How to Make a Vaccine by John Rhodes

How to Make a Vaccine by John Rhodes

As the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every corner of the world, changing our relationship to our communities, to our jobs, and to each other, the most pressing question has been—when will it end? Researchers around the globe are urgently trying to answer this question by racing to test and distribute a vaccine that could end the greatest public health threat of our time.  In How to Make a Vaccine, an expert who has firsthand experience developing vaccines tells an optimistic story of how three hundred years of vaccine discovery and a century and a half of immunology research have come together at this powerful moment—and will lead to multiple COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. John Rhodes draws on his experience as an immunologist, including working alongside a young Anthony Fauci, to unravel the mystery of how vaccines are designed, tested, and produced at scale for global deployment. Concise and accessible, this book describes in everyday language how the immune system evolved to combat infection, how viruses responded by evolving ways to evade our defenses, and how vaccines do their work. That history, and the pace of current research developments, make Rhodes hopeful that multiple vaccines will protect us. Today the complex workings of the immune system are well understood. The tools needed by biomedical scientists stand ready to be used, and more than 160 vaccine candidates have already been produced. But defeating COVID-19 won’t be the end of the story: Rhodes describes how discoveries today are also empowering scientists to combat future threats to global health, including a recent breakthrough in the development of genetic vaccines, which have never before been used in humans. As the world prepares for a vaccine, Rhodes offers a current and informative look at the science and strategies that deliver solutions to the crisis.

"A great book for those wanting to know the backgroundRhodes covers many fascinating details in immunology and the history of vaccine discoveries, as well as the basic science behind the development of COVID-19 vaccines, a topic which couldn't be more important."--Daniel M. Davis, author of The Beautiful Cure "Rhodes is undoubtedly the right person to offer this timely and excellent explanation of a very topical story of great public interest. He is not only a well-respected immunologist, but also has personal experience in vaccine development."--Eddy Liew, University of Glasgow "This concise book is wide-ranging in the topics covered; from the history of immunology and vaccinology to the early development of multiple COVID-19 vaccines. It explains many of the areas of vaccine development that are rarely discussed, leaving the public wondering what takes so long, and reminds us that vaccines are a wise investment for both our own health and that of the economy." --Sarah Gilbert, University of Oxford

John Rhodes is a UK-based international expert in immunology and vaccine discovery. He has held research fellowships at the US National Institutes of Health and the University of Cambridge, and from 2001 to 2007 he was director of strategy in immunology at GlaxoSmithKline. He is the author of The End of Plagues: The Global Battle Against Infectious Disease.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780226792514
ISBN 10	022679251X
Title	How to Make a Vaccine
Author	John Rhodes
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	The University of Chicago Press
Year published	2021-04-12
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.