COVID-19 Vaccines with UT Ties Arrived Quickly After Years in the Making

July 15, 2020 • by Marc Airhart

When the first COVID-19 vaccine trial in the U.S. began on March 16, history was being made. Never before had a potential vaccine been developed and produced for human trials so quickly—just 66 days since scientists published the genome sequence of the virus that causes the disease. This blindingly fast effort was only possible because a group of scientists and their partners in industry had already invested years in laying the groundwork.


This molecular structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein looks like a mushroom-shaped tangle of colored ribbons

This is a 3D atomic scale map, or molecular structure, of the 2019-nCoV spike protein. The protein takes on two different shapes, called conformations—one before it infects a host cell, and another during infection. This structure represents the protein before it infects a cell, called the prefusion conformation. It also has some small stabilizing mutations that lock it into this shape. Credit: Jason McLellan/University of Texas at Austin.

Three scientists in white lab coats

From left: Jason S. McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences, Daniel Wrapp, graduate student, and Nianshuang Wang, research associate, pose for a photo in the McLellan Lab at The University of Texas at Austin Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Credit: Vivian Abagiu.

A scientist, named Nianshuang Wang, transfers a liquid sample with a pipette

Nianshuang Wang, research associate, at work in the lab Monday Feb. 17, 2020 at The University of Texas at Austin. Credit: Vivian Abagiu.

Two students, Nianshuang Wang and Daniel Wrapp, look at data on a computer screen

Nianshuang Wang, research associate, right, and Daniel Wrapp, graduate student, left, review cryo-EM images in the The Sauer Structural Biology Laboratory Monday Feb. 17, 2020 at The University of Texas at Austin. Credit: Vivian Abagiu.

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