virologist and vaccine scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is of course best known for leading the team of scientists who developed the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine for COVID-19.
Dr. Corbett earned her B.S. degree from Hampton University and her doctorate in Immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also completed postdoctoral studies at the NIH and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Corbett is a leader in the field of vaccine development, having worked on the development of vaccines for HIV, Zika, MERS and SARS. In addition to her work on the Moderna vaccine, she is also involved in research on the development of a universal influenza vaccine.
