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The virologist leading the search for a vaccine, who tested positive for Covid-19 last week, has no symptoms and is in good health. From his home, Enjuanes continues to be active and claims the role of R&D: “We work at full speed when there is an urgent need and then, when it disappears, no one remembers,” but “experience shows that every 8 or 10 "A coronavirus that is deadly to humans emerges years ago."
The leading Spanish expert on coronavirus, the virologist Luis Enjuanes, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in a medical check, as reported last Friday on Twitter by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). The researcher at the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC) He was infected “outside the laboratory”, where he is developing the vaccine against Covid-19.
The tweet, of just 300 characters and with almost a thousand likes, clarified that the scientist was fine and would remain at home, where he would continue working like the rest of his team. Sinc has spoken with him by phone to find out how he is doing and to find out the news about his investigation. In two weeks, since his last interview, the scenario has changed a lot.
How are you?
I am asymptomatic. I feel really well. I must have been infected for ten days and for the moment, honestly, I can't ask for more. I'm working hard at home because we have a lot of tasks to do. I feel very well.
When will you be able to return to the laboratory?
When a week has passed since the test is negative. The first analyzes were done on Wednesday of last week. The tests will be repeated tomorrow, Wednesday. If tomorrow I tested negative, I would have to wait another week. Let's hope so.
How has testing positive for coronavirus affected your research?
If we are a little lucky, very little. It will have meant a delay of a week, even less, because we all continue working at home.
In February they started working on the coronavirus vaccine, where is it now?
We started the work even earlier. First we need to obtain the virus genome in a modifiable format to eliminate the genes that are responsible for its virulence. By attenuating the virus we will have a potential vaccine that we will then have to test in an experimental animal model, which we are also developing. Naturally we cannot test it on people, it would be outrageous.
Specifically, Harvard University (USA) has proposed infecting healthy young people to test the vaccine more quickly. What do you think?
That doesn't even cross my mind. Before you have to go through many stages. Everyone who works in vaccine development knows that the vaccine must first be developed and then tested in experimental animal models, preferably mice, then civets or small piglets, and finally macaque monkeys. If they do not cause significant secondary damage, then they move on to phase I, II and III clinical trials in humans. All of this is very regulated, there are protocols to follow. It would not cross our minds to use small children as guinea pigs, although we know that, in general, these viruses do not cause a relevant disease in them.
